C2 Technology: Micro-turbine Based Modular Energy Conversion Systems (MECS) Feasibility Study

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Innovate UK
Innovate UK
Innovate UK
Innovate UK
Innovate UK

£284,190

Sept. 30, 2020

June 30, 2021

C2 Technology (C2) is a company that develops innovative solutions for energy recovery, saving and storage as well as renewables to help industries meet demands for a low carbon world.

C2's main field of activities lies in the area of recovery of low-grade energy waste that is, otherwise, released into the environment in a variety of processing industries such as chemical, food and drink, manufacturing, cement etc.

Low power (<300kW) waste energy recovery in particular is widely overlooked by the larger service operators as it is technically difficult to recover and less profitable than recovery of high-power energy waste.

Over 25% of the energy used in the above-mentioned industries as well as during pressure reduction in distribution networks of gaseous media, i.e. natural gas and steam, is lost as low-grade heat waste contaminating the environment. There is now a critical impetus for enhanced energy efficiency due to the concerns of greenhouse gas emissions, energy affordability and energy security. To be in-line with these needs many industries started to examine ways of recovering low-power low-grade energy waste they produce while operating.

A key concern with the current market offerings for energy recovery systems is their high cost with comparatively lengthy payback (\>3-5 years) on investment. C2 believes that the modular concept along with their innovative low-cost gas bearings will give a significant market advantage and lead to more efficient recovery of waste energy across a range of industry sectors.

C2 intends to implement a cost-effective design of a modular energy conversion system (MECS) that can be configured off-site from a finite number of interconnectable modules. The MECS is implementable as a direct pressure-to-power system for pressure let down applications as well as the main part of closed loop heat-to-power systems. Part of this study involves systematising client requirements and feeding them into front-end engineering (FEE) of the MECS. The MECS is to be assessed by key opinion leaders (KOLs), who will form the advisory board, and optimised for the needs of the clients from different sectors.

This project will allow C2 time and scope to complete a feasibility study of this complex and varied marketplace and produce a front-end engineering assessment of MECS, its development and costing plan as well as a commercialisation strategy to guide the next development stages.