SBIR-STTR Award

The U.S. Navy seeks methods to improve the fuel economy of marine diesel engines through utilization of waste heat. Low temperature engine jacket water, lubrication oil, and aftercooler air are largely untapped streams of thermal energy on these ships, but their utilization circumvents many operation challenges associated with exhaust gases. For example, variable and high exhaust gas temperatures cause thermal cycling of heat exchangers, whereas low temperature engine coolant rarely exceeds 90C. However, this low temperature makes increasing system efficiency by =10% with a volume increase =4% very difficult due to the large heat exchanger volumes necessary to maximize energy conversion. In this STTR, Mantel Technologies and Colorado State University propose the development of Power Dense Turbo-Compression Cooling Driven by Waste Heat. The proposed approach will address operational challenges and hazards associated with commercially available thermally activated cooling systems, while achieving better performance in a much smaller footprint.

Benefit:
The proposed approach will support initiatives within the US Navy, DOD, and shipping fleet industry to increase fuel efficiency. Increasing fuel efficiency will reduce cost of normal operations and will also enable use of high power draw sensors and directed energy systems on US Navy ships.

Keywords:
turbo compression, turbo compression, Fuel Efficiency, Waste Heat Recovery, ship service diesel

The U.S. Navy seeks methods to improve the fuel economy of marine diesel engines through utilization of waste heat. Low temperature engine jacket water, lubrication oil, and aftercooler air are largely untapped streams of thermal energy on these ships, but their utilization circumvents many operation challenges associated with exhaust gases. For example, variable and high exhaust gas temperatures cause thermal cycling of heat exchangers, whereas low temperature engine coolant rarely exceeds 90C. However, this low temperature makes increasing system efficiency by =10% with a volume increase =4% very difficult due to the large heat exchanger volumes necessary to maximize energy conversion. Nevertheless, if these targets can be achieved by utilizing only low temperature heat, then U.S. Navy will be able to implement directed energy weapons and high power draw sensor technology onboard ships. In this Phase II STTR, Mantel and CSU will continue to develop a turbo-compression cooling system capable of meeting US Navy requirements for SSDG efficiency improvement, size/weight, and shipworthniess.

Benefit:
The proposed technology will provide the US Navy with a next generation chiller solution that will support targets for improved energy efficiency of shipboard service diesel generators. Phase II will demonstrate system potential through a reduced scale prototype demonstration. Designs and plans for a full-scale system that meets operating requirements and other requirements such as shock and vibration resistance will be developed. The TCCS will be applicable to any shipboard or land-based application where a need for cooling is colocated with waste heat.

Keywords:
turbomachinery, Chiller, shipboard cooling, Energy Efficiency, SSDG