Laboratory for Energy Conversion
Encyclopedia
The Laboratory for Energy Conversion (LEC) formerly known as Turbomachinery Laboratory (LSM) was founded in 1892 by Aurel Boleslaw Stodola
. As part of the Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH
). The laboratory has been headed by some of the most prominent mechanical engineers in the history of turbomachinery
.
generation in Turbomachinery
. The highly rated peer-review journal Measurement Science and Technology
recognised the development of this probe as the most outstanding contribution in the field of fluid mechanics
in 2008.
Aurel Stodola
Aurel Boleslav Stodola was an engineer, physicist, and inventor. He was an ethnic Slovak. He was a pioneer in the area of technical thermodynamics and its applications and published his book Die Dampfturbine in 1903...
. As part of the Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH
ETH Zurich
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich or ETH Zürich is an engineering, science, technology, mathematics and management university in the City of Zurich, Switzerland....
). The laboratory has been headed by some of the most prominent mechanical engineers in the history of turbomachinery
Turbomachinery
Turbomachinery, in mechanical engineering, describes machines that transfer energy between a rotor and a fluid, including both turbines and compressors. While a turbine transfers energy from a fluid to a rotor, a compressor transfers energy from a rotor to a fluid...
.
Areas of research
The current research projects at LEC cover the fields of:- performance and reliability of wind energyWind energyWind energy is the kinetic energy of air in motion; see also wind power.Total wind energy flowing through an imaginary area A during the time t is:E = ½ m v2 = ½ v 2...
- minimizing high-cycle fatigue failureFatigue (material)'In materials science, fatigue is the progressive and localized structural damage that occurs when a material is subjected to cyclic loading. The nominal maximum stress values are less than the ultimate tensile stress limit, and may be below the yield stress limit of the material.Fatigue occurs...
of compressorsGas compressorA gas compressor is a mechanical device that increases the pressure of a gas by reducing its volume.Compressors are similar to pumps: both increase the pressure on a fluid and both can transport the fluid through a pipe. As gases are compressible, the compressor also reduces the volume of a gas... - efficiency improvements of turbomachinesTurbomachineryTurbomachinery, in mechanical engineering, describes machines that transfer energy between a rotor and a fluid, including both turbines and compressors. While a turbine transfers energy from a fluid to a rotor, a compressor transfers energy from a rotor to a fluid...
- aircraftAircraftAn aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
noise suppression - cooling and thermal management
- laserLaserA laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
produced plasma source (EUVExtreme ultravioletExtreme Ultraviolet radiation is high-energy ultraviolet radiation, generally defined to be electromagnetic radiation in the part of the electromagnetic spectrum spanning wavelengths from 120 nm down to 10 nm, and therefore having photons with energies from 10 eV up to 124 eV...
) and debris mitigation - development of a mobile power pack
- novel measurement techniques
- biomedical diagnosticsMedical diagnosisMedical diagnosis refers both to the process of attempting to determine or identify a possible disease or disorder , and to the opinion reached by this process...
Awards
Amongst many noted achievements, LEC has recently developed the FENT probe. This probe, for the first time, enables measurement of entropyEntropy
Entropy is a thermodynamic property that can be used to determine the energy available for useful work in a thermodynamic process, such as in energy conversion devices, engines, or machines. Such devices can only be driven by convertible energy, and have a theoretical maximum efficiency when...
generation in Turbomachinery
Turbomachinery
Turbomachinery, in mechanical engineering, describes machines that transfer energy between a rotor and a fluid, including both turbines and compressors. While a turbine transfers energy from a fluid to a rotor, a compressor transfers energy from a rotor to a fluid...
. The highly rated peer-review journal Measurement Science and Technology
Measurement Science and Technology
Measurement Science and Technology is a journal published by Institute of Physics Publishing. It is an international journal publishing articles in the areas of measurement, instrumentation and sensor technology in physics, chemistry, biology, engineering and the environmental life sciences, from...
recognised the development of this probe as the most outstanding contribution in the field of fluid mechanics
Fluid mechanics
Fluid mechanics is the study of fluids and the forces on them. Fluid mechanics can be divided into fluid statics, the study of fluids at rest; fluid kinematics, the study of fluids in motion; and fluid dynamics, the study of the effect of forces on fluid motion...
in 2008.
Professors since 1892
- 1892 - 1929 Aurel Boleslaw Stodola
- 1929 - 1954 Henri Quiby
- 1954 - 1983 Prof. Walter Traupel
- 1983 - 1998 George Gyarmathy
- 1998 - Prof. Reza Abhari
Industry partners
- ABB Group, Switzerland
- BKW FMB Energie AGBKW FMB Energie AGThe BKW FMB Energie AG is a power production and distribution utility with headquarter in Berne, Switzerland. Through some subsidiaries or partner companies it also provides gas and heat...
, Switzerland - EOS Holding, Switzerland
- General ElectricGeneral ElectricGeneral Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
, US - MAN TurboMAN TurboMAN Turbo AG was a company based in Munich, Germany, that produced turbochargers, and previously also turbine aeroengines. It was owned by the German conglomerate MAN SE...
AG, Switzerland - Mitsubishi Heavy IndustriesMitsubishi Heavy Industries, or MHI, is a Japanese company. It is one of the core companies of Mitsubishi Group.-History:In 1870 Yataro Iwasaki, the founder of Mitsubishi took a lease of Government-owned Nagasaki Shipyard. He named it Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works, and started the shipbuilding business on a full scale...
, JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... - MTUMTU Aero EnginesMTU Aero Engines GmbH is Germany's leading aircraft engine manufacturer. MTU develops, manufactures and provides service support for military and civil aircraft engines...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... - SiemensSiemensSiemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...
, US, Germany - Swisselectric Research, Switzerland
- ToshibaToshibais a multinational electronics and electrical equipment corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is a diversified manufacturer and marketer of electrical products, spanning information & communications equipment and systems, Internet-based solutions and services, electronic components and...
, Japan