Events

Turbomachinery in the Energy Transition: Needs, Challenges, and Technology Development

Hosted by Southwest Research Institute and UT Austin Mechanical Engineering Department
*Lunch will be provided to attendees

Presented by: Dr. Tim Allison & Ellen Smith

ABSTRACT

Over 90% of the world’s power is provided by a mix of turbomachinery, primarily steam and gas turbines, but with significant contributions from hydro and wind turbines. Decarbonization of electric power and industrial infrastructure requires the development of cost-effective, sustainable, and reliable power generation and energy storage technologies that are capable of numerous Megawatts or Gigawatts of output, thus leveraging the scalability and manufacturability of machinery-based systems. This lecture will introduce anticipated opportunities for machinery-based power systems in the future grid and provide an overview of existing technology development efforts at Southwest Research Institute (some in partnership with UT Austin), to support the commercialization of next-generation technologies, including supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton cycles, hydrogen gas turbines, and non-combustion gas turbines integrated with thermal energy storage or compressed/liquid air.