Stichting Gasturbine Onderwijs (SGO)

The Foundation for Gas Turbine Education SGO was set up in 1990 by the Dutch Gas Turbine Association. SGO finances a professorate in gas turbine technology at the Delft Technical University, Faculty of Design, Engineering and Production and the Faculty for Aerospace Engineering. Professor J.P. van Buijtenen is in charge. Until now about 60 students have got their final MSc degree in gas turbine technology. The last year of the nominal 5-year program consists of two research projects carried out in the industry or at the university. Most of the young engineers will find work in the gas turbine industry in the Netherlands or abroad (e.g. Rolls Royce, Siemens, ABB). Some are doing a PhD either at the Delft Technical University, or elsewhere (MIT, Cranfield, Ecole Central de Paris).

Since 1998 the Gas Turbine Chair, apart from giving academic education, has created the possibility for people with an MSc degree to do their PhD in this group. Currently 3 PhD students are carrying out research work.

Research subjects are e.g.:

• Integration of a gas turbine with a biomass gasifier
• The influence of tar composition and concentration on fouling, emission and efficiency of micro and small gas turbines by combustion of biomass derived low calorific gas
• Experiments with integrated gasifier, gas cleaning, gas turbine for determination of emissions and parallel CFD modelling
• Low NOx emission in a newly designed combustion chamber for LCV gas
• Advanced gas turbine systems (complex cycles)
• complex cycles (intercooling, recuperation, reheat)
• HAT, CHAT, TopHat
• Chemical recuperation
• Fuel cell integration
• Steam cooling of blades

In addition, the Delft Technical University would like to initiate the following future areas of research:

• Small gas turbine design and application
• Scale effects in gas turbine design
• Practical aspects in miniaturisation
• Design of high speed driven equipment
• Design of integrated gas turbine/equipment