Where heat meets cold

News

On July 29, NGIF Cleantech Ventures, a Canadian venture capital fund investing in cleantech innovation startups in the natural gas sector, has chosen ThermoLift as its first scale-up capital investment in the portfolio.

Founded in 2012, ThermoLift is now preparing for the commercialization of its flagship offering. The TC3 (Thermal Compression Climate Control) is a fuel-flexible natural gas and hydrogen-enabled heat pump. It can provide simultaneous space heating, water heating, and air conditioning from a single unit at a projected cost and carbon intensity far less than any existing system.

Problem

Existing HVAC systems disappoint in northern climates. They are cost-inefficient and rich in carbon dioxide emissions:

• Fueled by coal, nuclear power, even solar technologies, all electrically powered conventional heating systems waste energy the same way: Thermal energy powers mechanical systems that generate electricity that powers mechanical systems that make heat;
• Whenever your energy originates, you lose two-thirds through conventional transmission;
• Traditional vapor compression and absorption-based HVAC solutions rely on harmful and toxic refrigerants. 

Technological solution

Thermolift technologies execute a thermal-to-thermal strategy. The TC3 uses the patented, validated, and revolutionary Hofbauer Cycle that eliminates traditional power-conversion losses and dramatically cuts energy usage. 

The thing looks like this.

TC3 has a smaller physical footprint than most conventional HVAC equipment. Standing approximately 48”x 20”x20” - about 2 square feet (less than 0.2 m2) - a single TC3 will meet the HVAC demands of an average single-family home.

Thermodynamic cycle

A few grams of sealed helium undergoes cyclic compression and expansion. Water is circulated between three volumes of different temperatures, separated by two displacers. 

The device uses a truly clean working fluid, helium. It has zero ODP (ozone-depleting potential), zero GWP (global warming potential), zero inflammability, zero toxicity. 

The TC3 transfers heat from a high-temperature source, such as a natural gas burner, to a medium-temperature source for space heating, and to a low-temperature “heat sink” for space cooling.

TC3 can run on natural gas, biogas, or hydrogen, providing the lowest carbon footprint, the highest efficiencies, and the greenest solutions across multiple thermodynamic applications, from residential water heating to commercial refrigeration.

Future

The company indicates that TC3 is suitable both for residential and commercial applications. 

Complicated heating/cooling systems, plus separate devices to heat and cool water, may be replaced by a quiet, compact, efficient device providing the same amenities with comparable installation costs, lower operational expenses, and dramatic carbon reductions. As the company puts it, "the TC3 can provide up to a 50% reduction in energy consumption, particularly in cold-weather markets." 

For me, all that sounds like a solid claim to win a significant HVAC market share, at least in Northern America, which is already huge.

Tech for Good

💡 Article on Cision

🌐 Thermolift website