Delta Cosworth - Catalytic Generator Particle Flow

Our Catalytic Generator (Cat Gen) provides 35kW of electrical power for use in conjunction with electric powertrains and high voltage applications. From small cars to heavy trucks, sea vessels to stationary power generation, the versatility of the Cat Gen enables it to be utilised across a multitude of sectors.

[@razelcalinao]

This is the best engine its simple but yet not easily available.

[@EVResource]

I'm surprised that I'm just now hearing about this! What a fantastic technology. I can't wait to see it in action and possibly get my hands on a few units (depending on cost). Best of luck to you all and I truly hope to see this mass produced!

[@jimcalver-oj4xf]

Hey, I have been following this for some time, waiting for new information to come out. Are the prototypes meeting engineering and performance expectations? Is there a chance of public release soon?

[@Greenammonianews]

This sounds totally brilliant! I would love to hear more about fuels. Can it run on ammonia? Ethanol? Truly anything? Just adjust the air-fuel mix? Also, what is the startup like? Does it lean on electricity to heat the initial fuel and air before the exhaust is fully flowing?

[@razelcalinao]

Yes it can search first car using turbine

[@shadfallfan]

It uses the electric motor to spin up the turbine before injecting fuel.

[@Greenammonianews]

The Achilles heel of hydrogen fuel cells is you need the full hydrogen fueling network before the first car makes sense. But with flex-fuel everything is different, use hydrogen when you have it and ethanol or something else when you don't. Just for reference, they say they can build 35-70 kW units. The fuel cells in a hydrogen bus are 70kW. They want to sell these for 4-10k. A fuel cell for a bus is 300k, maybe more. This is super practical!

[@Nuevo_tipo-amoladora_angular]

Muchas gracias!

[@JBeck2468]

I want one!!!

[@KKhhoorrnniittee]

What IS suspicious is that we can't still see it made in metal yet. While various linear generators are at least being made as test pieces (didn't hear of mass production, but that already is a step ahead from CAD models).

[@JBeck2468]

Google search it. They’ve already built it and tested it in two Ford Cargo Vans and have a contract with Ariel Automotive to put it in their new ev super car.

[@brandonwile6452]

Will these be available soon?

[@brianb-p6586]

I don't know how you think linear generators are relevant to this gas turbine engine. The CatGen has been built and operated; it is featured in the Ariel Hipercar project.

[@shadfallfan]

It's been installed in a Ford transit van also

[@martynclinton8092]

Whats the fuel that gets expanded ?

[@jusjetz]

I hope it runs smoothly on biofuels as well.

[@shaun2072]

So is there any combustion happening after the fuel injector and before the Catalyst?

[@tobysatriayudha4564]

CMIWW. The fuel is just heated (and maybe vaporized) because of the hot air. Fuel energy density is much higher than air, so we heat the fuel with hot, compressed air to extract the energy to spin the turbine. The fuel is not combusted, so it doesn't ionized and create flame, and doesn't create volatile materials.

[@KKhhoorrnniittee]

The first thing that comes to my mind at the word "catalytic" is the flameless gasoline handwarmer. I am not very familiar with how exactly it works, but I guess the fuel is somehow consumed in the process.

[@brianb-p6586]

the fuel is burned,@@tobysatriayudha4564, but yes, without a flame. I have no idea what you think "volatile materials" means, but the fuel is volatile and the exhaust is air plus the usual combustion products (carbon dioxide and water) as gases.

[@brandonwile6452]

Will these be available soon?

[@Mtron1000]

What's the MSRP on one of these? For say a home build.

[@shadfallfan]

Garrett does have turbos with electric motors on them, they are on some Mercedes Benz. Add a cat. Go wild buddy!

[@jimcalver-oj4xf]

When will this be available for consumer use? We are supporting an aged Onan / Cummins and wasting fuel and money keeping this inefgicient old beast alive. Our trawler really needs an electrical power source like this that is fuel agnostic and high powered to fill house lithium batteries, with heat recovery if possible. When? The interest is clearly present?

