SRI/USEPA-GHG-VR-46
December 2012
THE ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION PROGRAM
rth
SOUTHERN RESEARCH
Legendary Discoveries. Leading Innovation.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
NY5ERDA
ETV Joint Verification Statement
TECHNOLOGY TYPE: Gas-Fired Internal Combustion Engine Combined
With Heat Recovery System
APPLICATION: Distributed Electrical Power and Heat Generation
Using Climate Energy freewatt™ Micro-Combined
Heat and Power System
TECHNOLOGY NAME: Climate Energy freewatt™ Micro-Combined Heat
and Power System
COMPANY: Climate Energy, LLC.
ADORESS: Utica, New York
WEB ADDRESS: www.freewatt.com
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created the Environmental Technology
Verification (ETV) program to facilitate the deployment of innovative or improved environmental
technologies through performance verification and dissemination of information. The goal of the ETV
program is to further environmental protection by accelerating the acceptance and use of improved and
cost-effective technologies. ETV seeks to achieve this goal by providing high-quality, peer-reviewed data
on technology performance to those involved in the purchase, design, distribution, financing, permitting,
and use of environmental technologies.
ETV works in partnership with recognized standards and testing organizations, stakeholder groups that
consist of buyers, vendor organizations, and permitters, and with the full participation of individual
technology developers. The program evaluates the performance of technologies by developing test plans
that are responsive to the needs of stakeholders, conducting field or laboratory tests, collecting and
analyzing data, and preparing peer-reviewed reports. All evaluations are conducted in accordance with
rigorous quality assurance protocols to ensure that data of known and adequate quality are generated and
that the results are defensible.
The Greenhouse Gas Technology Center (GHG Center), one of six verification organizations under the
ETV program, is operated by Southern Research Institute in cooperation with EPA's National Risk
Management Research Laboratory. A technology of interest to GHG Center stakeholders is distributed
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SRI/USEPA-GHG-VR-46
December 2012
generation (DG) sources, especially when they include combined heat and power (CHP) capabilities. The
improved efficiency of DG/CHP systems makes them a viable complement to traditional power
generation technologies.
The GHG Center collaborated with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
(NYSERDA) to evaluate the performance of the Climate Energy freewatt Micro-Combined Heat and
Power System. The system is a reciprocating internal combustion (1C) engine distributed electrical
generation and combined heat and power (DG / CHP) installation designed and commissioned by Climate
Energy. Heat is captured from the generator engine and passed to domestic heat loads via a closed heat
transfer loop. Climate Energy has installed a hydronic version of the freewatt system at a private
residence in Lake Ronkonkoma, Long Island, New York.
TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION
The following technology description is based on information provided by Climate Energy and does not
represent verified information. The freewatt micro combined heat and power (MCHP) system is a
nominal 1.2 kW natural gas-fueled engine driven generator from which excess heat is recovered for use
on-site. This technology provides 240v single phase electrical power in parallel with the utility supply.
The engine is a liquid-cooled 4-cycle unit that drives a permanent magnet generator and inverter. Waste
heat produced by the engine is recovered in engine coolant, from the engine block, the oil sump, and the
exhaust gases and supplies first stage space and water heating for the host site's hydronic space and water
system.
With the freewatt system, heat is captured from the generator engine and passed to domestic heat loads
via a closed heat transfer loop. In this installation, the CHP system provides domestic hot water via an
indirectly-heated hot water heater to the residence via a hydronic heating system. Included in the
package is a high efficiency boiler that provides backup/peak heating and a "hybrid" hydronic system
controller that manages the hot water temperatures delivered to the hydronic system from the boiler/CHP
system. The system is connected in parallel to the electric utility grid, which provides standby and peak
power as required.
The system operates on a thermal-load-following mode, in which power is generated only when heat is
called for from the system. The system is configured to enable export of excess power generation to the
grid. Manufacturer specifications indicate that the recovered energy will supply up to about 12 thousand
British thermal units per hour (MBtu/h) to the local heating loads while producing 1.2 kW of electric
power. The supplementary boiler can provide up to an additional 190 MBtu/h.
VERIFICATION DESCRIPTION
Field testing was conducted on September 9 and 10, 2009. The defined system under test (SUT) was
tested to determine performance for the following verification parameters:
• Electrical performance and power quality
• Electrical efficiency
• CHP thermal performance
• Atmospheric emissions performance
• Nitrogen oxides (NOX) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emission offsets.
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SRI/USEPA-GHG-VR-46
December 2012
The verification included a series of controlled test periods in which the GHG Center maintained steady
system operations for 3 thirty-minute test periods to evaluate electrical and CHP efficiency and emissions
performance, heat and power output, power quality, and efficiency.
Rationale for the experimental design, determination of verification parameters, detailed testing
procedures, test log forms, and QA/QC procedures can be found in the ETV Generic Verification
Protocol (GVP) for DG/CHP verifications developed by the GHG Center. Site specific information and
details regarding instrumentation, procedures, and measurements specific to this verification were
detailed in the Test and Quality Assurance Plan titled Test and Quality Assurance Plan - Climate Energy
freewatt™ Micro-Combined Heat and Power System.
VERIFICATION OF PERFORMANCE
Results of the verification represent the freewatt system's performance as installed at the host residence in
Lake Ronkonkoma, NY on the two days tested. Quality Assurance (QA) oversight of the verification
testing was provided following specifications in the ETV Quality Management Plan (QMP). The GHG
Center's QA manager conducted an audit of data quality on at least 10 percent of the data generated
during this verification and a review of this report. Data review and validation was conducted at three
levels including the field team leader (for data generated by subcontractors), the project manager, and the
QA manager. Through these activities, the QA manager has concluded that the data meet the data quality
objectives that are specified in the Test and Quality Assurance Plan.
