Southern Research Institute Helps U.S. Navy Generate Electricity from Low-Grade Waste Heat

Year-long, in-field evaluation of ORC generator as new energy source for remote military installations begins

DURHAM, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Southern Research Institute today announced it has finalized plans to demonstrate an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) generator at the U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center, Mobile Utilities Support Equipment (MUSE) Division in Port Hueneme, Calif. which could potentially produce up to 624 gross megawatt hours of electricity in a year using waste heat and deliver a new source of energy to remote military installations.

“By using unique technology to generate electricity from otherwise wasted—but useful—energy, a new energy source is made available, improving generating efficiency, reducing operational costs, and reducing emissions.”

This evaluation, conducted by Southern Research under a program funded by the U.S. Dept. of Defense’s (DoD’s) Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP), is expected to provide independently verified information about the efficiencies and value of using waste heat to power technology to reduce energy costs, and environmental impacts, for military facilities. The mission of the ESTCP program is to find solutions that will advance the military’s high-priority environmental and energy goals.

Technicians at the MUSE facility will initially operate the generator—which produces electricity using low-grade waste heat—and then deploy it as part of a remote DoD field operation. Data will be collected and analyzed by Southern Research engineers and technicians.

“Our work with ESTCP continues to showcase promising technologies that will advance progress being made to achieve the DoD’s aggressive renewable energy, energy security, and environmental goals,” said Tim Hansen, program manager and director of Southern Research’s Advanced Energy & Transportation Technologies. “By using unique technology to generate electricity from otherwise wasted—but useful—energy, a new energy source is made available, improving generating efficiency, reducing operational costs, and reducing emissions.”

The ORC generator being evaluated is the Green Machine manufactured by Nevada-based ElectraTherm, Inc. This technology uses low-grade waste heat—with a current focus on fossil fuel-fired electrical generators—to generate additional local power to boost overall system efficiency. The ability to successfully deploy this technology in remote or portable military installations where fuel costs are high, and the delivery of fuel poses a safety risk to troops, could be particularly beneficial.

The system could potentially boost the overall fuel efficiency of a one megawatt diesel-fired electric generator by six- to eight-percent, capturing heat from the engine’s exhaust and radiator coolant and safely and efficiently converting it to electric power.

About Southern Research

Southern Research Institute is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) scientific research organization that conducts advanced engineering research in materials, systems development, environment and energy, and preclinical drug discovery and development. Southern Research has more than 520 scientific and engineering staff that support clients and partners in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, defense, aerospace, environmental and energy industries. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., Southern Research has facilities and offices in Wilsonville, Ala., Frederick, Md., Durham, NC, Huntsville, Ala., New Orleans, La., Houston, TX, and Washington, DC.

About ESTCP

ESTCP is the U.S. Dept. of Defense’s environmental technology demonstration and validation program. The Program was established in 1995 to promote the transfer of innovative technologies that have successfully established proof of concept to field or production use. ESTCP demonstrations collect cost and performance data to overcome the barriers to employ an innovative technology because of concerns regarding technical or programmatic risk, the so-called “Valley of Death.” The Program’s goal is to identify and demonstrate the most promising innovative and cost-effective technologies and methods that address DoD’s high-priority environmental requirements. For more information, visit www.estcp.org.

About NAVFAC EXWC MUSE Division

The MUSE Program enhances Naval core competencies with specialized title 10 capabilities that enable DoN and DoD global mission successes while supporting the warfighter by: ensuring operational capabilities for mission critical utilities and energy infrastructure, addressing deficiencies in fleet readiness, providing sustainment for forward presence operations, and supporting energy assurance and security initiatives.

About ElectraTherm, Inc.

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