General Electric : The GE Brief – April 24, 2018

'[The digitization of industries] is about entirely new ways to power the world, heal the sick, build our economy and transport people and goods safely and efficiently.'
- Bill Ruh, GE Digital CEO

1. DIGITIZING INDUSTRY

'A few years ago, the notion of a digitized industrial company was just an idea - with no precedent or playbook,' GE Digital CEO Bill Ruh said. 'Today, it is a reality.'

GE started moving into the digital space in 2011, investing more than $1 billion and building new digital headquarters in San Ramon, California, for GE Digital, the business unit leading the effort. The unit, which brought in $5.2 billion in orders last year, now has 26,000 employees whose software has enabled fundamental shifts in health care, energy, aviation, transportation and other fields.

Digital apps:
Software is the common thread that ties these disparate industries together. GE apps, for example, can analyze piles of data that were previously sitting idle due to their sheer volume, as well as fresh information supplied by sensors working inside planes, power plants and other technology. As a result, customers like the New York Power Authority are already saving millions of dollars.

Read more about these apps here.

2. HAMSTERS AGAINST CANCER

Biopharmaceuticals, also known as biologics because they are manufactured inside living cells, now belong among the most popular drugs. They can be used to treat chronic diseases like arthritis, cancer and diabetes.

Protein shake-up: Biopharma companies often use ovary cells from Chinese hamsters to grow the specific disease-fighting proteins that make these drugs work. In fact, more than two-thirds of the proteins used to treat cancer come from Chinese hamster cells.

Cell food for thought: Manufacturers first tweak the cells' DNA so they can start pumping out the right protein. Next, they must supply them with lots of 'cell food.' This is not easy. A cell food recipe can contain more than 100 ingredients, including amino acids, lipids, vitamins, growth factors and salts. To keep up with demand, manufacturers are now turning to Big Data to speed up the process. One solution from GE Healthcare Life Sciences allows them to track and analyze in real time information about the food these cells need to grow. 'The cells have to stay healthy so they can talk to each other and produce the protein we want them to produce,' says Margarita Hunter-Panzica, who manages strategy for cell culture products at GE Healthcare Life Sciences.

Find out more about scaling biologics here.

3. RECORD-BREAKING EFFICIENCY

In March, Block 1 of Chubu Electric Power's Nishi-Nagoya plant in Japan earned the title of the world's most efficient combined-cycle power station in the 60Hz segment. 'We believe that our constant quest for innovation led to this Guinness World Records achievement,' said Satoru Katsuno, president and director of Chubu Electric Power.

How they did it: The electric utility company upgraded the 40-year-old power plant with latest GE turbines capable of running on liquefied natural gas. The three new HA-class machines helped increase Nishi-Nagoya's efficiency to a record-breaking 63%.

This is the second time a power plant with an HA turbine set a Guinness World Record. A power station in France holds the same record in the 50Hz segment.

Read more about the improved Nishi-Nagoya power station here.

COOLEST THINGS ON EARTH

1. Plastic bottle diet
Researchers at the United Kingdom's University of Portsmouth have supercharged an enzyme that can help break down plastics - particularly polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, the material used for soft-drink bottles. The new enzyme raises the possibility of breaking plastic down to its constituent parts and, essentially, starting from scratch - making a brand-new clear plastic bottle from an old clear plastic bottle, rather than using fossil-fuel resources to create original plastic.

2. Transition contacts
For years, glasses-wearers have had the option of getting transition lenses, lenses that adapt to the UV light in one's surroundings. Now, some 40 million contact-wearers can get the same convenient protection. The FDA has just approved contacts that contain a photochromic additive that darkens in bright sunlight. The contact lenses can be used by people who are far-sighted, near-sighted and have certain degrees of astigmatism.

3. Pyroelectric energy
About 70% of the energy produced in the U.S. is wasted in the form of heat each year. Now, researchers have created a film that converts that heat into electricity. The process is called pyroelectric energy conversion and will be particularly useful in high-tech electronics.or instance, gaming computers overheat without proper cooling systems. Instead of trying to escape the heat, this new tech could harness some of the heat and turn it back into usable power.

Plus: ultrathin solar cells and growing brain cells in this week's coolest things on Earth.

Ask a question for next week's Ask GE section!

Quote: GE Reports. Images: Tomas Kellner for GE Reports, GE Healthcare, Chubu Electric Power.

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