Cranfield works on world's largest telescope

Cranfield University has begun work on producing seven of the mirror segments for the for 'the world's biggest eye on the sky' - the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT). 

A ground-based telescope, E-ELT will be 42m in diameter and made up of 1,000 hexagonal segments, each 1.4m wide and just 5cm thick. At almost half the length of a soccer pitch in diameter, the E-ELT is four to five times larger and will gather 15 times more light than the largest optical telescopes operating today.

Cranfield University is the only university in the UK with the capability to undertake the various stages of the machining process for the mirror segments to the accuracy required. Designed and developed at Cranfield specifically for realising these mirrors, the BoX® (Big OptiX) machine has the ability to grind large optics in a matter of hours. The University also completes the process with a final machining phase on the Reactive Atom Plasma Technology (RAPT) machine which allows final polishing of the surface of the component to an atomic level of accuracy to remove any imperfections of the final surface.

Cranfield University has begun work on producing seven of the mirror segments for the for 'the world's biggest eye on the sky'.
Image courtesy of ESO.

The E-ELT will tackle the biggest scientific challenges of our time, aiming for a number of notable firsts, including tracking down Earth-like planets around other stars in the 'habitable zones' where life could exist -- one of the Holy Grails of modern observational astronomy. It will perform 'stellar archaeology' in nearby galaxies, and make fundamental contributions to cosmology by measuring the properties of the first stars and galaxies, and probing the nature of dark matter and dark energy. On top of this astronomers are also planning for the unexpected -- new and unforeseeable questions which it is hoped will arise from new discoveries made with the E-ELT.

Professor Paul Shore, Head of the Cranfield Precision Engineering Centre, said: "At Cranfield we will be measuring the mirrors to ensure their accuracy, then grinding and mounting the feet that support them. They will then be moved to Technium OpTIC (Opto-electronics Technology and Incubation Centre) in North Wales, the location of our Integrated Knowledge Centre in Ultra Precision and Structured Surfaces, where they will be polished to a form accuracy of 25nanometres."

Cranfield University is a wholly postgraduate institution with a worldwide reputation for excellence and expertise in aerospace, automotive, defence, engineering, environment and water, health, management and manufacturing. The University is made up of the following Schools: Cranfield Health, School of Management, School of Applied Sciences, School of Engineering, and Cranfield Defence and Security at Shrivenham. For more information visit www.cranfield.ac.uk 

For further information please contact: Naomie Stanford-Jones, Media Relations Executive, Cranfield University, tel: +44 (0) 1234 754999

For further information, e-mail: mediarelations@cranfield.ac.uk or view website: www.cranfield.ac.uk

GE has developed the world's first two-stage turbocharged gas engine

Responding to growing global demand for high-efficiency power generation, GE (NYSE: GE) has developed the world's first two-stage turbocharged gas engine and is applying this game-changing technology to its Jenbacher J624 gas engine. The new engine provides significant output and efficiency increases compared to the single turbocharged version and is particularly well-suited for operation in hot environments and combined heat and power (CHP) applications. 

It was introduced at an official product launch event held today at GE's Jenbacher headquarters in Jenbach, Austria, which more than 35 customers and distributors attended. Representatives from the pilot customer for the first new engine, Red Harvest, a large Dutch greenhouse plant operator, also attended the event.

Two-stage turbocharged gas engine.

"We are proud to be the pilot customer for this new J624 gas engine with two-stage turbocharging," says Jaap Noordam, owner of Red Harvest. "The new engine not only provides us with higher efficiency, but also offers us higher flexibility for our CHP operations."

With the new system, which GE developed with specialists from ABB Turbo Systems Ltd, the J624 achieves approximately 10% higher output, increasing from 4 megawatts (MW) to 4.4 MW and offers an electrical efficiency of 46.5%, an increase of about 1%.-point Improved efficiency is critical for the competitive cost of electricity and for the reduction of CO2 emissions in a carbon-constrained environment.

"With this technology breakthrough, GE continues to lead innovation in gas engines and has become the first gas engine manufacturer using two-stage turbocharging technology, enabling us to offer our customers significant performance improvements. While this technology initially is being applied to our largest gas engine, the J624, eventually it will be offered with other engines in our portfolio," said Prady Iyyanki, CEO-gas engines for GE Power & Water.

