GE´S GENTLE GIANT ROBOTS: HELPING CREATE CLEANER POWER FOR HUMANS

March 16, 2017

Robots come in many shapes, sizes and iterations. And though most of us envision the gleaming cyborgs or giant armored machines gleaned from decades of science fiction, at GE, robots are helping one of its Distributed Power manufacturing facilities become safer, more cost effective and efficient.

Making its debut in Jenbach, Austria, a different kind of robot is now working alongside its human brethren. A giant robot named Goliath is helping GE staff manufacture some of the most efficient, cleanest, high tech gas engines in the world, faster and safer than ever before. With a power range of 100 kW to 10 MW, they can run on a variety of fuels, including natural gas, biogas, coal seam gases and associated petroleum gases.

The Jenbacher* gas engines produced with Goliath are used in dozens of applications, like hospitals, power plants, greenhouses, residencies and even other factories to produce power, heat and cooling. They are particularly popular for renewable and waste-to-energy, industrial power generation—or any place that faces challenging conditions, difficult fuel gases, or benefits from power that needs to be produced at or near the point of use, anytime and on or off the grid.

GE´s FANUC M2000 900l, i.e. Goliath, may be named after the biblical giant because of size, but it’s is certainly not a fighter. A six-axis industrial robot with a massive reach of just over 15 feet, Goliath was introduced to help gently lift and place tremendously heavy cylinder heads and connecting rods (up to 926 pounds) perfectly during the milling process. And because the colossal behemoth can serve parts for up to three milling machines, plant employees no longer need to touch the parts for handling activities. This allows just one employee to operate an entire portion of the assembly process.

Manufactured in Japan, with programming designed and created by GE internal experts in Austria, Goliath uses sensors to help its operator monitor performance and gather data for continuous improvement. “These advanced analytics not only help improve the factory’s work, but help us to advance the speed of production for the entire facility,” says Martin Mühlbacher, Global Supply Chain site and production leader at GE Power’s Distributed Power business in Jenbach, Austria, “As one of GE´s seven Brilliant Factory showcases our Global Supply Chain team strive to combine lean manufacturing and enhanced productivity with analytics to improve outcomes. Goliath is a big example of that.”

So, next time you’re regaled with tales about futuristic, fantastical robotic technology, remember Goliath and the many other GE giant robots working happily and efficiently to bring electricity to thousands of humans and helping to power everyone with cleaner, greener energy.

*Indicates a trademark of the General Electric Company

GE Sales First 9 HA Gas Turbine to China

China’s Harbin Electric Corp. (HE) has awarded GE a contract to provide a 9HA gas turbine for the 650 MW Huadian Tianjin Junliangcheng VI gas combined-cycle power plant project (“Junliangcheng”).

Delivery of the gas turbine, which will be the first HA to be installed in China, is scheduled for the third quarter of 2018.

“GE has worked closely with HE for more than a decade, and today’s announcement represents a significant milestone in our journey to deliver the world’s most advanced gas turbine technology in China,” said Joe Mastrangelo, president and CEO, GE’s Gas Power Systems. “Bringing the HA to China is important for the acceleration of China’s power industry, enabling more affordable, reliable, accessible and sustainable power generation.”

 Over the last 10 years, the Chinese gas electricity industry has seen growth of 334%. The 13^th Five Year Plan of Electricity Development estimates that from 2015 to 2020 the installed capacity of gas electricity will increase over 10%, reaching 110 GW. A combined-cycle power plant featuring the 9HA turbine with high efficiency, flexibility and low emissions is well positioned to answer the nation’s call for cleaner energy and infrastructure improvement.

Set to be one of the most efficient power plants in the country upon completion, Junliangcheng is expected to bring a combined-cycle efficiency of over 62%, reduce SO_x emission by up to 1194 tons, NO_x emissions by up to 500 tons, and CO² emissions by more than two million tons per year. Junliangcheng is also able to provide a heat supply up to 14.5 million square meters to be available for the city center and the outer regions of Tianjin. The facility is being converted from a coal-fired power plant to a gas-fired power plant with GE technology, and will save coal consumption of over one million tons annually.

 “It’s exciting to bring the world’s most advanced gas turbine technology to China,” said Yang Dan, vice president of GE Power China. “By combining decades of experience in delivering outcomes to local customers, GE is perfectly positioned to customize our technology to fit local power needs.”

 The gas turbine drives the overall output and efficiency levels of the plants. The first GE HA combined-cycle power plant was inaugurated in Bouchain, France, in June of 2016 and was immediately celebrated for setting a world record by achieving a net efficiency of 62.22%.

HE is one of the 53 major state-owned enterprises and under the direct management of the Chinese central government. In the past 60 years, HE has been leading the development of Chinese equipment manufacturing sector. HE has shaped flagship products across a variety of sectors with world leading technologies. HE’s offerings include nuclear power, hydro power, coal and gas power generation equipment, vessels power generation equipment, electric motor units, and power plant turn-key projects. HE has manufactured power generation equipment of 390 GW, equipping over 500 power plants globally and exporting to more than 40 countries and regions including Asia, Africa, Europe and South America.

GE and Caithness Energy Business Deal

General Electric Co. is nearing a deal with Caithness Energy with a potential value of more than $1 billion to supply equipment for multiple power plants in the U.S.

GE would provide as many as six of its new H-class gas turbines, along with steam turbines and other equipment, the companies announced Wednesday. The pact, covering plants to be developed in 2017 and 2018, is expected to become final by the end of this month.

A deal would be a boon for GE as Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Immelt reorients it around industries such as energy, aviation and oil. The Boston-based company shed most of its finance and consumer operations while bulking up equipment manufacturing through agreements including the $10 billion acquisition of Alstom SA’s power division.

The so-called HA turbine, a Winnebago-sized unit that is the company’s most efficient, is crucial to GE Power as global population growth drives demand for electricity. GE committed $2 billion to develop the product and help maintain its position as the world’s leading supplier of gas turbines. The manufacturer accounted for about 39 percent of the world market in 2016, followed by competitors Siemens AG and Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Ltd., according to data from McCoy Power Reports.

GE has received orders for 58 HA turbines, not including the six under consideration in the Caithness deal.

Top Customer

Under the agreement being discussed, GE would provide equipment generating as much as 3 gigawatts of electricity, or enough to power about 2.5 million U.S. homes. Orders for the turbines and associated service agreements are expected to be recorded by GE in the next 24 months.

Caithness is poised to become the top customer for the HA turbine, following a 2015 agreement to buy two units for a Pennsylvania plant. That facility, known as Caithness Moxie Freedom, is under development and will go online next year.

Separately, GE signed a pair of agreements with Gas Natural Fenosa valued at $130 million to service equipment in Mexico, including gas turbines manufactured by Siemens and Mitsubishi Hitachi. GE gained the ability to maintain and repair competitors’ products through the Alstom acquisition.

Leaders of GE’s power and renewable-energy businesses are meeting with investors Wednesday in New York to detail the operations.