Search the CHP Project Profiles Database

Research and Development

The Industrial Distributed Energy activity provides cost-shared support for collaborative R&D to accelerate the deployment, testing, and validation of novel distributed energy and combined heat and power (CHP) applications for industry.

Active Projects

AMO's Distributed Energy (DE) portfolio includes R&D on advanced reciprocating engine systems (ARES), CHP technologies, as well as demonstrations of these technologies and integrated energy systems (IES). AMO's DE portfolio also includes demonstration projects for district energy installations, waste energy recovery systems, and efficient industrial equipment.

Research partners described their projects, shared objectives, and reported their progress during a Portfolio Review in June 2011.

Advanced Reciprocating Engine Systems

R&D Projects

Advanced Low-Temperature Heat Recovery Absorption Chiller Module

EXERGY Partners Corp., in collaboration with D.E.N.T. LLC, Great Lakes Center for Energy Smart Communities™, Hewlett Packard Co.'s EYP Mission Critical Facilities, Inc., General Electric, Integrated CHP Systems Corp., and Carrier Corporation, will develop and demonstrate an advanced single-stage lithium bromide absorption chiller module specifically designed to use low-temperature waste heat from clean and efficient natural gas engines in data center applications.
Combined Heat and Power Integrated with Burners for Packaged Boilers

CMCE, Inc., in collaboration with Altex Technologies Corporation, will develop the Boiler Burner Energy System Technology (BBEST), a CHP assembly of a gas-fired simple-cycle 100 kilowatt (kW) microturbine and a new ultra-low NOx gas-fired burner, to increase acceptance of small CHP systems. The technology will improve reliability while reducing costs and the need for maintenance.
Development and Testing of the Advanced CHP System Utilizing the Off-gas from the Innovative Green Coke Calcining Process in Fluidized Bed
(Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009)

The Gas Technology Institute, in collaboration with Superior Graphite Company, the University of Southern California, and Solex Thermal Science, Inc., will develop an energy-efficient process of petroleum coke calcination in a fluidized bed with an advanced CHP system using the off-gases and the waste heat from the calcined coke. The total amount of recycled heat from the newly developed coke calcination process has sufficient heat for the CHP to produce process stream and generate most of the electricity used by the fluidized bed.
Development of a Microchannel High Temperature Recuperator for Fuel Cell Systems
(Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009)

FuelCell Energy, Inc., in collaboration with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the Oregon State University Materials Institute, the Microproducts Breakthrough Institute, and the Oregon Nanoscience and Materials Institute, will develop an efficient, microchannel-based waste heat recuperator for a high-temperature fuel cell system. This technology will increase the efficiency of fuel cells and improve their performance in distributed energy applications.
Flexible CHP System with Low NOx, CO and VOC Emissions

The Gas Technology Institute, in collaboration with Cannon Boiler Works, Integrated CHP Systems Corp., Capstone Turbine Corporation, and Johnston Boiler Company, will develop a Flexible Combined Heat and Power (FlexCHP) system that incorporates a supplemental Ultra-Low-NOx (ULN) burner into a 65 kW microturbine and a heat recovery boiler. The ULN burner is expected to help the CHP system meet stringent emissions criteria and improve overall system efficiency in a cost-effective manner.
Flexible Distributed Energy and Water from Waste for the Food and Beverage Industry

General Electric (GE) Global Research, in collaboration with GE Water & Process Technologies, GE Intelligent Platforms, and Sentech, Inc., will develop a systematic plant-wide automation for online monitoring and supervisory control. The system will enhance the robust and reliable operation of the waste-to-value plant by reducing frequency upsets by up to 90%. Successful demonstration will lead to widespread adoption and rapid commercialization in the food processing industry, and thereafter to related industries like pulp and paper and ethanol production.
Fuel-Flexible Microturbine and Gasifier System for Combined Heat and Power

Capstone Turbine Corporation, in collaboration with the University of California – Irvine, Packer Engineering, and Argonne National Laboratory, will develop and demonstrate a prototype microturbine combined heat and power system fueled by synthesis gas and integrated with a biomass gasifier, enabling reduced fossil fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.
High Efficiency Microturbine with Integral Heat Recovery

