A first-of-its-kind energy-recovery system harnesses the energy of water flow and pressure in pipelines to produce renewable energy. The patented HydroXS unit, developed by InPipe Energy, Inc. (Portland, Ore.; www.inpipeenergy.com) in collaboration with Grundfos Corp. (Brookshire, Tex.; www.grundfos.com/us), is a modular micro-hydroelectric power system designed for installation in municipal and industrial water pipelines with diameters ranging from 4 to 110 in. “The HydroXS is operating in several municipal and industrial sites across the U.S., producing between 300,000 and 876,000 kWh annually, based on the size of the system. It has been proven to be very reliable, having now logged over 55,000 hours of runtime and 99% availability,” says Gregg Semler, founder and CEO of InPipe Energy.
Source: InPipe Energy
The HydroXS is now being exported internationally to Southeast Asia. Semler notes that the HydroXS energy recovery system, which will be commissioned this fall with a major industrial water company in Bangkok, generates “as much electricity as two acres of solar panels, making them ideal for locations where solar and wind are not viable solutions.”
According to Semler, the HydroXS system replicates the function of a control valve by converting pressure from flowing water into electricity. Available in seven sizes, it is installed in tandem with an existing control valve in a bypass. When pressure reaches a certain level and water flows into the bypass, the HydroXS system starts generating electricity using its variable-speed micro-turbine. The electricity, delivered via cable to a power panel, can be used onsite or fed back into the grid.
HydroXS features smart controls and a power panel, enabling users to precisely manage pressure and control flow to generate power and minimize water loss within pipelines. “The HydroXS can generate energy anywhere water is under pressure in a pipeline. It is best used where there is available pressure or flow, such as downstream of reservoirs or storage tanks, or where control valves are being used, or in reverse-osmosis facilities or with effluent streams. These are obvious locations where wasted pressure can be efficiently converted to energy by the HydroXS,” adds Semler.
While InPipe’s primary focus is on potable and industrial water pipelines, the company states that the core technology can be adapted for other pressurized liquid systems, such as wastewater or process water in industrial applications.