Fellows Research Group, Inc.
Phone: (512) 864-2097
E-mail Address: frg@io.com
THERMOACOUSTIC
CYCLE (TAC) GENERATORS CONVERT HEAT INTO ELECTRICITY WITHOUT POLLUTION
ENERGY EFFICIENT,
ENVIRONMENTALLY
FRIENDLY POWER
Multi-Fuel
Capability: The TAC can be configured for use with a wide variety
of combustible fuels, and burn them efficiently in a low-pressure
combustor with very low emissions and a controllable heat signature.
Typical Fuel
efficiency: 2.66 kWh/lb fuel (0.28
lb/hp-hr)
(Net thermal-electric eff. >
40%)
Typical
Emissions (w/LPG or NG fuel in catalytic combustor):
NOx =
< 2.5 ppm
CO
= < 4.0 ppm
Powered by Solar Energy or Waste Heat:
When powered by solar
radiation or waste exhaust heat from other systems, the TAC has no
polluting gaseous emissions.
Cost of
capitalized
equipment:
TAC
<
$0.25/Watt (W)
MEMS-TAR
<
$0.10/W
Cost
of Competing power generation technologies:
Fossil
fueled $0.43/W
Wind
$1.00/W
Nuclear
$3.50/W
Photovoltaics $4.50/W
TAC GENERATOR
The TAC generator is designed to produce power
from almost any source of heat energy. It can make power as
a fuel fired primary generator, or as a waste energy recovery system.
As a fuel burning engine it is ideal for:
- Combined
Heat and Power Systems (CHP)
- Hybrid
Vehicle Engines
- UPS and
Auxilliary Power Generators
It
can be configured to burn any combustible fuel, including methane,
natural gas, LPG, gasoline, alcohol and fuel oil.
For
energy recovery, it
may be cost
effective for applications involving a significant amount of waste
heat, such as:
- Solar energy -
for solar-electric systems
- Geothermal energy
- Co-generation
- Waste
heat from gas turbines and boilers
- Industrial process waste heat
- Automotive exhaust heat. Installed
in the engine exhaust
manifold,
it can generate electricity and
air-conditioning from
the waste heat in engine exhaust, to save fuel
and reduce air pollution.
The TAC engine-generator can
be mounted in multiple units on a heat manifold to produce an engine
with megawatts of power.
HOW IT WORKS:
The TAC
uses heat to amplify
acoustic waves (sound waves) in a high pressure gas. These
amplified acoustic
oscillations drive a unique kind of generator and produce electric
power. A demonstration video CD of a working engine is
available, or for those with high speed connections, the video may be
played by clicking on the link below.
INTRODUCING
THE MEMS-TAR
Like the TAC generator in the video, this
tiny MEMS thermoacoustic generator
converts heat into electricity. The source of heat can be solar
radiation, waste heat from combustion, even body heat. It requires no
maintenance
and is cost competitive with all existing power generation equipment.
(< $0.10 / Watt)
The MEMS-TAR is manufactured with the same
technology used in the manufacture of computer chips.
It may be packaged in single discrete units, or in integrated
panel
arrays for harvesting solar energy. Power conditioning circuitry
is built right into the
chip. These "Plug-and-Play" panels can be produced in DC or AC,
50 Hz, 60 HZ, 400 Hz, 12VDC, 24VDC, 48VDC, 120VAC, 240VAC or custom
current and voltage configurations.
Applications include:
- Solar electric systems for
individual homes and businesses.
- Satellite and space power
applications.
- Energy recovery
(co-generation) from waste heat.
- Biomedical prosthetics.
LINKS TO RELATED RESEARCH
NASA-Glenn
Research Center
Thank you for your interest in FRG
Thermoacoustic
Cycle (TAC) generators.
Updated December, 2007
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