Calnetix to Display Waste Energy Converter at SMM

Hydrocurrent System Produces up to 125 kW of Electric Power from Thermal Energy in Propulsion Engines’ Jacket Water

At SMM 2014, Calnetix Technologies will showcase a new system developed with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Marine Machinery and Engine Company (MHI-MME) that captures heat from marine engine jacket water and converts it to electricity for shipboard consumption.

The Hydrocurrent system produces up to 125 kW of power for the ship’s electrical load, while still leaving sufficient heat in the jacket water for the fresh water maker. The system pays for itself in a very short time by reducing the load on the ship’s bunker-fueled generators, resulting in fuel savings of up to 200 tons per year. It can be retrofitted easily in existing ships with a minimum of downtime.

The Hydrocurrent system uses an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) heat recovery process with Calnetix’s patented Thermapower and Carefree Integrated Power Module technology, which efficiently converts thermal energy into mechanical power. The Calnetix system is unique in that it can pull usable  heat from a source with temperatures as low as 80°C (176°F) unlike other heat recovery systems that require much higher temperatures.

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