back cover

front cover

GE India Technology Center

10 exciting years of innovation
GE John F Welch Technology Center Plot # 122, Export Promotion Industrial Park, Phase 2,Hoodi Village, Whitefield Road, Bangalore - 560 066. Karnataka. India. Tel: 91 80 4012 1000 Fax: 91 80 2841 2111 www.ge.com/jfwtc

imagination at work over the years

1998 1999 2000 2001

First technology operations in India Hyderabad.

2002 2003 2006 2007

First patent granted. IP operations commence. Voyager building inaugurated.

2008 2009 2010

First In India for India product designed and rolled out-The MAC 400 ECG.

JV with TCS for Energy & Aviation engineering. GE Research operations commence.

Global Star certified.

1000th Patent issued. GEs first Gold LEED-certified green building Odyssey inaugurated.

Center inaugurated150+ people with 2 labs Plastics and GRC.

Galileo building inaugurated.

Center is HealthAhead certified. Celebrates Decennial year.

Pathfinder building inaugurated.

100th Patent issued. Cassini building inaugurated.

 GEs largest multi-disciplinary R&D engineering Center. USD 175 million invested. 50 acres of land: 1.1 m sq. ft. built area including 110 labs covering 4 acres. First site in India to be both Global Star and HealthAhead certified. Zero discharge facility. GE Volunteering hours total an annual average of 11,000 hours. Greater focus on India-specific product and technology with the new One GE India P&L strategy.

Awards: 2008 Economic Times Smart Workplace Award. 2008 Golden Peacock Award for combating climate change. 'Excellent Energy Efficient Unit' Award at CIIs 10th National Award for Excellence in Energy Management. Individual and team global recognition for innovation, engineering and volunteering. Best landscape award in Bangalore for over three consecutive years.

The Gold LEED certified Odyssey building at GEs Technology Center, Bangalore

Technology focus at the Center

GE Aviation
GEs consistent investment in fan blade technology helps make GE's jet engines among the most fuel efficient, safe and reliable. Weve grown the GE90-115B to be the most powerful aircraft engine in the world. Pound for pound, it is one of the quietest and most fuel efficient in aviation with room to spare against future emissions regulations. GEnx is breaking new ground as GEs quietest, most fuel efficient and lowest emissions engine in its class.

GE Energy
Rhythm Software Solutions is an advanced and user-friendly Nondestructive Testing (NDT) software that improves productivity of industrial inspections by enabling customers to make smarter and quicker inspection decisions. It includes software for various NDT applications and testing methods, including software for data input, analysis, image review, documentation, data management, remote collaboration, and storage.

Engineers from the Center helped design the innovative low-emission combustor and the light composite fan blades and casing which make GEnx the quietest, most advanced and passenger-friendly commercial jet engine ever produced. Keeps engine on-wing 30% longer, reduces parts by 30%, increases fuel efficiency by 15% and still ensures emissions 95% below current regulatory limits.

Structure Productline Generator: GEs hydrogen cooled and liquid cooled generator product lines in the range of 240MW to 625MW are undergoing complete restructuring. The new design is going to offer the customer several models typically separated in output capability by 20MW. This new product rating is going to complement our expanded steam turbine product offering.

A team from our Center, working on the next generation GEnx-2B jet engine has developed state-of-the-art capabilities to simulate complex dynamic events such as Fan Blade-Out to help meet stringent certification requirements of the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA). The team also helped improve the efficiency and durability of the combustor. They redesigned several mechanical engine components, meeting necessary design margins and leading to material cost productivity savings to the tune of millions of dollars.

600-800MW USC Fossil Steam Turbine is a competitive Steam Turbine product for the 50Hz market. Its modular approach design differentiates it from previous designs. The HP - IP and LP Section modules are designed to cater to a wide range of operating conditions. It has an inlet pressure capability upto 3690 psig, inlet temperature ranging from 1050F to 1150F. 42 and 48" LSB design offers operation between 0.8" to 4.5" hGA.

LEAP-X is the new baseline turbofan engine, to power future replacements for current narrow body aircraft. This engine will incorporate revolutionary technologies to achieve 16% savings in fuel consumption over current narrow-body engines, 10-15 dB lower noise and 60% lower NOX emissions over current standards. Engineers from our Center are working on developing this next generation aircraft engine, scheduled to be introduced in the markets around 2016.

EmbreakTM 2W2050P is a first-of-its-kind green, robust and cost-effective. Petroleum Refinery Desalter Emulsion Breaker. This product, especially enables processing of opportunity crude blends, including slop oil, by providing effective phase separation with clear brine.

