Research project „MOVE"

In the research project "MOVE - Motion by Organic Vapor Expansion" – a collaboration between the KoKWK – OTH AW (Competence Center for Combined Heat and Power at the technical university of applied sciences in Amberg-Weiden, Germany) and Nägele Mechanik GmbH – a novel volumetric expander for small-scale waste heat power generation was designed, simulated, and measured. The team also received support from the Steinbeis Consulting Center for Technological Transformation/Esslingen regarding material selection and seal design. Unlike other volumetric expanders, the MOVE's cylinder and housing rotate in addition to the rotating piston. This minimizes relative movement at the piston and cylinder seals and, accordingly, significantly reduces friction loss in the expander. The project consortium envisions the MOVE's primary application in the utilization of waste heat in the range < 10 kWel, e.g., using ORC systems, or as an expansion unit in industrial heat pumps.

Nägele Mechanik GmbH, with its many years of expertise in machining, will assume the primary responsibility for the design and manufacture of the expanders.

The 2.5-year research project began on January 1, 2023, and is funded by the Central Innovation Program for SMEs (ZIM) of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection.