As need for energy grows, industry leaders gather to evalute new horizons for global power

David Lindsay
ASME International Gas Turbine Institute

Power, or the lack of it, is making news all over the world, and in June more than 4,000 of the top engineers, managers, technicians and producers from more than 60 countries will gather in New Orleans to explore the latest technologies, share experiences and solve common problems.

The occasion for this gathering from June 4-7 will be the first-time joint location of two world-renowned ASME events: the 46th ASME Turbo Expo — Land, Sea & Air, and the International Joint Power Generation Conference (IJPGC).

The joint location means that attendees registering for either conference can attend both for the price of one.

In addition to high-quality technical information related to the power industry, attendees are sure to get high-density exposure to buyers, suppliers and competitors, as well as information about the latest equipment.

Also in New Orleans at this time will be the ASME Summer Annual Meeting, which will bring the 300 top ASME volunteer leaders to the Society's business meeting.

The joint Turbo Expo/IJPGC keynote session will feature Thomas R. Mason, executive vice president, Calpine Corp.; Del Williamson, president, GE Power Systems Global Sales; Wayne MacIntire, senior manager power technology, International Paper Inc.; and Randy Zwirn, president and CEO of Siemens Westinghouse Power Corp. and a member of the Group Managing Board, Siemens AG.

These keynoters will address "New Horizons for Global Power — Manufacturer-User Dialogue."

Afterward, Rita A. Bajura, director of the National Energy Technology Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy, will relate the keynoters' comments to upcoming DOE plans.

Turbo Expo, sponsored by the ASME International Gas Turbine Institute (IGTI), and IJPGC, sponsored by ASME's Power, Nuclear, and Fuels & Combustion Technologies Divisions, will share several other activities in New Orleans. Among them will be the welcome reception, awards banquet, exposition and reciprocal admittance to the other conference's technical sessions.

On the exhibit floor, attendees will be able to profit from discussions and problem solving with more than 250 worldwide companies. Because the exposition will include both ASME Turbo Expo and the IJPGC Exposition, attendees will be able to view a broader-than-usual range of gas turbine and other power products and services.

Entry to the exposition is free when you register for the Turbo Expo Technical Congress or Gas Turbine Users Symposium or for the IJPGC Conference. Otherwise, complimentary passes can be obtained from IGTI or IJPGC on-site or in advance.

Of special interest in the exhibit hall this year will be an unusual display of a gas turbine-powered motorcycle. Ted McIntyre, inventor of the Y2K turbine-powered 320-plus hp 266 mph street bike, will have it on display at Turbo Expo. Four bikes have been produced by Marine Turbine Technologies LLC.

The combined ASME Turbo Expo and IJPGC events are expected to include more than 700 refereed technical papers presented over four days. Of these, Turbo Expo will have about 550 papers in 115 technical sessions along with 25 panel and discussion sessions, covering all aspects and all applications of gas turbine technology. For convenience, however, 50 of these sessions will be focused in eight Power Generation Tracks, including one on distributed generation and micro turbines.

The separate Gas Turbine Users Symposium will have 22 tutorial, panel and discussion sessions in three fast-paced tracks. Participants will discover ways to improve the profitability of gas turbine operations and ownership with the latest technology and practices, develop networks with other users, acquire technology to solve day-to-day problems and enhance individual career performance.

The symposium is an ideal event for personal advancement or for supervisors to reward a young engineer with career-building training taught by industry experts.

The IJPGC will feature 150 papers in 35 technical sessions. Of particular interest will be a series of four plenary sessions that will take an in-depth look at the state of the power industry. The plenary sessions are stand-alone events that will begin the technical program each day Monday through Thursday.

Each plenary will focus on a topic of vital interest to the power industry professional. Two will cover various aspects of deregulation, with the third taking a look at the future of the power industry.

For more information about IJPGC, or to register, visit www. asme.org/conf/ijpgc01 or call (800) 843-2763. For more information about Turbo Expo, or to register, visit www.asme.org/igti or call (404) 847-0072; e-mail: igti@asme.org.

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