Switzerland

Back to Search

International Partner Search

Innovation & Technology Offer

Innovative ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle) modules for heat to power conversion systems in small plants (10 to 100 kW) ready for integration in all systems producing residual heat.

Country of Origin: France
Reference Number: TOFR20161031001
Publication Date: 9 January 2017

Summary

A fast-growing French SME, expert in thermodynamics and micro-turbine design and production, has developed and commercialises small turbine ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle) systems providing a high conversion rate of heat to power and offering improved reliability. The company looks for partnerships through commercial agreements with technical assistance to integrate its technology in industrial sites, anaerobic digestion units, geothermal sources and concentrated solar plants.

Description

The French company, created in 2009, is a fast growing SME in the energy sector with a team of 24 staff members. 

The company is a designer, manufacturer and installer of ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle) micro-powerplants that convert waste heat into electrical power. These ORC micro-powerplants make it profitable to convert low temperature heat sources which are not profitable with existing competing solutions on the market.

The company already commercialises ORCs from 10 to 40 kW and has developed a 100 kW version with a research partner. It has installed more than 30 ORC systems in 11 countries in the following application domains:

- Biogas, Landfill gas
- Concentrated Solar Plant
- Biomass power plant
- Geothermic energy

These ORC modules can be loaded with different working fluids for different temperature ranges (between 80°C to more than 400°C). Their extreme compactness and simplicity of their interfaces allow easy integration into customer site.

Moreover, the ORC skids and turbines are tailored to meet specific requirements and heat source properties. Especially, through its engineering skills of turbomachinery and thermodynamic cycles, the company has developed unique products on the market for the conversion of very low temperature residual heat into electricity.

This expertise allows responding to applications not covered so far by the existing systems such as small geothermal sources, local biogas plants, concentrated solar plants (CSP) or recovering the heat of engine exhaust gas or cooling circuit.

To continue its international development, the company is looking for partnerships with companies manufacturing and /or installing anaerobic digestion systems, concentrated solar power systems or other systems producing residual heat to integrate its innovative solution and convert residual heat into electricity through commercial agreement with technical assistance.

On top of the application domains mentioned above, new application domains emerge including converting the heat from exhaust gas of vehicles and energy residuals from cooling systems.
Image

Advantages and Innovations

The small turbine ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle) systems developed are based on a high performance kinetic micro-turbine design in total rupture with existing products on the market and covered by several patents.

Compared to competing systems:

- This technology is innovative by its ability to convert in electricity low temperatures waste heat with a high conversion rate ranging from 6% (for a 10 kWth system) to 12% (for a 100 kWth system). This ability to convert low temperature heat sources into electricity allows responding to applications not covered so far by the existing systems such as small geothermal sources, local biogas plants, concentrated solar plants (CSP) or recovering the heat of engine exhaust gas or cooling circuit

- This system works without oil and doesn’t contain any surface submitted to mechanical friction. Maintenance costs are thereby drastically reduced as well.

- This technology offers a compact solution.

- The company has developed and offers a complete range of small turbine ORC systems allowing the final client to have a system precisely adapted to the heat power of the heat source which needs to be converted into electricity (10 kWth, 20 kWth, 40 kWth and 100 kWth).

- The return on investment is 18 to 48 months depending on the heat source and electricity prices.

This solution improves energy efficiency of all equipped installations including industrial sites, anaerobic digestion units, geothermal sources or concentrated solar plants.

Stage Of Development

Already on the market

Requested partner

- Type/ field of activity: industrial companies producing and / or installing biogaz plants, concentrated solar power systems or any other system producing residual heat (such as.: boats engines, cement plants’ oven, breweries’ oven, etc.)

- Role: to integrate the innovative solution into their systems to convert residual heat into electricity with a higher conversion rate and a fast return on investment for the final client (commercial agreement with technical assistance)

Germany, Italy and UK are key but not restricted market targets.

Cooperation offer is closed for requests