International Gas Turbine Congress 2023 Kyoto Flash Report
IGTC2023 Kyoto Executive Committee
Chair Yutaka Ohta
1. Introduction
The International Gas Turbine Congress 2023 Kyoto (IGTC2023 Kyoto), organizedby the Gas Turbine Society of Japan (GTSJ), took place as the 13th International
Congress from November 26 (Sunday) to December 1 (Friday), 2023, spanning six daysat the Kyoto International Conference Center (Fig.1). Since its inception in 1971, thiscongress has been committed to facilitating international information exchange,
dissemination of gas turbine and related technologies, and fostering human connections.
In particular, the congress has been dedicated to the mission of disseminating Japan'sadvancements in gas turbine-related technologies, as well as providing the latest
information globally. In pursuit of this mission, the Congress has consistently
contributed

significantly

to

the

field'sdevelopment, not only through academic
lectures

but

also

byincorporatingexhibitions. For IGTC2023 Kyoto, the event
continued its tradition with the support of 9international organizations, including theGasTurbine

Institute(IGTI)oftheAmerican Society of Mechanical Engineers

Fig.1 Congress venue (Kyoto International Conference Center).

(ASME), and 39 domestic organizations.
Thanks to the diligent efforts and cooperation from the parties concerned, thecongress concluded successfully. The Executive Committee is still putting together thefinal report, but in this flash report we want to provide a summary of the event. The
details of the congress shall be reported again in publications such as the Society
newsletter after the Executive Committee have completed their activities.
2. Participants
The total number of participants in this Congress was 492, with 258 attendees fromwithin Japan and 234 from 23 different countries (in addition to 9 accompanyingpersons). Despite concerns about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the event
concluded successfully amid a vibrant atmosphere. Among the attendees, 92 individuals
came from China, 51 from Germany, 33 from South Korea, and 10 from the United States,contributing to a diverse and significant international presence. There were also
participants from Asia and the Middle East: 3 from Viet Nam, 2 from India along with
Serbia and 1 each from Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong. Notably, student
participants numbered 127, representing over 25% of the total attendees.
3. Presentations(1) Paper presentations
In this Congress, a departure from the traditional approach was adopted byconducting paper reviews based on submissions of extended abstracts, limited to a
maximum of four pages, rather than full papers. This modification allowed forpresentations without the need for a full paper submission. The rationale behind thischange was to address concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, making it easier forparticipants to contribute to international conferences without hesitation. There were atotal of 214 general presentations. The breakdown of general presentations included 148submissions from 21 different countries overseas and 66 from within Japan. The
proportion of presentations from overseas reached approximately 70% of the total.
Unfortunately, there were seven no-shows.
(2) Invited lectures
Six speakers were invited from foreigncountries, and three from Japan. The
plenary lectures were held by the following
fourspeakers:

Professor

Toshinori

Watanabe of the University of Tokyo who
provided an overview of the progress anddevelopment of gas turbines and related
technologies in Japan (Fig.2), Dr. Mark
Hardy of Rolls-Royce gave a presentation on

Fig.2 Professor Watanabe’s plenary lecture.

material challenges and solutions for modern gas turbines, Mr. Krishnakumar PG of GE
Gas Power delivered a lecture on decarbonization technology for gas turbines, and Mr.
Yasuhiro Kinoshita of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. introduced hydrogen aircraft fora carbon neutral society.
Additionally, keynote lectures were entrusted to the following five speakers :Professor Agustin Valera-Medina of Cardiff University presented on the use of ammonia
blends for zero carbon gas turbine power, Prof. Tekn. Dr. Damian Vogt of the Universityof Stuttgart made a lecture on aeromechanical optimization of turbomachinery, Prof.

Richard Sanberg of the University of Melbourne explained the role of high-fidelity
simulation and machine learning, Dr. Kyoko Kawagishi of NIMS (National Institute forMaterials Science) presented on the development of advanced Ni-base single crystal
superalloys and direct recycling technique, and Dr. Dale Van Zante of NASA Glenn
Research Center introduced NASA’s aeronautics sustainable flight national partnership.
All of the invited lectures had many participants, and the Q&A sessions also showed
active participation, contributing to the overall positive feedback.
(3) Panel Discussions
A panel discussion titled "Future Prospectsof Gas Turbine Combustion Towards a Carbon
Neutral Society" was held as a Plenary Session(Fig.3). This panel was divided into two parts:
Aircraft Gas Turbine and Industrial Gas
Turbine. A lively discussion took place focusing
on achieving a decarbonized society andreceived acclaim from many attendees.
Fig.3 Panel Discussion on aircraft gas turbine.

