Fern Engineering has produced a multimedia operator training course on gas turbine emissions and control technology. The course is divided into three major sections: 1) combustion fundamentals, which discusses how NOx and CO are created, the differences between diffusion and pre-mixed flames, and the impact of fuel composition, 2) on-engine emissions control systems including water injection, steam injection, "dry low NOx" conbustors, and catalytic combustors, and 3) off-engine emissions control systems including inlet fogging, selective catalytic reduction, oxidation catalysts for CO removal, and SCONOx. Cost of the course, which is provided on CD, is only $995 USD. A free sample slide show presentation of the course is available for download. Contact Fern's Hector Bourgeois to order a CD.

Fern is currently seeking a gas turbine design engineer to provide expert consultation to our clients in the areas of operational analysis, specialty part design, failure analysis, etc, as well as developing new business. If you're interested in working and living on Cape Cod and have at least a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering, have a minimum of ten years of experience, and are a US citizen or Green Card holder, we'd like to hear from you. See our employment opportunities page for more information.

Fern recently conducted a case study for a client who was interested in learning about the possible economic incentive for adding liquid fuel burning capability to gas turbines that currently can burn only natural gas fuel. The analysis considered two generic combined cycle power plants located in Massachusetts - one using a Siemens Westinghouse W501F gas turbine and the other using a GE Frame 7EA gas turbine. Results of the analysis indicated that with the addition of "dual fuel" capability, the plants would have boosted gross profits during a recent 12-month period by up to 43%. See our press release for more information.

Philip Levine, Fern's Manager of R&D, is authoring a report for the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) which investigates the instrumentation and test procedure options available for assessing the performance of the inlet cooling fogger systems which have become popular with gas turbine operators. Mr. Levine's report will cover test and calculation procedures, as well as techniques to assess stratification, compressor inlet dryness, and the correction of test results to a guarantee condition. In addition to helping operators verify the performance of their systems, it is anticipated that the protocols developed will be useful in planning code tests such as those being developed by the ASME PTC 51 Committee. The report, titled "Test Protocols for Combustion Turbine Inlet Cooling with Foggers", is expected to be completed by the end of 2004.   Mr. Levine will also be providing EPRI with an update to the "Axial Compressor Performance and Maintenance Guide" which he originally authored in 1998. The update will focus on new technology and is also scheduled for completion by the end of 2004.

One of the principle causes of damage to gas turbine hot-section components is imbalanced fuel distribution caused by dirty or defective fuel nozzles. In the January 2004 issue of Hydrocarbon Processing magazine, an article coauthored by Fern's Jeffrey Phillips and Paul Simas provides guidelines for minimizing problems related to fuel flow maldistributions by careful refurbishment and calibration of the fuel nozzles. The in-depth article describes the causes and impacts of typical gas turbine fuel nozzle malfunctions and details the methods that should be used to correct any problems. Follow the guidelines provided to improve the reliability and reduce the emissions of your gas turbines. View or download the article which is in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.

Honeywell Process Solutions has acquired the rights to Fern Engineering's PEGASYS™ performance monitoring software for turbomachinery. When integrated with Honeywell's Turbo Suite monitoring product, the rigorous gas turbine, compressor, and pump modeling found in Fern's software will enable Honeywell to provide their customers with an advanced performance monitoring and optimization solution that keeps their vital turbomachinery operating at peak efficiency. See our press release for more information.

Fern Engineering has entered into an agreement with Rolls-Royce Power Engineering plc to supply the UK-based company with its well-proven design for the transition section for Rolls-Royce Avon gas turbines. Rolls-Royce will integrate Fern's improved design on all new Avons and will also use it as a replacement part for existing Avons. All 27 of Fern's after-market replacement units sold worldwide since 1996 are still in use today. See our press release for more information.

Fern Engineering has partnered with Wood Group Power Solutions of Tulsa, Oklahoma to convert an existing GE LM6000PC package to enable testing of overhauled LM6000PA and PC engines. The unique conversion project will allow for rapid removal and reinstallation of LM6000s at the cogeneration plant located near Calgary, Alberta, which will provide TransCanada Turbines Ltd. the capability to use the facility to test LM6000s at full load in a cost-effective method. See our press release for more information.

Fern was recently selected by Siemens Nederland N.V. to provide gas turbine training at three new power plants in Turkey. The two-week session at each site consisted of a week of mechanical training followed by a second week focusing on the Mark V control and protection system. The training, which took place in the Turkish cities of Canakkale, Adana, and Mersin, has provided the plant operators with extensive knowledge of the General Electric Frame 6B gas turbines used at these sites. See our press release for more information.

AMCO-FERN, the strategic alliance of Fern Engineering and American Moistening Company (AMCO) of Pineville, NC has been chosen by Siemens-Westinghouse Power Corp. (SWPC) to supply Direct Inlet Spray Coolers (DISCs) for 70 new installations of their W501F units. SWPC is the first OEM to incorporate fogging systems and, to date, is exclusively using AMCO-FERN systems. Along with SWPC, DISC system customers include Calpine, GE, Enron, Keyspan Energy, Dynegy, Duke Power, TransAlta, Jacksonville Electric, and Public Power Co. of Greece. To date, a total of more than 175 DISC systems have been purchased and installed. Contact Fern's Paul Simas for a free analysis of how a DISC system could improve your turbine's performance.   Read about one of our first DISC installations in our press release, "AMCO-FERN Delivers Power Boost to Enron's Dabhol Plant in Less than 3 Months".