October 17, 2003—In commercial and industrial pipes where gases, liquids, or solids exert enough extra pressure to turn a small turbine, renewable electric power can be generated allowing utility companies, manufacturers, even owners of high-rise buildings to produce their own electricity or sell the power and create an additional source of revenue.
These new smart turbine devices called “Flow-to-Wire” are a compact and more efficient version of much larger hydropower equipment used successfully around the world. The surplus power created by Flow-to-Wire can be a byproduct of a chemical reaction, occur during the release of stored compressed gas, or result from gravity pulling material from an elevated physical position to a lower one.Mo
There is no environmental impact from electric power produced by Flow-to-Wire devices.
The designers of the Flow-to-Wire technology say they can profitably commercialize and introduce the unique devices immediately, with modest funding, due to the fact that existing components are used to construct the devices.
At Energy Venture Fair IV in Philadelphia, Rentricity will announce that one of the largest water supply companies in New England will participate in the first Flow-to-Wire pilot demonstration. A Flow-to-Wire device will be installed within an existing underground vault that will transform surplus energy in water mains into electricity.
“There are hundreds of application opportunities to harness the energy in untapped confined flows,” says Rentricity co-founder Jason Scharfspitz. “The major target areas are compressed natural gas pipelines, chemical manufacturing and refining facilities, high-rise buildings, cooling and refrigeration equipment, and other areas where compressed material is stored and then released in a regulated process.”
The power will qualify for renewable status in most states. To maximize efficiencies and safeguard water supplies against homeland security threats, Rentricity has built integrated sensors into the devices to provide data that will enable water utilities to track flow, pressure, and vault intrusion.
Individually, a Flow-to-Wire system will produce on average 30 kilowatts (KW) to 50 KW—enough to meet the usual demand of an industrial facility.
For more information, contact Rentricity.
