Siemens lays foundation stone for new combustion test centre for gas turbines in Berlin

Siemens is building a combustion test center for gas turbines in Ludwigsfelde near Berlin. The company is investing a total of about EUR 66 million in the new research and development facility. The combustion process is a critical factor for efficiency and the effective use of fuel, and thus for the performance and environmentally friendly operation of a power plant. The new test center, which is being built on a 36,000-square meter site, will play a key role in advances and new developments for gas turbines. Completion is scheduled for October 2014.

"The new test center will allow us to do more intensive research on combustion technology. Our H-class gas turbine has already set a world record for two years in terms of efficiency in a combined cycle (CC) power plant. To successfully hold our ground in the market, we must continually move forward with innovations," said Wolfgang Konrad, head of Siemens Energy's Gas Turbines Business Unit. In Ludwigsfelde, three test cells will be used to analyze and optimize the combustion processes inside gas turbines under realistic conditions. In these tests, various parameters such as output, efficiency, emissions, and the stability of the flame will be studied on a single burner.