Cogent gasifier chosen for US Navy waste-to-energy system

A Cogent Energy Systems HelioStorm Gasifier will form the core waste processing technology in a new waste-to-energy system for the US Navy.

When operational, the waste-to-energy system will be capable of converting up to 3.5 tons (3.2 metric tonnes) of mixed waste into energy rich synthesis gas. The syngas will then be directly combusted in standard military generators to generate almost 800kWh of net electricity per ton of waste processed. It will be possible to use this electricity onsite for general use, at a base or naval operation.

Cogent’s engineering partner, Creare of Hanover NH, was chosen for a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant  from the US Navy to fabricate the waste-to-energy system.

“This SBIR award is an important step in the commercialization of our HelioStorm technology,” said Dr. Abraham E. Haspel, CEO of Cogent Energy Systems. “We look forward to working with our engineering partner, Creare, to build this full commercial scale system that is expected to exceed US Navy specifications.”

Ionic Gasification is Cogent’s proprietary new process that involves the direct-contact processing of biomass and/or solid waste in an active plasma field at temperatures of 3,000 to 10,000 degrees Celsius, resulting in clean, high energy syngas that can be used to make electricity, hydrogen, liquid fuels and chemical precursors.

“Our engineering team is excited to continue our work on this Navy project” said Dr Jay Rozzi, a Principal Engineer at Creare. “The work we will undertake will accelerate the commercial application of waste-to-energy opportunities at small scale in markets that are not currently accessible.” These opportunities include distributed energy applications in remote communities, military applications, and industrial parks, among many others.

Work on Phase II will begin this month with fabrication and characterisation of the system’s performance scheduled for 2018.