GE Energy
Power shortage in India is spurring Central & State governments to purchase power from private companies such as sugar mills whose Steam Turbines provide steam for the sugar process. The same turbine can be used to produce power by burning bagasse, a byproduct of sugar production. Engineers at Oil & Gas designed a high efficiency 25MW Single Casing Reheat Steam Turbine (+2% compared to baseline) with faster return on investment to the customer. This turbine will have the best combination of technology & supply chain to provide superior value to the customer & set a new standard for the sugar industry.

GE Transportation
By adapting an art-to-part philosophy from concept to production, engineers modelled and simulated components, functions and systems before they were actually manufactured and integrated in making of the GE Evolution Series Locomotives , the most fuel-efficient, environmentally friendly and state of the art freight locomotives ever built. GE invested over $ 200 million and six years of R&D to make the GE Evolution Series locomotives a reality and now in revenue service by many railroads worldwide. A range that has resulted in 25 US patents and 18 invention disclosures.

Engineers from the Center adapted the 1.5XLE product and enhanced the energy production by 3.5% without changing any existing components and making the wind turbine work smartly through advanced controls technology. The team in Bangalore has 2 patents on this technology. This improved 1.6XLE, designed for maximum performance, proves GE's commitment to investing in technology and increasing customer options, while maintaining its track record of perforance, flexibility and reliability. Our team in India is working towards 100% localization. The team in this Center has modified the specifications of the components to suit local market availability & regional requirements. This product is listed in CWET RLMM (the certification body for the wind industry).

The Trip Optimizer: An intelligent cruise control system for locomotives that provides considerable fuel savings. Engineers from the Center developed algorithms and software to evaluate entire route dynamics to identify fuel saving opportunities. Optimizing the control state of locomotives using various operating conditions has been a complex problem that our engineers and scientists have solved to get the best fuel savings. Many railroads around the world have benefited from this product.

The advanced Light Weight Medium Speed Diesel Engine will help GE penetrate the European locomotive market. The team took the existing Jenbacher gas engine and developed a diesel version, from concept to building a prototype. These prototypes will undergo detailed validation tests based on the six sigma framework for performance and reliability.

The team at Bangalore, played a key role in GE Energys latest heavy-duty gas turbine product 7FA.05. The product was built on compressor growth strategy using proven technology for higher efficiency with field retrofit-ability, fast start capability and operational flexibility within current FA cost-structure.

The GE PowerHaul locomotives increased hauling power maximises available rail network capacity and reduces carbon footprint. It incorporates state-of-the-art technologies like VSPD, UIC-3A emission compliant P616 engine, advanced hybrid cooling system, lightweight bogies and platforms.

GE Healthcare Technologies

GE Healthcare Technologies

Tejas XR 2000 is the first high frequency x-ray system which is upgradable to digital x-ray manufactured in India and helps bring the cost down to almost 1/3rd compared to an imported digital x-ray system. Indian Healthcare providers can now buy a high frequency x-ray system today and upgrade to digital, at site, any time at minimal cost.

The Lullaby Infant Warmer is a reliable, user-friendly and cost-effective, world-class neonatal thermoregulation solution for emerging markets. This product conforms to the highest standards of patient safety and will help save the lives of millions of babies by reducing infant deaths from hypothermia and asphyxia. Conceived, designed and manufactured in India, this Lullaby warmer is safety-tested, affordable and easy-to-use and costs at least 70 percent less than the typical available Warmers in the market. The product is sold in more than 72 countries.

The new MACi makes cardiac early detection very easy through its simple, one touch operation. It is a single channel ECG system capable of printing in 3 channels at the same time - which means ECG can be printed line by line per page or 3 lines on one page. It is capable of completing 500 3-channel ECGs or 250 single channel ECGs for every 3 hour battery charge, which equals one month of operation in a village where availability of electricity is a major constraint. It is particularly suited for rural India where Healthcare is delivered through Primary Health Clinics or individual physician clinics. An In India, For India ECG innovation, it has the potential to reduce ECG price to as low as Rs.9/-. It will make quality cardiac early detection doubly affordable as it is available to physicians at half the cost of MAC400 - only Rs. 25000/-. Others in the MAC series: MAC400 is a battery operated portable ECG system that can interpret ECG in English. It is a perfect screening tool for cardiac diseases whether you are in the remotest village or a top metro. MAC600 is a digital ECG system with facility to transfer ECGs in Adobe PDF formats instantly to experts. This energy efficient product is 80% lower priced than comparable imported products.

