Nov 13, 2008

Putting Some Steam Under Steam

Hybrids, flex-fuel vehicles, “clean diesel,” biofuels, nuclear energy: These are the technologies being bandied about by those seeking “green” solutions to our transportation issues. But could our energy solutions include a technology that dates back at least 300 years -- namely, steam? One company seems to think so. Clean Power Technologies Inc., developer of a unique heat recovery and hybrid power system to reduce vehicle emissions, has hired steam technology specialist Dampflokomotiv- und Maschinenfabrik DLM AG as a consultant for the further development of the company’s Clean Energy Storage and Recovery (CESAR) technology.

The CESAR technology is designed to increase vehicle fuel economy and reduce emissions by capturing, storing and reusing otherwise wasted heat from the exhaust of a conventional internal combustion engine. A heat exchanger captures waste energy, which is then stored in the form of steam in an accumulator for on-demand use either in the same “primary” engine or in a secondary vapor engine. Power can be produced solely by the secondary vapor engine even after the primary combustion engine has shut down. The company is looking into automotive applications for the technology.