Dr. Rainer Kurz

Bio

Rainer Kurz retired this year as the Manager, Gas Compressor Engineering at Solar Turbines Incorporated, with responsibilities for the design, research and development of Solar’s Centrifugal Gas Compressors, including aerodynamic, rotordynamic, electrical and mechanical design. He is now the Principal of RKSBenergy LLC.  Dr. Kurz attended the Universitaet der Bundeswehr in Hamburg, Germany, where he received the degree of a Dr.-Ing. in 1991. He has authored numerous publications about turbomachinery related topics, is an ASME fellow, a member of  the GMRC Board of Directors, a member of the ASME PTC 10 committee, and a member of the Turbomachinery Symposium Advisory Committee. He also won the ASME Industrial Gas Turbine Award in 2013. He holds 3 US patents.

Publications

• Kurz,R., Brun, K,2001, Degradation in Gas Turbine System, ASME JEngGT and Power, Vol. 123, Jan. 2001.
• Kurz, R., Brun,K., 2001, Measure Uncertainties encountered during gas turbine driven compressor field testing, ASME JEngGT and Power, Vol. 123, Jan. 2001.
• Elliott, F.G., Kurz,R., Etheridge,C., O’Connell, J.P., 2004,  Fuel System Suitability Considerations for Industrial Gas turbines, TransASME JEng GT and Power, Vol. 126, Jan. 2004
• Kurz, R.., White, R.C., 2004 Surge Avoidance in Gas Compression Systems, TransASME JTurbo, Vol.126, Oct. 2004
• Kurz,R., Brun, K., Wollie,M., 2009, ‘Degradation Effects on Industrial Gas Turbines’, TransASME JEng GT and Power, Vol.131, Jul. 2009.
• Moore,J.J., Kurz,R., Garcia-Hernandex,A., Brun,K., Experimental Evaluation of the transient behavior of a compressors station during emergency shutdowns, ASME JEng GT and Power, Vol. 132, Jun. 2010
• Kurz, R., Brun,K., 2012, Fouling Mechanisms in Axial Compressors, ASME JEng GT and Power, Vol. 134, Mar. 2012
• Kurz,R., Thorp, J.M., Zentmyer, E.G., Brun,K., 2013, A Novel Method for Optimal Design of Compressor  Plants Using Probabilistic Plant Design, ASME JEngGT and Power, Vol. 135, Nov. 2013 
• Suman, A., Morini,M.,Kurz,R.,Aldi,N., Brun,K., Pinelli,M., Spina,P.R., 2016, Estimation of the Particle Deposition on a Transonic Axial Compressor Blade, ASME JEngGT and Power, Vol. 138, Jan. 2016.
• Kurz,R., Brun,K., 2018, Process Control for Compression Systems, ASME JEngGT and Power, Vol. 140, Feb. 2018. 
• Kurz,R., Cowell,L., Tarver,T., Singh,A., 2019, Hydrogen in Natural Gas- Combustion and compression, Gas Turbines for Energy Network Symposium, Banff, Canada
• Brun,K., Kurz,R., 2019, Introduction to Gas Turbine Theory, 3rd ed., San Diego, CA
• Brun,K., Kurz R., 2019, Compression Machinery for Oil and Gas, Elsevier, Gulf Publishing, Cambridge,MA .
• Kurz, R., Lubomirsky,M., Cowell,L., 2020, Renewables and the Use of Hydrogen-Natural gas Mixtures in Pipelines, Gas Machinery Conference
• Kurz,R., Gunn,B., Brun,K., 2021, Oil and Gas Applications for Centrifugal Compressors, Asia Turbo and Pump Symposium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• Kurz,R., Lubomirsky,M., Zamotorin,R., 2021, Transporting Hydrogen-Natural Gas Mixtures, Pipeline Simulation Interest Group.
• Allison,T., Klaerner,J., Cich,S., Kurz,R., McBain,M., 2021, Power and Compression Analysis of Power-to-Gas Implementations in Natural Gas Pipelines with up to 100% Hydrogen Concentration, ASME Paper GT2021-59398.
• Kurz, R., 2022, Introduction to Centrifugal  Compressors for  Oil and Gas Applications, San Diego, CA
• Kurz,R., Allison,T., Moore,J. McBain, M., 2022, Compression Turbomachinery for the Decarbonizing World, Turbomachinery and Pump Symposia, Houston,Tx.
• Burnes, D., Saxena,P., Kurz,R., 2022, Study to Adapt Industrial Gas Turbines for Significant and Viable CO2 Emissions Reduction, ASME PaperGT2022-83472 (to be published in ASME JEng GT and Power)