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University Turbine Systems Research A cooperative agreement was established in 1992 between the US Department of Energy (DOE) and Clemson University to form a university research program for advanced gas turbines. Over the years, the agreement has developed the University Turbine Systems Research (UTSR) Program in which a consortium of university, government, and industry participants work together to maximize the relevance of university research for gas turbine energy systems and to accelerate the transfer of the research findings to industry, non-participating universities, and to the greater community. The UTSR Program is now focused on advancing the technology base to enable development of advanced turbines in 21st century energy plants to operate with high performance and low emissions using syngas and hydrogen fuels. The UTSR Program is coordinated for the DOE by the South Carolina Institute for Energy Studies (SCIES) at Clemson University. The two major UTSR activities are research and outreach. SCIES identifies needed turbine system research using input from an Industrial Review Board (IRB) and the DOE. University research projects result from a yearly Request for Proposals (RFP) that describes the needed research and is sent to the more than 100 Performing Member Universities of the UTSR. Results from ongoing UTSR research projects are reported in a yearly Peer Review Workshop during which university, government, and industry participants are offered the opportunity to provide input and recommendations to enhance the UTSR program. UTSR outreach aids in the transfer of university research results and entices growth in the number of industry and university participants in the program. Each year, the UTSR places upper level undergraduate and graduate student from Performing Member Universities into ten to twelve week Fellowship assignments at IRB organizations. Resulting from outreach activities, an Academic Advisory Board (AAB) was established to broaden university participation in the UTSR. |
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