[@pinkpotato1]

I would love to know the claimed efficiency of this unit

[@0bcoc772]

Not much, i guess, a cycle with a regenerator does not imply high compression ratio, so cycle efficiency won't impress. Thanks to regenerator it won't extra low(smt about 28-33 percent imho)

[@leonk.5453]

But it will run on basically any fuel. Also the cheap stuff.

[@EVResource]

28%. The fuel efficiency is fixed for all types of fuels by the thermodynamics of the system and the recuperated brayton cycle. That being said, fuel consumption will vary depending on the type of fuel used.

[@andreycham4797]

​@@EVResource so, guys, what you are saying it could be a great a power plant for any house since you can use any type of fuel, do not need a chimney for exhaust gases outside and by using waist heat for space heating and domestic water

[@brianb-p6586]

There's still an exhaust,@@andreycham4797... but it doesn't need to be a tall chimney for draft. No engine needs a chimney for draft. This would be very large (in physical size, power output, and waste heat production rate) for powering a house. Using the engine's exhaust heat for domestic heating is an example of combined heat and power (CHP), which I agree would be the only rational way to use home generator for anything other then emergency backup. The heat output of a 35 kW generator would be much too high for CHP for a single residence. And in the summer (whenever space heating is not needed), almost all of the exhaust heat would just be wasted.

[@tobysatriayudha4564]

This is just crazy thoughts. So the fuel is not combusted, just heated (and maybe vaporized). If the exhaust gases is condensed more, could we collect some of the fuel again?

[@andreycham4797]

If we use this thing as a power plant we could heat water for space heating with that 350 C and condense what ever left in it

[@brianb-p6586]

Of course the fuel is combusted (burned)... just not with a flame. Fuel reacting with oxygen is what provides the energy in any fuel-consuming engine. The exhaust contains combustion products (carbon dioxide and water because the fuel is a hydrocarbon), not fuel.

[@tobysatriayudha4564]

@@brianb-p6586 oh I thought the fuel just expanded (vaporized) but not combusted (chemical reaction). If so, then it's impossible.

[@AaronCook83]

I don't know how you call a gas turbine "flameless."

[@shadfallfan]

Because it's flameless. That's why.

[@MikhailKolesnikov]

Sound? CO? NO?

[@shadfallfan]

I believe it's 90% less Co and no than current euro 5 standards since there's no flame.

[@Greenammonianews]

Most NO is due to high combustion temperatures. Because this is lower temp the exhaust is way under the EU NO regulations.

[@user-ec8ru7je7b]

35 kW of energy... per hour I guess? Which voltage? Fuel consumption? Too many question...

[@user-kw6uw1rw3y]

🤦‍♂35 kW is, roughly speaking, 35,000 Volt x Amperes. At a voltage of 1000 Volts, you will take 350 Amps, for example. An efficiency of 40% is 1,5 times better than any internal combustion engine and twice as good as that of the general power grid

[@willismith3169]

kW is a measure of power not energy. Run continuously for 1hr it would produce 35 kWh (energy). Small gas turbines are not efficient, nor are they cheap. What they bring is small size and weight and fuel flexibility. Good for things that fly where size and weight are a premium. Not good if you care about fuel consumption or cost.

[@user-ec8ru7je7b]

​@@willismith3169 U must be loving boats

[@hoodedcreeper2465]

The recuperated brayton cycle is still about 28% thermodynamic efficiency though.​@@willismith3169

[@brianb-p6586]

@@willismith3169 unfortunately the recuperator (regenerator, heat exchanger) which improves efficiency also adds bulk and mass so it isn't particularly small or light for the power output.

[@Manny32V]

sorry to spoil the party guys.... SCAM alert!

[@shadfallfan]

What about this is a scam?

[@Greenammonianews]

@@shadfallfan yeah, I don't get the scam comment either. Cosworth is really famous for its engineering, what would they have to gain? I've spoken with some of the people on the team, they are real people who seem to have a lot of hands-on knowledge.