Executive Summary:
Profitable efficiency at Sub-boiling temperatures, with no viable competition in this temperature range;
Robust, slow-piston design, with long service life;
Scalable and modular, suitable for a wide range of applications;
Large and diverse market including geothermal power plants, data centers, waste heat recovery in numerous industries.
Anticipated Unique Value Proposition:
Low Operating Temperature:
CPE’s engines are projected to operate effectively and economically at Sub-boiling temperatures starting at 160°F (70°C) up to 210°F (99°C), beyond the reach of existing ORC technologies.
Longer Equipment Lifespan:
Slow piston cycles will mean long maintenance internals and lower mechanical wear, extending the engine’s expected operational life to 40 years or more.
Low Op-Ex:
Robust engine components, modular design, and long maintenance intervals equate to low labor requirements to operate the power plant.
Low-Cost Geothermal Drilling:
Sub-boiling shallow geothermal wells under 1500 feet (450m) deep, can be accomplished with truck mounted drilling equipment used primarily for agricultural irrigation wells. Drilling equipment capable of reaching beyond 5,000 feet (1500m) in depth for high temperature power plants, is immensely more expensive. This possibility makes geothermal power production economically viable.
Market Applications:
Geothermal Power Production:
Unlocks the power potential of Sub-boiling geothermal resources in shallow wells that were previously uneconomical for conventional geothermal projects. Power can be sold into the grid or used directly.
Data Centers:
Often privately owned, data centers could be powered on site, and off grid, with the planned CPE conversion engine using low grade geothermal resources. In many locations with geothermal resources, fiber optic connectivity is more readily available than power grid connectivity, making them ideal sites for low-cost data center development.
Abandoned Oil Wells:
In regions where oil extraction activities have ceased, residual geothermal well heat can be utilized for power generation. This approach leverages existing infrastructure, thereby avoiding or postponing the costly requirements of well abandonment.
Maritime Industry:
Ships run on fossil fuel engines which produce corresponding amounts of waste heat. The CPE engines could convert this heat to electricity for onboard uses to reduce shipping costs and carbon footprints. There are mandated annual carbon footprint reductions in much of the maritime industry which the CPE engines can help meet.
Heavy Industries:
Steel and aluminum production, chemical production, and oil refining all generate significant waste heat; most of which is too low to be economically useful and is vented into the atmosphere. By recovering a portion of this waste heat, plant efficiencies can be increased and carbon footprints reduced.
Food Processing:
Offering a clean, effective solution for turning low-grade process heat into electricity or mechanical power for pumping, and other work.
Off-Grid and Decentralized Power:
Localized power distribution, referred to as microgrids, and grids in remote locations could be powered quietly, with a small footprint, using focused solar energy or nearby low heat geothermal resources.
Reverse Osmosis:
The CPE engine’s projected capacity to create a high volume of high-pressure fluid makes it valuable for powering large-scale water purification systems in regions with scarce freshwater resources. The engine is well suited for reverse osmosis applications.
Combined Cycle Applications:
High heat organic Rankin cycle or Binary power plants and natural gas power plants have wasted heat that could be captured by the CPE engine and produce more power.