VIVID P3: A dedicated cardiac ultrasound system for the world, at 50% lower price than comparable imported products. The product is designed to bring affordable access to Healthcare to address the growing cardiac disease epidemic in India. Coupled with a pocket sized ultrasound based visualization device (VSCAN) it can enable a quick look to followup diagnosis in the local cardiac care clinic and help capital-constrained Tier II cardiologists manage the diagnosis to treatment decisions for their patients locally. VIVID P3 has high end features such as automatic tissue and spectum optimization that can enable increased throughput for the busy Tier II hospitals and consulting cardiologists.

Centricity PACS REACH: a low cost, picture archival and communication tool (PACS) for India. It costs just Rs. 5 Lakhs compared to imported systems varying from Rs. 50 lakhs to 50 crores. Cost of IT solutions in India was a big barrier in the adoption of this solution, which is backbone of any good Healthcare system.

GE Healthcare Technologies

GE Global Research
The AutoBone algorithm CT system developed by our engineers makes physicians more productive. It employs advanced and automated 3D image analysis algorithms to identify and suppress osseous (representing bone) regions in CT angiography imaging, allowing physicians to study just the vascular system, enabling them to spot pathologies like aneurysms. Three patent applications protect this innovation.

LOGIQ series ultrasound system: The LOGIQ 100 is India's first portable ultrasound system and one of the largest selling black and white Ultrasound systems across the world. Over 20000 units are working across the globe as of today. LOGIQ 3 is India's first Windows-based colour doppler ultrasound system. Over 10,000 units installed across the globe. LOGIQ P3 is a powerful ultrasound imaging system to help clinicians deliver imaging in multiple care areas from radiology, to OB./Gyn practices. LOGIQ P3 provides improved affordability by 20% over existing systems. LOGIQ A3 is a low cost, powerful black and white ultrasound system for Indian and emerging markets.

The novel arc flash absorber makes electrical systems far safer. Developed at the Center, the arc flash absorber is based on a novel high-speed ablative plasma technology that mitigates the exposed arc which otherwise can result in personnel injuries and severely damage electrical equipment.

HF Advantage is a high frequency x-ray system that can bridge the gap between obsolete x-ray technology being used in India and the higher end Digital x-ray system.

GEs Global Research teams are involved in developing service technologies especially in the area of remote monitoring and diagnostic and inspection technologies that help customers operate and manage machine lifecycles better. These technologies collect data, use intelligent algorithms and artificial intelligence to assess machine performance and also predict different conditions into the future. Our teams at Bangalore are remotely monitoring hundreds of gas turbines across the world to provide intelligence to customers on turbine performance, availability and reliability. Inspection Technologies is another area where GE has made significant strides in developing cutting edge Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) technology in Radiography / x-ray, computed tomography, visual inspection, ultrasound and eddy current. GE provides solutions to solve complex problems for various industries (Energy, Aviation, Oil and Gas, Process and Heavy Metal) in the areas of defect detection, component life extension, fitness for service, quality control and root-cause failure analysis.

GE Global Research
With increasing concerns about global warming and greenhouse emissions, renewable energy sources will play a more important role in meeting tomorrows energy needs. Technologists from the Center are pioneering research in this area and are developing next-generation controls for solar-wind power generation in a Green Lab, set up specifically for this purpose. The Green Lab, powered by solar and wind systems, is capable of producing 3 kW of power. The integrated system design and controls being developed will ensure continuous operation of these hybrid systems that could, in the future, contribute to a significant percentage of energy generation globally.

Our global research teams are not only working on solutions that solve worlds challenges here and now but are also developing technologies with a view into the future. One such technology is Contactless Power Transfer. Today, several applications demand power transfer without specific contact, for example, cordless charging of electric vehicles, recharging batteries of pacemaker or powering electric trams without catenary or third rail. Conventional methods and technologies proposed for wireless power transfer have proven to be limited in application due to their inability to transfer power efficiently for distances beyond a few centimeters. GE Global Research team in India has developed a novel method of power transfer that enables efficient power transfer over larger distances, thus eliminating the need for complex wiring and connectors.

The Interior Permanent Magnet Motor that uses rare earth magnetic materials will considerably increase reliability, decrease losses and deliver higher torque for a given size of motor. The first prototype developed, delivered 10 HP. Todays prototype capable of delivering 1000 HP has been built and tested. These motors will find their way into off-highway vehicles (with a wheel diameter of as much as 12 feet), locomotives, oil drills, compressors for aircrafts and many more.