Oaktec Limited Public Funding

Awaiting Public Project Summary

UK gas engine specialist OakTec, market leading engine supplier EP Barrus and generator manufacturer Sutton Power are joining forces with world leading anaerobic digestor manufacturer Sistema Biobolsa to develop and test a mini biogas power station to serve agricultural communities in Kenya. The combined technologies will be developed to offer low cost electricity created from farm waste to any off-grid community throughout the world. The project uses Sistema Bio's biogas production technology that has already been adopted by 1500 agricultural enterprises in Kenya and introduces a biogas specific derivation of OakTec's novel gas engine technology to provide an efficient conversion medium to produce reliable electrical power through a Sutton generator. The focus of the project is to harness the attributes of the combined technologies to deliver the most robust, reliable and efficient small-scale bio-generation system in existence, at a cost that is economically attractive to the customers. The project will focus on the many positive benefits that clean low cost energy can bring to the communities it will serve such as health, communication, education, economic development and quality of life.

The CAGE project (Clean Air Gas Engine) brings together the gas engine development expertise of project lead OakTec with leading industrial partners Jaguar LandRover (JLR) and Autocraft Drivetrain Solutions. With further support from Calor/SHV Energy, who will provide innovative bioLPG fuelling solutions, industrial engine supplier EP Barrus, and Kings College London (KCL) to assess and monitor air quality benefits, the project builds on five years dedicated research into efficient, low emission industrial gas engines by OakTec. The project applies Oaktec's IP in low emission gas engine combustion and control to JLR's state of the art Ingenium automotive engine platform, and optimises its performance to suit a range of industrial applications used in the construction industry. The CAGE product will be integrated into Non Road Mobile Machinery (NRMM) typically powered by red diesel engines on construction and demolition sites. Its benefits will be demonstrated in these working environments with a focus on use in dedicated low emission areas such as London's Ultra Low Emission Zone. The demonstration will include a bioLPG generator manufactured by UK OEM Sutton Power Engineering, to provide energy for construction site welfare cabins and a bioLPG fuelled dumper truck.(TBC) The inherent low emission benefits of gas fuels are well documented with natural advantages in output of NOx, and harmful particulates when compared with diesel engines. Diesel engines however have perceived advantages in ease of refuelling with low cost fuel, and fuel efficiency when compared to other engine types, making them very attractive to the construction sector. The CAGE project fully addresses these issues to offer a cost competitive, ultra low emission gas engine product with easy refuelling and competitive fuel costs. Fuel efficiency and emissions are addressed by harnessing the many inherent benefits and technologies in the JLR Ingenium engine that give it class leading automotive performance, and introduces the OakTec innovations in industrial gas engine fuelling, operational control and combustion, including strategies that all but eliminate NOx emissions. Parallel activity by the innovation group at Calor UK will develop and supply on-site fuelling solutions exactly tailored for ease of use by the customer, based on a 'Mother and Daughter' system whereby a bulk tank is delivered to the site with systems to enable safe refuelling to smaller, machine-specific storage tanks. This benefits the customer by enabling purchase at a wholesale LPG cost that is currently lower than red diesel. By adopting Calor's new bioLPG product CO2 emissions can be further reduced by up to 80%. EP Barrus, Europe’s leading supplier of industrial engines, are supporting OakTec in taking their new gas engine products to market, and in the CAGE project will work with selected OEM's to support the integration of the new gas engine into their machines. KCL will assess the emission reduction potential of the CAGE product on NRMM fleet emissions using a range of scenarios based on technology penetration into different engine sizes and machinery types. This will be based on a unique emissions inventory already developed on NRMM fleet location, activity and measured real world emission factors and offers the opportunity to optimise technology design from a clean air perspective.

Based on Oaktec's prototype technology, project SAGE will develop an innovative reciprocating internal combustion engine (ICE) for single cylinder and twin cylinder applications. The engine is highly efficient and power-dense when running on natural gas fuels. It offers excellent emissions and fuel economy for applications in light vehicle primary power units and as a low cost range extender. A single cylinder engine will be modelled, developed, tested and calibrated on dynamometers at Loughborough University to specifications provided by project partners Tata Motors and Barrus. A twin cylinder engine will also progress to the design and simulation stage. Productiv will provide industrialisation and market development support.

Awaiting Public Project Summary

The potential for a low-cost and robust dedicated biogas engine, fuelled by the untreated output from site-derived waste-to-energy processes like anaerobic digestion, presents a significant opportunity to address the energy trilemma. Oaktec aim to demonstrate the feasibility of small-scale distributed generation by developing a novel raw biogas-specific self-supercharging engine, with step change in efficiency and emissions, reliability and manufacturability, for application alongside a variety of small-scale biogas facilities. Building on a highly successful concept proved by a prototype fuelled by propane gas, the project will establish the requirements for waste-to-energy biogas, for use as fuel in untreated state and develop architecture and fuel mixing strategies achieve a self-supercharging effect for efficient biogas combustion. Modifications required for robust reliable long-term operation will also be explored and the project will investigate the scalability of a multi-cylinder platform for increased accommodation of different energy requirements.

Car for Young Drivers is an ambitious project that will demonstrate how British engineering excellence can deliver novel, low carbon transport solutions to alleviate the issues associated with getting young driver's safely integrated into the vehicle owning and driving population. Prototype vehicles will be designed, developed and will give public demonstrations of their capabilities. A consortium of specialist automotive companies are working together under the guidance of the insurance industry to produce an extraordinarily safe heavy quadricycle vehicle for 2 people that features novel hybrid driveline technology, lightweight impact-resistant body and features designed specifically to appeal to young drivers.