The industry’s call for action to reduce carbon emissions is intensifying, with industry giants driving initiatives to deploy low-emission energy equipment across their operations.

In 2016, Baker Hughes, a GE company (BHGE), inaugurated two new component production lines at its Turbomachinery & Process Solutions (TPS) plant in Talamona in northern Italy. Over the past two years, both production lines have reported an increase in production capacity. The fuel nozzle production line utilizes two anthropomorphic robots capable of employing 10 different technologies, including electrical discharge machining, measurement and laser beam welding. The additive manufacturing line uses laser technology to 3-D print fuel burners for gas turbine combustion chambers.

In addition to cutting costs and boosting production, BHGE is promoting the development of new technologies in manufacturing processes to reduce carbon emissions.

“[Operations] at the Talamona plant have been extremely successful. During the past two years, capacity of the nozzle production plant has almost tripled,” said Massimiliano Cecconi, innovation engineering director of turbomachinery and process solutions business. “We are also adding a production line for manufacturing of hot gas path components.”

In 2017 BHGE released the LM9000 gas turbine, which is a derivative of the GE90 jet engine.

“The basic idea is to reduce NOx emissions to very low levels and have the ability to completely eliminate CO2 emissions in the future,” Cecconi said. The aeroderivative gas turbine, which was developed in collaboration with GE Aviation, simplifies LNG plant design and associated capex by eliminating the need for a helper motor, therefore allowing LNG train startup in the pressurized condition without venting process gas. It is designed with dual fuel capability to reduce NOx emissions while eliminating water use.

BHGE has achieved a 26% reduction in emissions since 2012 through technology improvements and operational efficiencies. The company has committed to reducing CO2 equivalent emissions to 50% by 2030 and achieving net-zero CO2 equivalent emissions by 2050.

“When BHGE inaugurated the production lines, the target was to transform the plant in our center of technological excellence for the production of the core components of gas turbines,” said Giulio Ardini, manufacturing director of turbomachinery and process solutions.

He said that the company is ready to begin another production line related to coatings of gas turbine components. Through this initiative, “BHGE aims to implement the strategy of vertical capability, which means having complete capability and control over the technology to execute the manufacturing of the gas turbine components, minimizing dependence on the suppliers,” Ardini said.

This in turn reduces the manufacturing cycle time and offers cost reduction.
Over the past two years, BHGE has also worked on increasing capacity of production, manufacturing from gas turbine components from start-to-end under one roof.

“The idea is to have one center of excellence completely dedicated to manufacturing of core gas turbine components under one roof and to maintain positioned as a leader in this process,” he said.