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Energy harvesting gas and water microturbines for web applications

Country of Origin: Italy
Reference Number: TOIT20190109002
Publication Date: 16 January 2019

Summary

An Italian SME, developing compact size microturbines and microgenerators, has patented and miniaturised integrated microturbine designed to be introduced into the gas and water distribution pipelines, taking advantage of existing pressure drops across valves in the system to generate electricity up to 30 W and up to 150 W to be used for real-time monitoring and control of pipelines. The SME is interested in technical cooperation agreements aiming at developing joint technical projects.

Description

An Italian SME, founded in 2013 as a spin-off of a big institute of technology, has developed an innovative microturbine suited for continuous monitoring and remote regulation of pressure in gas and water distribution networks, taking advantage of the gas/water energy available in the pipeline to generate the required power for the delocalised monitoring and control units and associated sensors. 

The microturbine can be mounted alongside the pipeline, in parallel to the pressure reducing valve producing the pressure drop. A small amount of the gas or water flow is bled off at high pressure, bypassed through the microturbine and returned to the pipeline at the lower valve downstream pressure. The size of this diverted flow is small compared to the main flow of the pipeline, so it does not affect the operation of the pipeline. 

The company is interested in activating technical cooperation agreements in order to develop joint technical projects in applications of mutual interest but also customize the product accordingly to the partners' needs, mainly in the field of self-powered IoT applications, smart gas and water grids.

Advantages and Innovations

Main features, advantages and innovative aspects of the offered technology are the following ones:

- two possible sizes: up to 30 W and up to 150 W with 2 bar pressure

- wide operating temperature range (-20 C to 60 C)

- off-grid energy source

- minimal risk of theft/vandalism, as the housing of the microturbine is secured alongside the pipeline

- CO2 emission reduction

- zero carbon emissions

- minimal disposal costs or environmentally harmful end-of-life waste

- IoT enabler 

- plug & play 

- real-time communication

Stage Of Development

Already on the market

Requested partner

Technical cooperation agreements are searched for.

Both SME and large companies in the oil & gas and water industry are considered of great interest in order to develop joint projects in the fields of self-powered IoT applications, smart gas and water grids.

Dissemination Countries

Albania, Armenia, Argentina, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgium, Bulgaria, Brazil, Belarus, Switzerland, Chile, Cameroon, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Egypt, Spain, Finland, France, Georgia, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, India, Iceland, Jordan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Moldova, Montenegro, Macedonia, The former Yugoslav Republic of, Malta, Mexico, Nigeria, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Serbia, Russia, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, USA