Over 60 per cent of the total energy produced on Earth is lost in the form of waste heat, which is an inevitable by-product of industrial energy usage. Specific to oil and gas (O&G), one-third of the energy consumed is discharged as thermal losses. There is currently no commercially available solution that can provide reliable, efficient, and cost-effective capture of low-grade waste-heat (LGWH) and its conversion into electricity. A solution capable of harnessing this energy would significantly improve the efficiency of global industrial processes and enable the realization of a novel clean energy.
In the current project, the Extract Energy heat engine will be tested and scaled for commercial deployment in Alberta. Extract Energy is a waste-heat-to-power (WHP) engine that converts low-temperature thermal energy to electricity. This is enabled by shape memory alloys (SMA) processed using the proprietary Multiple Memory Material (MMM) technology. Due to this unique processing, Extract Energy can efficiently convert waste heat to power at lower temperature differentials than any commercially available solution.
During this project, the performance in real-world operating conditions in Alberta industry will be validated, enabling market acceptance and commercial rollout of Extract Energy province-wide. Specific objectives include:
- scaling the Extract Energy system to a 10 kW commercial system,
- field evaluation in Alberta for the 10 kW engine,
- scale-up production capabilities,
- pilot manufacturing for commercial roll-out and,
- design, fabrication and verification of a scalable 10 kW unit to 100 kW for deployment at larger industrial sites and geothermal energy applications.
By harvesting waste heat and converting it into carbon-free electricity, Extract Energy will displace grid demand and reduce emissions from fossil-fueled electricity generation. Over the course of the proposed project, this will result in 237,200 tCO2e over the lifespan of the 9,500 kWe installed.