ARTICLE I MAKALE 60-kw products ( and already has over 1500 installations in the field), Elliott which has an 80-kw system, and lngersoll Rand Energy Systems (Northern Research and Engineering) with several products in the 30-kw ta 250-kw range. Honeywell (AlliedSignal), a former microturbine manufacturer, alsa marketed a 75 kw microturbine package and had a 350 kw Parallon system under development. Recently, however, the company has decided ta gel aut of the business and is said ta be in the process of disabling units aut in the fıeld. Unconfırmed reports are !hat General Electric is purchasing Honeywell's microturbine technology ta their own microturbine development projects is not known at !his time. Lots of interest: Several other companies including Pratt & Whitney, Rolls Royce Allison, Williams lnternational, Solo Energy, ALM, and Teledyne Continental Motors alsa have expressed interest (ar started programs) aimed at developing microturbine products far the U.S. market. Other companies including Turbec (Volvo and ABB) and Alstom in Europe, Bowman Power Systems in the UK, and Toyota of Japan are alsa developing confıgurations !hat are expected ta enler the U.S. market in coming years. (Turbec units are just entering the U.S) Meanwhile, DOE prime contractors and partners have been working on the design, developing and testing of major components and subsystems far the advanced microturbine program since lası fail. DOE indicates that overall progress ta date has been in line with expectations. lngersoll Rand 4-yr program: IR Energy Systems, whose efforts have been funded over a 4-year period, reports its major approach has been ta apply today's silicon nitride engineering ta its "PowerWorks" microturbine design platform ta enable operation at significantly higher temperatures !han conventional metals. Company projeci engineers say !hey expect ta achieve near -term product success in designing a microturbine power generation system in the 100-250 kw range with an electrical efficiency of %40 (LHV). One reason far such confidence, say the team members, is the facı that the turbine rotors in their designs are comparable in size (under three inches in diameter) and geometry ta silicon nitride rotors far commercial turbochargers. These small turbochargers have been in high-volume production in Japan and therefore could be produced at low cost. in addition, the silicon nitride can operate at much higher temperatures than non-cooled metallic designs can withstand. Microturbine design features will include a high efficiency, direct-drive air compressor along with high efficiency ehiller and refrigeration packages. lQ.I ECOGENERATION WORlD Team partners include Kyocera lndustrial Ceramics, Honeywell Ceramic Components, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Capstone 5-year program: Capstone, whose initial funding award is intended ta cover a 5-year R&D program, is working on a design concept far a design concept far a 100-200kw microturbine. Design configuration includes a single-shaft turbine generator, air bearings, recuperature, lean premix combustor and ceramic components. Partners include Kyocera, Honeywell Ceramic Components, Composite Optics, Solar Turbines, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the University of California lrvine (UCI) and Los Angeles (UCLA). □ DOE prime contractors and partners have been working on the design, developing and testing of major components and subsystems for the advanced microturbine program since last fail. DOE indicates that overall progress to date has been in line with expectations. □ Honeywell 3-yr program: Honeywell had planned a three-plus years program of development. Remains ta be seen what will happen now !hat the company has dropped aut of market. At this stage, il GE has purchased Honeywell's microturbine technology, it is not clear ta what extent GE would inherit ar carry on the work in progress. Honeywell was planning ta build on its Parallon 75 technology far the design of an advanced microturbine in the 350 kw range that would achieve DOE's program goals. Aircraft and industrial scientists and engineers (at the old AlliedSignal Torrance and Phoenix facilities) were ta apply their knowledge of advanced materials ta the microturbine design development program. Partners include Honeywell Ceramic Components, Precision
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