Technology

At the center of the THERMAL TRANSFORMER™ energy conversion technology is the concentrator, which consists of a heat engine coupled to a compressor/expander using a liquid connecting rod. The compressor/expander provides vapor compression and expansion to provide air conditioning and heat pump capabilities. The concentrator pistons are coupled to linear generators to provide electric generation capability. We have recently achieved several breakthroughs, covered by four additional patent applications, that have allowed us to shrink the technology and make it practical for use in a wider geographical area.

The THERMAL TRANSFORMER™ energy conversion device can utilize energy flowing between a temperature source and sink and convert it to different temperatures in a manner analogous to an electrical transformer converting voltages. The system can use low source input temperatures (65ºF to 180ºF), low differential temperatures between source and sink (35ºF), and can adjust to operate between a variety of input and output temperatures.

Because the system is designed to use low temperature heat, it can use low temperature, low cost extruded plastic flat panel solar collectors and low cost, low temperature thermal storage.