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US Department of Defense Report Highlights Waste Heat to Power Demonstration Project

“Our investigation shows a total fuel economy improvement approaching 10% at prime unlimited load conditions including ORC power production and the offset of cooling parasitics from the engine’s OEM radiator.” –Eric Ringler, Southern Research

Bay City, Texas – Gulf Coast Green Energy is proud to announce that our manufacturer ElectraTherm, a leader in distributed, waste heat to power generation, announced last week that Southern Research (SR) has released the final report findings from its first fully-integrated stationary engine and waste heat to power generator. The testing began at ElectraTherm in Reno, Nevada in June 2015. ElectraTherm’s Power+ Generator™ was integrated with a Cummins KTA-50 1.1 megawatt engine for increased engine efficiency and engine cooling benefits, while replacing the engine’s radiator entirely.

The SR report identified ElectraTherm’s technology as an effective, proven and easily repeatable technology. “For this demonstration, Southern Research identified the ElectraTherm ORC as a well-designed and supported, cost effective, and appropriate ORC technology with a wide range of applications within the DoD.” The report is available online here.

ElectraTherm utilizes Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) and proprietary technologies to generate power from low temperature heat ranging from 170-252°F. With the typical engine running at approximately 35% efficiency, there is considerable waste heat between the jacket water and the exhaust. By replacing the radiator for the engine and capturing the exhaust energy, ORC technology benefits include up to 10% increased efficiency and reduced cooling loads, and as high as 16% fuel economy increase at certain engine operating conditions. The elimination of radiator capital costs alone offsets up to 20% of the entire ORC project costs, delivering a payback of three years or less for diesel or heavy fuel oil-fired gensets. Watch a video on how it works here.

ElectraTherm, Cummins Rocky Mountain and the Mobile Utilities Support Equipment (MUSE), a branch of the U.S. Navy, commissioned the unit at ElectraTherm’s headquarters in Reno, Nevada, where the machine went through extensive testing, optimization and verification of performance by Southern Research. The unit was later moved to Pt. Hueneme, California for additional testing and measurements and then on to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

“The integrated engine and Power+ Generator were extensively tested to quantify performance under varying load conditions,” said Eric Ringler, Southern Research. “Our investigation shows a total fuel economy improvement approaching 10% at prime unlimited load conditions including ORC power production and the offset of cooling parasitics from the engine’s OEM radiator.”

“We were very pleased with the Power+ Generator’s performance in this joint demonstration project with the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program,” said Juan Aragon from the Navy’s MUSE group. “Fuel costs and the transportation of that fuel are critical within the DoD and a 10% decrease in fuel usage cannot be understated. We were especially pleased with the simple installation and operation of the Power+.”

ElectraTherm’s fleet of more than 50 Power+ Generators has accrued more than 600,000 hours of runtime to date. A list of reference sites is available on the website.

About ElectraTherm, Inc.

ElectraTherm, Inc. is a renewable energy company headquartered in Reno, Nevada. ElectraTherm’s product, the Power+ Generator™, generates fuel-free, emission-free power from low temperature waste heat using the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) and patented technology. Our machines are modular, robust power generators with an attractive return on investment. For more information on ElectraTherm and its clean energy products, please visit www.electratherm.com.