Energy Nobel

The Global Energy Award is called “Energy Nobel.” In 10 years the international energy award has become one of the most prestigious prizes. This year along with the professor from the UK John Alan Rodney, two Russian scientists, the RAS academicians Valery Kostyuk and Boris Katorgin, were awarded.

As Oleg Budargin, president of FSK EEC, member of the Supervisory Board of the award, said “in 2 years our company has enhanced the volume of financing for NIOKR tenfold. We started from 200 million rubles in 2009; in 2011 we sent 2.5 billion rubles for scientific research and implementation. This year we plan to allocate 3 billion rubles for implementation of new technologies in power transmission, and this is a serious volume. Demands and abilities of Russian scientists are great. This year the prize fund of the Global Energy Award is 33 milli

According to Nikolai Laverov, vice-president of the Russian Academy of Sciences, chairman of the International Award Committee, “two works took the award. One of them was devoted to the creation of engines. The work was made by the academician and head of Energomash (a major Moscow organization) Boris Katorgin. He had been working for years as the general constructor and the head of this organization. Recently he left the position and headed the center Electro-physical systems. It is a major center which deals with scientific research following his works. Katorgin made very important works on research and development of high-effective liquid missile cryogen engines which provided reliable functioning of the space system under high energy conditions for peaceful using of space. Initially it was emphasized that probably we shouldn’t award for missile technologies because it was directed at armament transportation in the meantime. But that is a different thing. Titanic works are appreciated in the world. The result of the work in reality is 2000 launches of various systems created under the management of Katorgin. They are at least 4 liquid engine systems, which have high capacity and are recognized as the best engines in the world.

In Denver in 2007 the contest for the best first-stage engines was held; and this engine was the winner. So far America has bought 62 engines, and we have a contract for export of 101 more engines. It should be mentioned that foreign systems like Atlas have our engines too. Americans have recently launched research satellites to Mars with our engines. Unfortunately, we failed to implement the Mars program which was planned in Soviet times. We failed to do it because of the second and the third stages. However, these technical creations are very reliable and really outstanding.

Difficult problems were solved for their development. First of all, creation of materials and cryogen systems, because the temperature of an engine reaches 3500 C, so special cryogen fuel should be used. It is a whole system of cryogenesis. Secondly, high-temperature superconductivity should be used. I want to remind you that for theoretical explanation of the phenomenon the Nobel Prize was awarded to Academician Ginsburg. I emphasize that relying on the theory developed by Ginsburg in the 1950s, we achieved implementation of cryogen systems and high-temperature superconductivity. This is very important. There is no doubt that the work is outstanding and it sums up results of the 50-year-old history of humanity in space, as well as opening a new space era.

We can see a combination of theoretical research and the creation of powerful liquid engines of missile-space systems that achieved a great success. In addition, it is a shift to a certain energy branch where we produce minor engines and super-conductive cable systems. It is our future, and we see its development from theory to practice. The second award was given to two researchers. The first of them is Valery Kostyuk, who is a prominent scientist, the head of the Moscow Aviation Institute on cryogen technologies and the senior scientific secretary of the Science Academy. He was awarded with the state award of the USSR for creation of cryogen systems in 1985. He continued the work and was awarded for shifting the works into the practical sphere. He created a family of engines that are cryogen gas and liquid working and use high-temperature superconductivity, i.e. small energy losses in power transmission systems and engine systems. The most important thing is that they are of different capacities. It is pioneering work and it deserves the award. His partner is Doctor John Rodney from the UK, the director of technological developments and an executive director of Air Products and Chemicals. This man was dealing with the creation of cryogen machines and cryogen materials. They were working in one direction. He contributed a lot to the creation of various cryogen gases and liquids. I wouldn’t name them all, there are plenty of them, but he is a respected expert in the world who enhanced the circle of cryogen systems, enabling a breakthrough in the creation of space engines. So we decided to unite these works together and separate them at the same time. We awarded Katorgin for powerful missile liquid engines and awarded two scientists for the creation of technological systems that consider new cryogen materials and high-temperature superconductivity under development of certain engines and other machines. Their implementation in energy will be very important.

