Thermapower™ Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) Modules

Calnetix Technologies has deep experience in designing and manufacturing small-scale Organic Rankine Cycle Systems that convert waste heat into electrical energy without interfering with commercial or industrial processing activities. These systems, called Thermapower™ ORC Modules, make use of an organic, high molecular mass fluid with a liquid-vapor phase change, or boiling point, occurring at a lower temperature than the water-steam phase change. The fluid allows heat to be recovered from lower temperature sources, such as commercial waste heat, industrial waste heat, geothermal heat and solar ponds, and be directly converted into electricity. The Thermapower™ Modules employ Calnetix’s Carefree™ Integrated Power Module (IPM), a high-speed turbo expander and generator in a single sealed unit with only one moving part, to produce up to 125 kW of utility grade power from waste heat.

Calnetix currently sells its Thermapower™ Modules for use in commercial facilities, industrial facilities, marine vessels, solar thermal applications and other unique heat sources. GE Heat Recovery Solutions has licensed the technology from Calnetix for its Clean Cycle™ product, which is used in applications where heat is sourced from reciprocating combustion engines (except those of marine vessels), gas or steam turbine systems for power generation and biomass boilers.

Calnetix’s subsidiary, Access Energy, also uses the technology in its Procore™ products for small-scale waste heat recovery applications in the oil and gas industry.

Calnetix’s Thermapower™ Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) Module, which is used for waste heat recovery applications, consists of a Carefree™ Integrated Power Module (IPM), power electronics, a magnetic bearing controller, a variable speed controlled pump and associate piping and an organic working fluid.