ElectraTherm partners with US Navy to generate electricity from waste heat


ElectraTherm, a leader in small-scale, waste heat to power generation, will demonstrate its Green Machine organic Rankine cycle (ORC) technology at the Navy’s Mobile Utilities Support Equipment (MUSE) facility in Port Hueneme, California.

The one-year project will demonstrate ElectraTherm’s ORC fully integrated with a Cummins KTA50 1.3 MW internal combustion engine (ICE) and packaged in a 40 foot shipping container for on-site power generation. The integrated solution will potentially increase the engine efficiency up to 8% and offset radiator parasitic loads for a total efficiency gain of 10%+, and will generate fuel-free, emission-free power from waste heat at remote military installations.

ElectraTherm’s Green Machine uses low-temperature waste heat (170-240 °F) to generate additional power and increase overall system efficiency. MUSE will demonstrate this technology for potential use at remote military sites where 500 kW - 2 MW engines are an essential source of power for military operations.

The evaluation, funded by the US Dept. of Defense’s (DoD’s) Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP), in partnership with Southern Research Institute, will validate the pilot project potential for military sites moving forward. The system will capture heat from the engine’s exhaust and radiator coolant and convert it to electric power within the container, simplifying shipping requirements, minimizing the environmental footprint, and significantly reducing site installation. MUSE technicians will operate the Green Machine at their Port Hueneme base before deploying it as part of a DoD field operation. Data will be collected and analyzed by Southern Research engineers and technicians.

John Fox, chief executive of ElectraTherm said:

ElectraTherm’s Green Machine fleet has exceeded 65,000 hours of runtime with exceptional uptime and the incorporation of the ICE was the next natural step to further integrating our ORC solution. Our demonstration with the Navy’s MUSE group will validate the market potential for this product on US military bases, as well as diesel generator sets for prime power, worldwide.

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Tags: biogas to electricity, ElectraTherm, US, waste heat to power