The founders of ClearFlame Engine Technologies, a four-year-old startup based in Geneva, Illinois, said they have found a way to clean up diesel engines. The company participated in TechCrunch Disrupt’s 2020 entrepreneurial battlefield competition and developed a new method for diesel engines to run on renewable fuels such as ethanol.
The company's co-founder and CEO BJ Johnson said in a recent interview with TechCrunch that this technology basically combines the performance advantages of diesel engine design with the low cost and low emissions of these alternative fuels. By replacing 100% of petroleum fuels with decarbonized fuels such as ethanol, ClearFlame said its technology can reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% and reduce particulate matter and smoke (NOx) to near zero levels.
ClearFlame did not redesign the diesel engine. Instead, Johnson and co-founder and chief technology officer Julie Blumreiter have developed a method to modify the internal components of the engine to change its thermodynamics, enabling rapid ignition and combustion of decarbonized fuel. Johnson said the company's technology means that 80% to 90% of diesel engine components remain unchanged.
Johnson told TechCrunch that the result is a technology that provides a fast and low-cost way to reduce emissions. As local, state, and national governments tighten emissions regulations, companies may need this solution. The technology can be retrofitted to existing old diesel engines, or it can be applied to new engines that have not been installed on trucks or used in other industrial applications. Johnson said that ClearFlame's goal is to work directly with engine manufacturers, which will still enable the company to enter the secondary market because each OEM has its own aftermarket parts group.
"We want to use their supply chain, their ability to scale and enter these markets, and their trusted name," Johnson said, explaining the company's reasons for targeting OEMs.
The technology was first developed in the Stanford University laboratory, where Blumreiter and Johnson received their PhDs. At Stanford University, they mainly focused on ethanol and methanol, which is a simple liquid alcohol. However, Johnson points out that further research shows that the same concept is equally effective on natural gas and ammonia.
"The biggest difference here is that if you want to get rid of regular environmental liquid fuels, you have to adjust the injection system," Johnson said. "Being able to run the engine efficiently and cleanly on the fuel in the glass under environmental conditions, this is the role of those alcohols, which is a lot of commercial value."
ClearFlame has made progress in its technology, including landing cooperation and raising funds. The company completed a proof-of-concept demonstration of their technology on a Caterpillar engine at the Argonne National Laboratory. With financial support from the Department of Energy, ClearFlame also demonstrated on the Cummins engine platform.
In April, ClearFlame announced that it had raised $3 million in a round of financing led by CleanEnergy Ventures. The company has also received several million dollars in funding, including small business innovation research awards from the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy and the United States Department of Agriculture.
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