It is the tenth year of the award's existence. It is significant that we have managed to form an interesting system. The number of countries and candidates were extended. I would like to present you some interesting figures. In 2003, 32 works were nominated for the award. In 10 years the number grew significantly: 639 applications. Moreover, the number of people who have the right to apply increased too: 1,595 people presented various candidates. Of course it is difficult for the Committee, but I think such an activity is explained not only by the huge prize fund, but also by the prestige.

There are a lot of themes for research. First of all, there are new sources of resources, new methods of transformation of energy, renewable power sources (the sun, schist, gas in firm schist, and so on), development of deposits in difficult-reach zones, for example on the African shelf, intellectual management systems, an effective system of power accumulation, i.e. many ion batteries and various power sources for mobile phones and other mass products. There are plenty of opportunities for awarding interesting research works. We will select new and the most interesting works in the future. We have awarded two works on nuclear power, but we receive applications from works on very fast reactors, so we can consider the problem seriously again.

The number of countries taking part in the nominations: in 2003 – 70, today – 49. I would like to emphasize the number of laureates: before this year we had 27 laureates, and three more this year. 49 countries are taking part, among them are Japan, the USA, Germany and almost all the countries of Europe. And now we welcome Asia. It was first time China appeared, as such works are developing there rapidly.”

Speaking about practical implementation of scientific research, Nikolai Lavernov said: “It is one of the main problems of modern development of natural hydrocarbons, first of all of oil. Of course, it is possible, but when at the conference of the Committee was asked: “Please, tell one of the members of our Committee what technologies in producing of sticky and heavy oil have been proposed by someone who is nominated for the award?” Unfortunately, nobody could formulate it. I understand that falling of the oil exploration index is connected with the fact that our people involved in production shift to heavy oils, small deposits, and it is a very difficult task. But finding technologies that would enable increasing of the oil exploration index… There are such technologies, but, unfortunately, some of them are too expensive, others were created abroad. We could form a group for solving the problem, and it doesn’t matter whether you are a scientist or a head of a company. We have just awarded one of directors of a UK company that deals with creation of new technologies. An idea is import, its theoretical grounds are important. It is important to establish some technological settlement and implement it to production. We understand that today oil production is shifting to difficult deposits, difficult conditions. We understand it. But unfortunately, we have no works that would directly show what methods could be implemented revolutionarily for increasing the oil exploration index up to 5-10% for these deposits. We have deposits in such argilic collectors with high capacity and discovered resources that are found by a company, but development of such deposits is a very difficult task. It is one of the most difficult tasks – heavy sticky oils. At the moment only Canadians managed to solve the problem successfully   at Athabasca deposits. Unfortunately, we have no such solutions.

First applicants appeared in this direction, and it is important. I could observe all spheres in which we awarded works and say that at the moment (even though it might sound assuredly) there are no works that would have no continuation. I analyzed the list for answering a possible question on reasonability of giving the award. I think we should pay attention to those who haven’t got the award yet. There are brilliant works. The works that have been marked are different. Even in the sphere of fuel and power resources. For example, a facility in France is turning into a semi-production structure. So there are no works that would stop at theoretical research. The majority of them shifted to semi-industrial production and full production. I am the member of the Council since its first days. And I am glad that there is a serious discussion at the international level. A half of the council is foreigners, a half – Russians. It is a rare case in Russia, and I think it is a right decision.”

Oleg Budargin said: “The main objective for the net complex, for energy engineers is decreasing of losses, increasing of effectiveness, decreasing of services’ costs, so we do not press our customers by prices. It is acute for Russia to develop infrastructure of the net complex for all branches and all regions. That is why we need new materials, new technologies, new management systems for providing decreasing of losses. We are working together with the RAS, with Kostyukov and other scientists. Concerning superconductivity, one of the urgent objectives is decreasing of losses, because energy costs too much. Our colleagues develop a lot, but we have 5% of losses in high tension lines. It is a great loss. We have formed the program together with the Science Academy. During three years we have tried to decrease our losses down to 25%. It is a serious task. The most important thing is that progress is obvious, there are many young and experienced enthusiastic scientists. Communicating with Russian scientists, I see a lot of interesting research works. We agreed that a number of awards should be limited for presence of competition. But there are plenty of works that should be supported and implemented. The difficult thing is that we have discoveries and creations, but no practical implementation. We implement them slowly, because of competition, tenders. These mechanisms are not always reasonable, because we have to support Russian scientists and their works.”