Dresser-Rand to commercialize Ener-Core’s Gradual Oxidation technology

Ener-Core, Inc., designer and manufacturer of proprietary Gradual Oxidizers, recently announced it has entered into a global licensing agreement with the Dresser-Rand Company to develop and market the Dresser-Rand KG2-3GEF two-MW gas turbine coupled with the Ener-Core oxidizer. The two companies will partner to market and sell the combined product to a variety of potential industrial customers including, coal mines, oil & gas refineries, oil & gas drilling sites, distilleries, food processing plants and landfills.

While specific details of the deal have not been released, the license agreement grants Dresser-Rand exclusive rights to commercialize the Ener-Core 1-4MW MW Gradual Oxidizer bundled with the Dresser-Rand KG2 gas-turbine product line. The bundled solution is likely to provide both companies with a significant commercial advantage to address the burgeoning market of methane emissions compliance. As part of the agreement, Dresser-Rand will pay a $1.6 million initial license fee, and subsequently agrees to achieve annual sales thresholds agreed to by both companies in order to retain the commercial license.

The new solution deployed by Dresser-Rand and Ener-Core is expected to enable customers to generate revenue by selling the energy that they produce, or use the additional energy that they produce from their own waste gases to significantly reduce their energy purchases. Most companies absorb additional costs related to complying with expected methane regulations.

Gradual Oxidation technology

With its 250-kW power stations already operating in Europe and the United States, Ener-Core's Gradual Oxidation technology provides for base-load power and energy security while other renewable energy systems are dependent on intermittent sources of power generation.   Executives with Ener-Core estimate that the amount of waste gases that are polluted annually into the atmosphere in the form of wasted methane could be used to generate up to 65,000 MW of clean energy - the equivalent of powering 65-80 million homes. Were that gas to be turned into fuel for an Ener-Core / Dresser-Rand generator, it would in effect, offset the green house gas pollution of 254 million vehicles registered in the US in 2012.

Alain Castro, CEO of Ener-Core said the adoption of the Ener-Core oxidizer technology by Dresser-Rand is an important step in capturing the $65 billion waste gas to power opportunity.  "This commercial license is a great opportunity for Ener-Core to successfully scale up its power generation technology to the 2MW power capacity. Most industries that currently flare their waste gases will soon be able to use these waste gases productively, while also significantly reducing their emissions of waste gases into the atmosphere."

Dan Levin, Dresser-Rand Vice President, Environmental Solutions, said, "The Ener-Core oxidizer is a breakthrough technology that greatly expands the value proposition of the KG2-3G gas turbine. The combination of reducing harmful exhaust emissions and generating clean energy from waste gases is a truly significant opportunity for many industrial companies. While most companies are focused on waste gas capture and destruction, Ener-Core's unique Gradual Oxidation technology, combined with Dresser Rand gas turbines, will enable industrial clients across a wide range of industries to utilize their industrial waste gases to generate clean energy."