Largest gas turbine sets sail
On 3rd May, 440 tonnes of gas turbine set sail from its Berlin manufacturer, Siemens Power Generation, for an experimental power plant in Irsching, Bavaria. Its capacity of 340MW makes it the world's largest and most powerful gas turbine.
The turbine is 13m long, 5m high and contains 7000 individual parts. Its blades can handle temperatures of almost 1500 degrees Celsius. It will take 20 days to reach its destination, first on an inland waterway barge, then on a low-loader.
To test this prototype, Siemens is cooperating with E.ON Kraftwerke to build an experimental power plant in Irsching. Following the test phase the gas turbine plant will be extended to form a high-efficiency combined cycle power plant.
Dr Wolf-Dietrich Krüger, head of the Gas Turbines subdivision, says: The output of this turbine is sufficient to provide electricity for the entire population of a city the size of Hamburg."
Approximately 250 Siemens technicians and engineers worked on this latest development. A further 500 employees were involved in production of the prototype of the new machine. Siemens is investing a total of approximately EUR550 million in machine developmentand constructionfinancing and validation of the power plant. First firing of the new turbine is scheduled for November 2007. Following successful trial operation the plant will be taken over by E.ON in 2011.
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