StarDrive Dynamo Applications Case Study

A StarDrive Dynamo Application Case Study
new links added: Sept. 25, 2006

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Date: 10/30/05

to: Dr. Robert Langgons
Icefire Systems, Inc.
Corinth, Mississippi

from: Mark R. Tomion
   Pres.
      Archer Energy Systems, Inc.

Hello, Dr. Langgons:

   In response to our phone conversation of this morning, here's the updated EDF Generator thermal plant data and estimated pricing you requested:

   It is desired as proposed to build a liquid-cooled EDF Generator plant having
between 350,000 and 500,000 gallons per day (gpd) of desalinization capacity,
such plant to also be entirely self-sufficient for electrical power in operation,
at a total budget of under $4,000,000 if possible.

   This project could be approached in a number of ways, but the prime consideration must be whether the intake water to be purified is brackish groundwater, raw seawater, or super-heavy brine from which the reclaiming of precious metals is intended. We assume that the output product is to be fully potable. For greatest flexibility of end-user application, the "StarDrive Dynamo" size we chose is a 10 MW unit of 50" in diameter. We believe that we can build this Dynamo model for about $1.05 million, given the relative ease with which the device itself can be linearly scaled (based on the production specifications for our 30"-dia. air-cooled prototype). [ref.: basic Dynamo unit specifications, on our Utility Plant page.]

   However, the liquid-sodium primary coolant loops and heat exchanger system required to extract 10 MW in thermal energy from that Dynamo will probably cost ~$1.75 million – once it's been prototyped. Our most accurate current estimate for the installed price of an Aquatech desalination subsystem that requires 10 MW of heat energy input is $2.65 million for a multi-stage flash ("MSF") distillation facility with an output capacity of 396,000 gpd of potable water – from any of the said sources. Using such an MSF subsystem would be essential in order to produce potable water from super-heavy brine while at the same time allowing the recovery of any precious metals. With a custom gain output ratio of 4.2, as opposed to a "turnkey" package's GOR of 10.5, company engineers assure us that such a subsystem would not require any cooling tower.* [Note: Precious metals recovery is perhaps best accomplished using an Ionics Calandria Crystallizer, whose cost is not included in this estimate.]

   *Technical details regarding verification of the 10 MW Dynamo coolant system's thermal delivery capability as designed are provided at the end of this letter.

   If electrical self-sufficiency is desired or required for such a plant, a single Power Paragon 838-kW inverter would suffice to run all of the electrical equipment involved, at a current unit price of $160,000. Therefore, the total cost of the plant described thus far – with both metals reclaim and potable water output capabilities – would be $5,610,000, which unfortunately is well above the given budgetary limit. [The basic specifications for this inverter are also provided hereinbelow.]

   It must be stressed, however, that such a plant leaves over 90% of the electric power output capacity of the Dynamo unit untapped! Moreover, producing potable water directly from a given source other than super-heavy brine can be far more cost-effectively achieved using modular commercial reverse osmosis (RO) subsystems with standard-duty or seawater membranes (as necessary).

   For example, a 10 MW Dynamo unit utilizing the same single 838-kW inverter quoted would readily provide both the starting and run electrical loads presented by a total of 24 EHP Hydrosphere RO units, each having a 21,000 gpd seawater treatment capacity and an installed price of approximately $29,000. The total cost of such an EDF Generator plant would then be 'only' $3,656,000, and the output product capacity would rise to 504,000 gpd! - which nicely meets the given overall parameters. In fact, a total of 34 RO units could be run on that same single-inverter system at a total cost of $3.946 million, whereby the potable water output would rise to 714,000 gpd! And in both these cases, the entire thermal output of such a dynamo plant would still be available for use in any of a number of "cogeneration" capacities, but extra expense may of course be incurred in arranging for the end utilization of the heat byproduct (which must be extracted in equal measure to the electric power drawn).

   In selecting final plant design parameters to meet the requirements of your desired application(s), it should be noted that each such RO subsystem should be allocated 25 kW of inverter capacity to cover start current surge (given the 7.5-hp pump moter used therein).

   In any case, this should provide you with most of the information you need to assist us in specifying the overall design of a complete StarDrive Dynamo utility plant to meet any of the various prospective applications you've mentioned in our earlier conversations. Please feel free to contact me at any time, though, if you have any further questions or concerns, and of course if you would like to proceed with development and construction of the 10 MW pilot plant under discussion.

Sincerely,

Mark Tomion
Pres.
Archer Energy Systems, Inc.

NOTE A: We have run the coolant flow rate computer spreadsheet for the 10 MW StarDrive Dynamo, and the required thermal delivery capability of the sodium piping system as designed has been verified for the following specifications.

individual thermal conduits (total of 72): 0.241" ID: pressure = 14.7 psi;
manifolds (total of 12): 0.582" ID; pressure = 41.7 psi; and
mainlines (total of 2): 1.388" ID; pressure = 70.3 psi.

The mass flow rate (liquid sodium) is 517.3 g/sec per conduit, with a conduit laminar flow velocity of just over 21.1 m/sec. Total mass flow G (for both mainlines) is 37.243 kg/sec. [These figures assume 85% overall thermal extraction efficiency; see our thermal flow proof sheet (pdf; 3 pgs., 82kB), with the coolant flow formulas and calculations.]

NOTE B: Basic specifications for the modular DC-to-AC grid-synchronous solid-state power inverter unit that was designed specifically for Archer Enterprises (by Power Paragon, Inc. of Anaheim, CA) are provided in the attached auxiliary specifications document (pdf; 1 pg., 55kB).

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Your serious comments and questions are welcome: office1@stardrivedevice.com

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