Introduced by GE in 2007, the J624 is the world's first 24-cylinder gas engine for commercial power generation, used in various applications.

"The J624 two-stage turbocharged is a real-game changer, especially for applications in countries with hot and humid conditions," Iyyanki added. "The advanced boost pressure allows us to significantly push the gas engine operating range and maintain full output and efficiency at high ambient temperatures and high elevations. We view this enabling technology as a key for future success in the gas engine business."

The two-stage turbocharging offers a much higher charging efficiency, which significantly contributes to the engine's overall increased efficiency.

In addition to the higher charging pressure, this technology also significantly improves the power density of the engine allowing it to run beyond 22 bar BMEP[1] (brake mean effective pressure). 

Applications for the new two-stage turbocharged gas engine include Independent Power Producer, CHP, trigeneration and special applications using natural gas fuel, as well as a wide range of non-natural gas fuels. The new engine will be available to customers worldwide by the summer of 2011.

GE (NYSE: GE) in profile
GE (NYSE: GE) is a diversified infrastructure, finance and media company taking on the world's toughest challenges. From aircraft engines and power generation to financial services, health care solutions and television programming, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 300,000 people worldwide.

GE serves the energy sector by developing and deploying technology that helps make efficient use of natural resources. With nearly 85,000 global employees and 2009 revenues of $37 billion, GE Energy www.ge.com/energy is one of the world's leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technologies. The businesses that comprise GE Energy--GE Power & Water, GE Energy Services and GE Oil & Gas--work together to provide integrated product and service solutions in all areas of the energy industry including coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy; renewable resources such as water, wind, solar and biogas; and other alternative fuels.

For more information, view website: www.ge.com or e-mail: martina.streiter@ge.com  Refer to page 153

A brand new range of panels and industrial PCs

A brand new range of panels and industrial PCs The Beijer Electronics´ iX HMI solution is enhanced by a broader range of panels and industrial PCs and some software additions. It is designed particularly for packaging, printing, food and pharmaceutical processing machines, machine-tools, water and irrigation, petrochemicals and marine applications.

The iX software is supported by the next generation of Beijer Electronics award-winning operator panels and industrial PCs iX is the innovative HMI solution allowing you to express your ideas with a strong combination of state-of-the-art graphics and solid HMI functionality. iX offers the experience of smarter design and engineering tools, and a truly open platform. iX covers the gap between proprietary operator panels and cost-intensive SCADA solutions. The iX software is supported by the next generation of our award-winning operator panels and industrial PCs. The iX software The iX software is available in developer and runtime packages in versions for 250, 2000 and 4000 external tags as well as an upgrade version regardless of tag size.

A brand new range of panels and industrial PCs The Beijer Electronics´ iX HMI solution is enhanced by a broader range of panels and industrial PCs and some software additions.

The iX software is supported by the next generation of Beijer Electronics award-winning operator panels and industrial PCs - the iX Panel, the iX Panel Pro and the iX Panel Pro Nautic, combining high-performance hardware finely tuned for iX with robust construction. iX Panel The iX Panels combine high-performance with a robust IP66 lightweight aluminum construction and include iX runtime software. The iX Panel series offers both keypad and touchscreen models to choose from. The iX Panel series is designed for industrial applications and complies with global industry standards: 1) Touchscreen models: 3.5", 5.7", 6.5", 10.4", 15.0". 2) Keypad versions: 5.7", 6.5", 10.4"

iX Panel Pro & iX Panel Pro Nautic
The iX Panel Pro and iX Panel Pro Nautic series feature industrial class C2D CPU performance and relevant nautical certifications. Multiple communication ports and expansion slots provide numerous options for networking and updating, making this an ideal HMI for machine builders and system integrators alike.

The Panel Pro series deliver full, open and expandable HMI platform functionality for industrial and marine applications. Both series are based on the same basic design, host the same features, and include the iX runtime installed in addition. Both series feature models with high-contrast TFT touch displays and a Box PC version. 1) Pro series: 12", 15", 17", 19", 19" with stainless steel front, and a Box-PC version with dual display output: 2) Pro Nautic series: 15", 17", 19", and a Box-PC with dual display output. 

For further information, view website: www.beijerelectronics.com