Cerritos, Calif. – Access Energy recently signed a contract with Genalta Power Inc. (www.genaltapower.com) to install eight Thermapower™ ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle) Modules to produce clean power from waste heat at a gas plant located in Alberta, Canada. In addition, Access Energy will support the balance of plant design and installation.

“Our ORC systems will recover the excess heat from an amine stream as well as steam condensate loops to generate power for the amine treatment process, which is very energy intensive,” said Access Energy Vice President Herman Artinian. “We will be installing the units later this year and are working with our customer to identify similar opportunities for additional installations.”

During the amine treatment process, lean amine fluid removes carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide from natural gas through absorption and chemical reaction. Once the amine fluid absorbs the acidic gases, it becomes “rich” amine. The rich amine is then heated to remove the acidic gases, regenerating the amine. The regenerated “lean” amine must be cooled in order to be reused and to continue the gas sweetening cycle.

To cool the lean amine, electricity is used to run the cooling equipment, increasing operating costs and decreasing process efficiency. However, operating costs can be improved through the use of the Thermapower™ ORC Module, since less cooling equipment is required and the electricity produced can be used onsite.

“The amine treatment process also produces pressure, which can be converted into electricity as well,” said Artinian. “We are working on a pressure recovery system to take advantage of this otherwise wasted resource.”

Access Energy’s Thermapower™ heat recovery system employs a Carefree™ Integrated Power Module (IPM), engineered and produced by Access Energy’s parent company Calnetix Technologies. The Carefree™ IPM consists of a high-speed turbo expander and generator in a single, hermetically sealed unit with only one moving part, to produce up to 125 kWeg of utility grade power from a medium or low temperature heat source.

In addition to the Carefree™ IPM, the ORC module includes Calnetix’s proprietary power electronics unit and magnetic bearing controller, a variable speed controlled pump and associate piping, and an organic working fluid. In operation, the heat source transfers energy into the ORC system, which evaporates and pressurizes an organic working fluid. The pressurized fluid enters the Carefree™ IPM, where expansion of the fluid drives a turbine to generate electrical power. Following expansion, the working fluid is condensed and fed to the pump to repeat the cycle. View video to see how it works.

Access Energy is offering its Thermapower™ product for sale to experienced end users in incineration, compression, coproduction, amine treatment, marine, geothermal and solar thermal applications, and other unique heat sources or to equipment OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) for integration into end products for these applications.

The core technologies comprising the Thermapower™ ORC Module have been used for heat recovery in various applications in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East and Asia since 2009 under Calnetix and its distributors and licensees. Over 100 units have been shipped and are accruing thousands of hours of operation.