--- title: "Pelton turbine System Erlach: Josef Erlach, inventor" description: "Josef Erlach has worked on water turbines since 1963 and invented the horizontal Pelton turbine with up to six nozzles. Career, awards, profiles." author: "Erlach & Erlach GmbH" language: en canonical: https://www.erlach-erlach.com/en/pelton-turbine/inventor/ translation: de: https://www.erlach-erlach.com/pelton-turbine/erfinder/ license: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) source: Generated at build time from the HTML page; same text, same sources. --- # Pelton turbine System Erlach: Josef Erlach, inventor Josef Erlach has worked on water turbines since 1963. Out of forty years of design, measurement and standardisation came the Pelton System Erlach: the horizontal Pelton turbine with up to six nozzles. This page is about **System Erlach**: the horizontal Pelton turbine with up to six nozzles designed by Josef Erlach. What holds for every Pelton turbine is marked “Pelton turbine” in the heading. The difference is explained in the overview [Pelton turbine](https://www.erlach-erlach.com/en/pelton-turbine/) System Erlach. ## Josef Erlach: technician, designer, inventor *[Photo: Josef Erlach in a dark jacket stands smiling in front of the pale yellow building of the conference centre.]* *Josef Erlach in front of the conference centre in Laxenburg, Viennahydro 2012* Josef Erlach, born in 1939, is a mechanical engineering technician specialising in Pelton turbines. He has worked at Escher Wyss, Sulzer Escher Wyss, VA Tech Escher Wyss and Andritz Hydro: in design and calculation, on measurements in the power plant and in the search for the causes of damage. For around 25 years he contributed to the international standards for water turbines. Six patent families on the Pelton turbine go back to him: one from his time at Sulzer, five on the System Erlach. He works with drawings, tables and characteristic curves, to this day. [ORCID](https://orcid.org/0009-0009-9550-0772) · [Google Scholar](https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=HomeaoMAAAAJ) · [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseferlach) ## Josef Erlach, curriculum vitae: from the apprenticeship in Kaprun to his own system - **1955**: Apprenticeship at the Kaprun power plant - **1963**: Joins Escher Wyss in Ravensburg, erection and commissioning of turbines - **1974**: Qualification as state-certified technician, mechanical engineering, Technikerschule Friedrichshafen (full-time school 1972 to 1974) - **1974**: Returns to Sulzer Escher Wyss, later VA Tech Escher Wyss and Andritz Hydro: design, calculation, field measurement and damage analysis on Pelton, Francis, Kaplan and pump turbines - **1988**: First patent on the Pelton turbine - **2004**: Own office, first application for the water drain system - **2006**: First model with six nozzles on a horizontal shaft - **2010**: IEC 1906 Award - **2011**: Foundation of Erlach & Erlach GmbH with Philipp Erlach - **2012**: Presented to the professional community at Viennahydro - **2014**: Hidroenergia Innovation Award The history of the invention with a source for each step is under [Pelton turbine history](https://www.erlach-erlach.com/en/pelton-turbine/history/). **Source:** [Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 13 September 2011](https://fazarchiv.faz.net/document?id=FAZ__931046366f4a970c29a07b32caef7e0151fa0fe9); [Viennahydro 2012, full paper](https://www.erlach-erlach.com/downloads/2012_Viennahydro_Erlach_New-Pelton-Concept_Full-Paper.pdf), [curriculum vitae](https://www.erlach-erlach.com/downloads/2012_Viennahydro_Erlach_New-Pelton-Concept_Full-Paper.pdf#page=9); [ORCID 0009-0009-9550-0772](https://orcid.org/0009-0009-9550-0772); [press release of the VDE, 29 November 2010](https://idw-online.de/de/news399324). ## Pelton turbine System Erlach: Pelton turbine with six nozzles on a horizontal shaft The principle that allows a horizontal Pelton turbine to take six nozzles goes back to Josef Erlach. How it works is explained under [Pelton turbine](https://www.erlach-erlach.com/en/pelton-turbine/) System Erlach. The property rights are listed under [Pelton turbine patents](https://www.erlach-erlach.com/en/pelton-turbine/patents/), the measurements and the works of others under [Pelton turbine research](https://www.erlach-erlach.com/en/pelton-turbine/research/). ## Philipp Erlach: managing director, co-inventor, co-author Philipp Erlach, born in 1975, runs Erlach & Erlach GmbH in Ravensburg. He studied philosophy and literary studies in Freiburg, Paris and Frankfurt am Main. He is co-inventor of the Pelton turbine with suction inlets and co-author of the publications of 2014, 2016 and 2026. [ORCID](https://orcid.org/0009-0005-3167-7481) · [Google Scholar](https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=737GpU4AAAAJ) · [Academia](https://independent.academia.edu/PhilippErlach) · [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipp-erlach/) · [philipp-erlach.com](https://philipp-erlach.com) ## Erlach & Erlach: father and son, two generations, one company *[Photo: Left: Philipp Erlach carries his father Josef on his shoulders in a workshop. Right, decades earlier: Josef Erlach carries the young Philipp on his shoulders.]* *Philipp and Josef Erlach, today and earlier* The two are father and son. In 2011 they founded Erlach & Erlach GmbH in Ravensburg. Josef Erlach brings four decades of turbine engineering, Philipp Erlach brings publication, property rights and the route to market. --- Erlach & Erlach GmbH, Ravensburg. Web page: https://www.erlach-erlach.com/en/pelton-turbine/inventor/ · License for this text: CC BY 4.0 · Overview for assistants: https://www.erlach-erlach.com/llms.txt