Capstone Turbine Corporation, in collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and NASA Glenn Research Center, will develop a clean, cost-effective 370 kW microturbine with 42% net electrical efficiency and 85% total CHP efficiency. The microturbine technology will maximize usable exhaust energy and achieve ultra-low emissions levels.
Low-Cost Packaged Combined Heat and Power System with Reduced Emissions

Cummins Power Generation, in collaboration with Cummins Engine Business Unit, will develop a flexible, packaged CHP system that produces 410 kW of electrical power output and 356 kW of thermal output while increasing efficiency and reducing emissions and cost. The project will result in the highest-efficiency and lowest-emissions system for a CHP project less than 1 megawatt (MW) in size.
Novel Controls for Economic Dispatch of Combined Cooling, Heating and Power (CCHP) Systems
(Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009)

University of California, Irvine, in collaboration with Siemens Corporate Research, will develop and demonstrate novel algorithms and dynamic control technology for optimal economic use of CCHP systems under 5 MW. The control systems and technologies under development are expected to increase market penetration of CCHP systems in the light industrial, commercial, and institutional markets.
Novel Sorbent to Clean Biogas for Fuel Cell Combined Heat and Power

TDA Research Inc., in collaboration with FuelCell Energy, will develop a new, high-capacity sorbent to remove sulfur from anaerobic digester gas. This technology will enable the production of a nearly sulfur-free biogas to replace natural gas in fuel cell power plants while reducing greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels.
Ultra Efficient Combined Heat, Hydrogen, and Power System

FuelCell Energy, Inc., in collaboration with ACuPowder International, LLC and Abbott Furnace Company, will develop a combined heat, hydrogen, and power (CHHP) system that utilizes reducing gas produced by a high-temperature fuel cell to directly replace hydrogen and nitrogen used in a bright annealing process at a copper production facility. The reducing gas will completely eliminate the hydrogen and nitrogen gas mix used in the copper reduction furnace and decrease utility costs by 25% for the host site.

Demonstration Projects

ArcelorMittal USA Blast Furnace Gas Flare Capture
(Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009)

ArcelorMittal USA, Inc.'s Indiana Harbor steel mill in East Chicago, Indiana, will install an energy recovery boiler system that will convert 46 billion cubic feet per year of waste blast furnace gas that is currently flared to the atmosphere during ironmaking operations to produce steam. The steam will be used to drive existing turbo-generators on-site to create 333,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity and reduce CO₂ emissions by 340,000 tons annually.
CHP at Post Street in Downtown Seattle
(Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009)

Seattle Steam Company, in collaboration with Burns & McDonnell Engineering Co., Inc., will deploy a 50 MW CHP plant in downtown Seattle that is integrated into the existing electrical and thermal energy distribution network. The project is intended to significantly increase total efficiency by making productive use of the waste heat created during electric power production. It is also intended to increase the capacity and reliability of the electrical grid in the downtown core, particularly in light of growing energy demand. The new system will displace less efficient and higher emissions peaking boilers in the Post Street plant. Project is currently on hold pending funding decision.
Combustion Turbine CHP System for Food Processing Industry

Frito-Lay/PepsiCo, in cooperation with the Energy Solutions Center, is demonstrating and evaluating a CHP plant at a large food processing facility in Connecticut. CHP generation is reducing the energy costs and environmental impact of the facility while easing congestion on the constrained Northeast power grid. The fact sheet contains performance data from the plant after one year of operation.
Creating Jobs Through Energy Efficiency Using Wisconsin's Successful Focus On Energy Program
(Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009)

