Objective
This proposal addresses the cost effective and safe operation of steam and gas turbines. Since 1991 in Europe there have been in excess of 2500 power generation gas turbine related incidents including some 700 fires and 14 explosions. This equates to a risk of fire of 1 in 32 per gas turbine per year. VGB (the international industrial and technical association for power generating companies) state that 94% occur in the area of turbine oil supply. Factory Mutual Corporation data indicates that fire protection measures are only 49% effective. Clearly there is a need, both economically and socially, for more effective fire prevention measures in the power generation industry to improve the security of energy supply, a key objective of the EC. Currently, fire retardant lubricants which could greatly reduce the fire risks are barely used in Europe. The current liberalisation process of several Network Industries in the majority of European countries is opening up new business opportunities for SMEs, not only as users of these industries but also as possible suppliers of new or existing services.
In this sense, the liberalisation process has opened up whole new markets in the electricity sector, which has resulted in the start-up of many new small enterprises As one such consortium of SMEs we propose to address the above issues by developing a remote sensing and conditioning system to make cost effective the use of fire retardant phosphate esters as turbine lubricant by extending lubricant life to the life of the turbine and promote its expanded use and create a new market worth 89 million Euro in Europe.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringtribologylubrication
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringcontrol systems
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringremote sensing
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsensors
- natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistryhalogens
Call for proposal
FP6-2003-SME-1
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
COOPERATIVE -Coordinator
MELTON MOWBRAY, LEICESTERSHIRE
United Kingdom