4. Exhibition
31 companies and institutions set up a totalof 62 booths in the Annex Hall of the KyotoInternationalConferenceCenterfromNovember 27th (Monday) to November 30th(Thursday) as shown in Fig.4. In addition todisplays of hardware, such as gas turbines, jetengines, models and parts, many people also
gathered at the software exhibition booths.
ASME/IGTI had a booth to introduce activities

Fig.4 Exhibition.

and publications. GTSJ has been exhibiting at the ASME Turbo Expo since 2014, andthis exhibition displays the feelings of mutual cooperation.
There was a total of more than 1600 visitors. Additionally, a survey was conducted atthe venue. The results will be summarized into adocument to allow the opinions to be reflected inthe future. The laboratories of ten universities
displayed A0 size posters in the corridor of theAnnex Hall adjacent to the exhibition venue(Fig.5).

Duringbreaks,students

ofthelaboratories explained their research projects or
results of them to the participants of theFig.5 University exhibition.

Congress.
5. Events
Registration began on the evening of the firstday, and a welcome reception was held in theevening (Fig.6). More than 140 attended, andthe event was crowded with people catching up
with old friends or meeting others for the firsttime.
A banquet was held on November 29thFig.6 Welcome reception.

(Wednesday) after the sessions ended, and about
230 participants attended (Fig.7). The nigiri
sushi and Japanese sake tasting corners werevery popular, and the dances performed bymaiko-san were very popular, and many
participants enjoyed taking photos together
with them (Fig.8).
On December 1st (Friday), two plant tours(Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Co. Ltd.

Fig.8 Dance performance by maiko-san at the Banquet.

andFig.7 Banquet.

Fig.9 Plant tour at MHI.

Kawasaki Heavy Industries Co. Ltd.) were conducted. Both tours attracted a large
number of participants and were very well-received (Fig.9).
6. Related Events(1) International Advisory Committee Meeting
OnTuesday,

International

November

29th,

theAdvisoryCommittee

Meeting was held on the 5th floor, Room509, of the Kyoto International ConferenceCenter (Fig.10). The meeting took placeover lunch. Many committee members
provided

feedbackonthestrengths,

weaknesses, and areas for improvement inthis Congress, which will serve as valuable

Fig.10 International Advisory Committee Meeting.

references for future congresses. Thevenue, Kyoto International Conference Center, was praised for its stunning autumn
foliage, and overall, received positive feedback from the committee members.
(2) Women’s Meeting
As we had at IGTC2015 and IGTC2019,a women’s meeting was held. Sixteen ladies
and President of the GTSJ, Professor
Yamamoto participated in it on November
29th (Thursday) during their lunch break(Fig.11). The meeting greatly facilitatedcommunication between female engineers.
After IGTC2015, the Gas Turbine Society ofJapan established a Committee for thePromotion of Participation by Women inorder to encourage activities to promote

Fig.11 Participants in the Women’s Meeting.

women’s participation in the Society.
7. Final Words
We were able to successfully conclude IGTC2023 Kyoto, thanks to the dedicatedefforts of everyone involved, the support from sponsoring and supporting organizations,for which we express our deep gratitude. Especially, amidst the global pandemic of theCOVID-19, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the executive committee

members who devotedly contributed to the preparation and operation. As thechairperson of the executive committee, I am sincerely grateful to all of you. Furthermore,
I extend my appreciation to President Yamamoto and Vice President Wajima of the GTSJ
(Gas Turbine Society of Japan) which was the sponsoring society, all the directors,
including those like Secretary General Ms. Nakamura from the society's secretariat, theInternational Committee, the Paper Committee, and the Gender Diversity Promotion
Committee for their various cooperation and support towards the success of thisCongress. I would also like to express gratitude to e-Side Co., Ltd., who managed theconference secretariat, and all those involved with the Kyoto International ConferenceCenter, the venue for the congress, for enabling smooth operation. Thanks to themembers of the International Advisory Committee who encouraged participation fromoverseas, the organizations both domestically and internationally that exhibited theirwork at the congress, the companies that welcomed us as visiting destinations, the paper
review committee members, and finally, to all who participated in this congress, weextend our thanks and appreciation.