Wasted Opportunity
Over 80% of all electric power is generated by heat engines – engines that convert heat from a high temperature source into electricity via a thermodynamic power generation cycle.
- Up to 50% of energy consumed by the US industrial sector is discarded as waste heat
- The US industrial sector consumes approximately 1/3 of all domestic energy usage annually—over 28 Quads – quadrillion Btus
- The amount consumed is roughly the energy of 26 million US homes—over 290,000 GWh
- The industrial sector is responsible for about 1/3 of all fossil-fuel related greenhouse gas emissions, 1800 million metric tons of CO2
Market
The market for Waste Heat power generation systems is large ($30+ billion), growing (5% CAGR), and largely untapped (Waste Heat applications are 5% utilized). Generating power at 200kW or less from low-quality heat (under 150oC) poses scaling difficulty for the incumbent heat engine technology, the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC). This $3+ billion market segment is under-served and is looking for the right solution.
Innovation
RheOmega is developing the Foam Engine, a heat engine that is 30% more effective at converting heat into electricity than the incumbent technologies. The Foam Engine uses foam as the working fluid – a stabilized mixture of gas and a carrier liquid. Foam Technology enables a previously unachievable, superior power generation cycle called the Ericsson Cycle. Foam has been demonstrated to be a practical, cost-effective, commercial-scale technology in Isothermal Compressed Air Energy Storage. RheOmega has the know-how to develop Foam Technology for advanced power cycles.
RheOmega 