CleanTech Partners, Inc. will assist in the implementation of nine industrial energy efficiency projects in Wisconsin, utilizing the state's Focus on Energy Program as the project implementation vehicle. The project will save an estimated 1.21 trillion British thermal units (Btu) annually, increasing overall energy efficiency by 45%. The nine companies to receive financial assistance for their energy efficiency improvements are: Briggs & Stratton (steam and heating system project); Didion Milling, Inc. (drying and moisture removal optimization); Domtar Paper Company LLC (wood waste boiler upgrade); Kohler, Co. (lighting, hot water, and drying systems improvements); NewPage Wisconsin System (paper machine cleaner system replacement); Quad/Graphics, Inc. (automated lighting controls); Thilmany LLC (paper machine hood efficiency improvement); Wausau Paper Mosinee Mill (paper machine upgrades); and Wausau Paper Rhinelander Mill (economizer upgrade).
Immediate Deployment of Waste Energy Recovery Technologies at Multiple Sites
(Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009)

Verso Paper Corp. will implement a portfolio of 13 waste energy recovery sub-projects at Verso paper mills located in Jay, Maine; Bucksport, Maine; and Sartell, Minnesota. The subprojects were chosen for their energy savings potential and opportunity for immediate implementation. The bundled project has an overall efficiency of 33% and will save an estimated 1.28 trillion Btu annually.
Johnston Rhode Island Combined Cycle Electricity Generation Plant Fueled by Landfill Gas
(Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009)

BroadRock Renewables LLC, in collaboration with DCO Energy, will construct and operate a combined cycle power plant facility at the Johnston, Rhode Island, central landfill. It will be the second-largest landfill-gas-to-electricity generation facility in the United States. The facility will generate 42 megawatts (MW) of power and save an estimated 1.21 trillion Btu annually from the landfill gas that would otherwise be flared.
Olinda Combined Cycle Electric Generating Plant Fueled by Waste Landfill Gas
(Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009)

BroadRock Renewables LLC, in collaboration with DCO Energy, will modify and expand an existing landfill gas collection system and construct a combined cycle power generation facility at the Olinda Alpha Landfill in Brea, California. The project will generate 32 MW of power and save an estimated 0.9 trillion Btu annually from the landfill gas that would otherwise be flared.
Texas A&M University CHP System
(Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009)

Texas A&M University (Texas A&M), in collaboration with Harvey Cleary Builders and Jacobs Engineering Group, plans to install an additional 7,500 tons of electric chilling capacity, campus-wide electrical distribution system upgrades, and a 45 MW high-efficiency, natural gas-fired CHP system consisting of a 34 MW combustion turbine, a 210,000-pound-per-hour (pph) heat recovery steam generator, and an 11 MW steam turbine generator. The system will operate as a baseload system to serve 50% of Texas A&M's peak power needs, 65% of electrical energy needs, and 80% of the heating loads (steam for cooling included). The system will also enable Texas A&M to isolate critical campus electrical loads during grid disruptions.
Thermal Energy Corporation Combined Heat and Power Project
(Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009)

Thermal Energy Corporation (TECO), in collaboration with Burns & McDonnell Engineering Co., Inc., operates the largest chilled water district energy system in the United States at the Texas Medical Center, the largest medical center in the world. TECO will install an additional 32,000 tons of chilled water capacity, a 75,000 ton-hour (8.8 million gallon) thermal energy storage tank, and a new high-efficiency natural gas-fired CHP system capable of producing 48 MW of on-site generation and 330,000 pph of steam. The CHP system can operate as a baseload system to serve 100% of the TECO plant peak electrical load and 100% of TECO customers' peak process and space heating loads. The system will also enable the entire TECO plant to continue operations and provide uninterrupted energy services to TECO customers in the event of a prolonged grid outage.
Waste Energy Project at the AK Steel Corporation Middletown Works
(Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009)

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., in collaboration with AK Steel Corp., will demonstrate a process for converting waste blast furnace "top gas," produced at AK Steel's Middletown, Ohio, facility, to generate electrical power and steam utilizing combined cycle power generation. Over 50% of this top gas is currently being flared to the atmosphere. The demonstration is projected to produce an annual average of 105 MW of electrical power and process-related steam from the top gas, saving an estimated 2.7 trillion Btu annually. This project will be the first demonstration in North America of a gas turbine combined cycle which consumes steel mill off-gases to generate electricity and steam, while eliminating the need to flare the off-gases. Project is currently on hold pending funding decision.