The Fuels
Introduction
Where internal engines can only use one type of fuel (diesel, natural gas, gasoline), nGeni™ can switch from fuel to fuel with minor changes on the same unit which enables cost optimization and transitioning to renewable fuels and solar energy sources. In our case, air is heated by combustion in an external source, through a heat exchanger. The fluid then, by expanding produces motion and usable work. The fluid is then cooled, compressed and reused. This move enables the use of different sources of energy as well as substantial increases in mechanical and overall efficiencies.
This fuel polyvalence is also key to transportation uses of the nGeni GreenBoxes™. The nGeni™ will be used for transportation as well as for home use. If the nGeni can switch between fuels drivers will have more options to choose from as well as enjoy reduced fuel costs by as much as 50% due to increased efficiencies. This will drastically reduce pollution as well. These are bound to become vital in the near future as pressures against fossil fuels mount.
Biomass/Natural Gas
Biomass is organic matter that comes from living or recently living organisms. Biomass can be burned or turned into biofuel and used for an energy source. Wood is the most common biomass energy source.
Natural gas is also a fossil fuel. It is a hydrocarbon gas consisting mainly of methane. Natural gas is usually found in deep underground rock formations or with other hydrocarbon reservoirs.
Based on numerical simulations, we estimate that the nGeni prime mover would reduce fuel costs by about 50%, and enable operators to use any fuel - that is to say that it will be possible to use indifferently a wide range of fossil or non-fossil fuels such as bio-oils, ethanol, biogas, but also a large number of residues (such as pyrolytic liquors), without these fuels having to be refined, so with additional savings.
Concentrated Solar Power (CSP)
Solar power is the conversion of sunlight into electricity. This can be done either directly using photovoltaic (PV) cells (i.e. large panels seen on top of buildings and homes) or via Concentrated Solar Power (CSP). The three main types of CSP are trough, dish, and tower. CSP is the main stationary application of the nGeni Technology. Small parabolic dish collectors are already being manufactured at extremely low costs. The nGeni Technology incorporates proprietary technology enabling low cost sun tracking to the GreenBoxes and Energy Storage add-on modular units. This opens the way to Solar GreenBoxes of typically 10kW capacity for residential, commercial and small enterprises applications able to supply power at costs below 5 cents per kWh.
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nGeni™ CSP
The nGeni Technology can also be implemented in larger CSP installations, from 100kW to a few MW, making use of heliostats focusing solar energy onto a receiver atop a small tower, with similar low costs. These larger CSP installations will be able to be operated in stand-alone fashion (e.g. individual factories, industrial or business parks) or integrated into nGeni’s nS.O.™ Intelligent Energy networks.
Conclusion
GreenBoxes are being designed to supply very high efficiency power as standalone units or in a distributed generation configuration to end-users, from homes (3 kW -10 kW) to large industrial sites (multiple MWs).
This is much easier done with nGeni compared to other power sources because of the ease of reconfiguration and fuel indifference. Fuel indifference allows any fuel to be used. This lowers operation cost by allowing the cheapest fuel to be used by the consumer. It also allows the nGeni to be used anywhere because it does not depend on one certain type of fuel that could be scarce in different areas of the globe.
Eventually the nGeni will be completely solar. Solar energy is available everywhere on Earth and in abundance. The Earth also receives much more energy from the sun than the total energy that could ever be used by humankind.