Electrical and Thermal Performance
Table S-l. freewatt MCHP Electrical and Thermal Performance
Test ID
Runl
Run 2
Run3
Avg.
Fuel Input
(MBtu/h)
15.8
15.7
15.7
15.7
Electrical Power Generation
Performance
Power
Delivered
(kW)
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
Efficiency 3
(%)
21.6
21.6
21.6
21.6
Heat Recovery
Performance
Heat
Recovered
(MBtu/h)
9.17
8.93
7.58
8.56
Thermal
Efficiency3
(%)
58.3
56.7
48.2
54.4
Total CHP
System
Efficiency3 (%)
79.8
78.3
69.7
76.0
Based on actual power available for consumption at the test site (power generated less parasitic losses). LHV Based.
Key findings for freewatt MCHP electrical and thermal performance were:
• After parasitic losses, electrical efficiency averaged approximately 22 percent at this site.
• The amount of heat recovered from the MCHP and used for water heating at the residence averaged
8.56 MBtu/hr. Corresponding thermal efficiency was 54.4 percent and combined heat and power
efficiency averaged 76.0 percent.
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SRI/USEPA-GHG-VR-46
December 2012
• Boiler heat production, tested separately, averaged 43.7 MBtu/h, or 12.8 kWt. Boiler fuel utilization
efficiency (AFUE) during these forced control test conditions averaged 96 percent.
Emissions Performance
Table S-2. MCHP Emissions during Controlled Test Periods
Test ID
Runl
Run 2
Run 3
Avg.
CO2 Emissions
ppm
99343
100741
98242
99442
Ib/hr
1.35
1.35
1.35
1.35
Ib/MWh
1358
1356
1352
1355
THC Emissions
ppm
177
183
175
179
Ih/hr
2.42E-03
2.45E-03
2.40E-03
2.42E-03
Ih/MWh
2.43
2.46
2.41
2.43
NOx Emissions
ppm
5.90
5.47
6.54
5.97
Ib/hr
8.04E-05
7.33E-05
8.96E-05
8.11E-05
lh/MWh
0.081
0.074
0.090
0.081
(Consistent with the GVP, results are based on electrical output only).
Table S-3. Free watt Boiler Emissions during Controlled Test Periods
Test ID
Run 1
Run 2
Run 3
Avg.
CO2 Emissions
ppm
87470
88755
89793
88673
Ib/hr
6.36
7.07
8.38
7.27
Ib/MMBtu
153
139
216
170
THC Emissions
ppm
8.08
4.23
3.41
5.24
Ih/hr
5.88E-04
3.37E-04
3.18E-04
4.14E-04
Ih/MMBtu
0.014
0.007
0.008
0.010
NOx Emissions
ppm
20.1
25.2
28.0
24.4
Ib/hr
0.001
0.002
0.003
0.002
Ib/MMBtu
0.035
0.040
0.067
0.047
Key findings for freewatt MCHP emissions and power quality performance were:
• For the MCFiP, NOX emissions averaged 0.081 lb/MWh. CO2 and THC emissions averaged 1,355
and 2.43 lb/MWh.
• Boiler NOX emissions averaged 0.047 pounds per million Btu (Ib/MMBtu) heat delivered to the
residence. CO2 and THC emissions averaged 170 and 0.01 Ib/MMBtu.
• Test results for CO emissions were invalidated after completion of testing and data analysis. The data
were invalidated due to excessive variability in analytical results caused by the use of an
inappropriate analyzer range. An identical freewatt unit was tested for CO emissions in a laboratory
setting by the Gas Technology Institute (GTI) in early 2010 [6]. Results from the GTI testing indicate
average CO emissions of 0.23 lb/MWh for the MCHP and 0.07 lb/MWh for the MCHP and boiler
combined. These CO emissions data are not independently verified ETV results but are indicative of
freewatt CO emissions performance under controlled operating conditions.
Average electrical frequency was 60.00 Hz and average power factor was 99.2 percent.
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SRI/USEPA-GHG-VR-46
December 2012
Details on the verification test design, measurement test procedures, and Quality Assurance/Quality Control
(QA/QC) procedures can be found in the Test Plan titled Test and Quality Assurance Plan - Climate Energy
freewatt™ Micro-Combined Heat and Power System (SRI 2009). Detailed results of the verification are
presented in the Final Report titled Environmental Technology Verification Report for Climate Energy
freewatt™ Micro-Combined Heat and Power System (SRI 2010). Both can be downloaded from the GHG
Center's web-site (www.sri-rtp.com) or the ETV Program web-site (www.epa.gov/etv).
Signed by Cynthia Sonich-Mullin Signed by Tim Hansen
(3/7/2013) (1/3/2013)
Cynthia Sonich-Mullin Tim A. Hansen
Director Director
National Risk Management Research Laboratory Greenhouse Gas Technology Center
Office of Research and Development Southern Research Institute
Notice: GHG Center verifications are based on an evaluation of technology performance under specific,
predetermined criteria and the appropriate quality assurance procedures. The EPA and Southern Research Institute
make no expressed or implied warranties as to the performance of the technology and do not certify that a
technology will always operate at the levels verified. The end user is solely responsible for complying with any and
all applicable Federal, State, and Local requirements. Mention of commercial product names does not imply
endorsement or recommendation.
EPA REVIEW NOTICE
This report has been peer and administratively reviewed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and
approved for publication. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or
recommendation for use.
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