SEmS (Sustainable Economic mCHP Stirling) PI: Mike Amato, AMSC - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

SEmS (Sustainable Economic mCHP Stirling)

PI: Mike Amato, AMSC Partners: Qnergy, GTI, AO Smith

The goal of SEmS is to develop a gas fired micro- CHP appliance for residential customers that provides 1kW of baseload power at 37% fuel to electric efficiency for <$3000 not including balance

• f plant and installation..

Project Goal

• Fed. funding:

$4.0 M Length 36 mo.

AMSC has built hardware, and is testing with the GTI developed burner with thermochemical

• recuperation. Prototype with GTI alpha burner is

providing ~900W Power at ~18% LHV to Gross electric.

Current Technical Status

Pitch Plan

The AMSC GENSETS team will bring to market a 1kWe micro- cogeneration appliance, using a free piston Stirling engine (FPSE) to supply over 8.0MWh/yr. of electricity as well as satisfy the domestic hot water needs (60-70 gal/day) of a standard residence. Key features:

• Low emissions
• High efficiency >90% (total efficiency of 1.3kW thermal plus 1kWe)
• Minimal maintenance
• A useful life of at least ten years

Additional appliance functionality options:

• Space heating utilizing excess heat
• Dehumidification
• Backup power during grid outages

Pitch Plan

System savings for a residence with the following assumptions:

• 70 gal/day
• 62% water heater efficiency
• 140º F water temperature

March 26, 2018

AMSC/Qnergy SEmS

SEMS Technology

• SEmS technology is similar to an existing

3.5 kWe Stirling convertor architecture that was used in prior solar applications

• Qnergy’s Free-Piston Stirling Engines

(FPSEs) are maintenance free throughout their lifecycle, which is proven

• n multiple engines with over a decade of

continuous operation. Internal components are hermetically sealed with no internal corrosion or friction.

• Heat rejection from engine to a hot water

tank may be done via two-phase water thermosiphon, reducing cost, power loss, and maintenance associated with a pump.

Burner Electricity Out Heat Out Flexure Bearings Linear Alternator Cooling

Free-Piston Stirling Generator

SEmS Technology

SEmS Prototype Status

• First prototype is a bench-top

demonstrator with pumped-loop cooling

• Initial testing and tuning of

engine performed with non- recuperative burner

• Power output up to 900W
• Efficiencies of up to 40%

(55% Carnot) at 843W

• Over the last quarter, the GTI

designed burner with thermochemical recuperation has been integrated with the FPSE

Tech-to-Market Strategy

Approach to market

• At the end of Y2, SEmS is not meeting the

performance, or cost requirements for a 1-2kW mCHP device.

• Market research has verified that for developing

markets, (first cost is king). Initial market penetration will be crucial to prove the technology to early adopters. The markets identified for initial entry are remote power users such as:

• Oil and Gas
• Telecommunications
• Railroads
• Military
• Marine Auxiliary Power
• Recreational vehicles
• Transition to CHP after initial market penetration,

and volumes start to bring down cost

Tech-to-Market Strategy

Approach to market

• As the SeMS project concludes - A

manufacturing partner, such as A. O. Smith will finish CHP product development and will pull the product into the CHP market

• AMSC will supply the SEmS engine design to the

manufacturing partner and their partners for fabrication

• The SEmS engine is designed to use mass

manufacturing and assembly processes

• Qnergy can provide manufacturing support

to AMSC and the manufacturing partner, as the team develops a supply chain

• Qnergy can assist AMSC in exploring other

marketspaces as they already provide existing remote power generator offerings

Details on Envisioned Product Offering

Metric Program Target Current Status Envisioned Product offering Device Application Residential CHP Residential CHP Remote Power Power (kWe) 1 0.9 1 Heat to electric eff 42 40 (Legacy Burner) 40 (Future Burner) Fuel-to electric eff 37 18 (GTI alpha Burner) >20 System cost ($) 3,000 14-16,000 At levels < 250 <12,000 O&M cost ($/kWh) ≤0.005 <0.02 <0.06 Capacity factor (%) 99.9 90% >95 System Life (years) ≥10 TBD >5 System Noise (dB(A) at 3 feet away) ≤55 65 <70 System Mass (kg) ≤150 <250 TBD

Current Challenges

Efficiency Challenge

• The GTI alpha burner design is not coupling well with the SeMS engine,

lowering the overall fuel to electric conversion efficiency

• GTI is currently evaluating the alpha performance to understand

changes for a beta burner and recuperator derivative Power Challenge

• Currently, AMSC has identified that the engine has excessive piston

biasing around its center location, preventing full amplitude operation

• Porting modifications are being performed to reduce the piston

amplitude bias to reasonable levels Cost / Market Challenge

• First cost has been identified as the main driver in creating new markets
• To compete, a technology has to be safe, efficient, and provide a

reasonable payback period

• CHP will probably not provide a breakout market for this technology, at

its present performance and cost level

• AMSC will pursue other market spaces for the SeMS system

Desirable Partnerships

Desirable partnerships

• A water heating manufacturer, such as AO Smith.
• Gas and electric utilities.
• Third party energy service providers.