History
In August 2006, Clean Power acquired a building in Newhaven, UK and constructed a state of the art laboratory Test Cell equipped with dynamometers, temperature and flow measuring sensors and control devices. We installed a Caterpillar truck engine along with a heat extraction accumulator designed by steam plant specialists and our collaborative partners at the time, Doosan Babcock. Laboratory tests of the system validated the concept and specialist steam train engineers, DLM based in Zurich were engaged as technical partners to assist with the development of the system. We have since expanded our facility to 7,500 sq ft.
Design work with DLM commenced in the early part of 2008 with the aim of designing a practical system for vehicle and industrial applications. World Patents were filed by the Company's New York based Attorneys, Gersten Savage LLP during 2008 and are being continually updated.
August 2008 marked the beginning of an exciting collaboration between Voith, a large German engineering company, and CPTI. Voith had invested large sums in developing a modern small steam engine for its own use in Rail Power-Packs and it agreed to supply prototype and production steam engines to test the 'CESAR' system. The first generation prototype of the Voith engine has already been running in the Newhaven Test Cell together using the first and second generation pre-prototype CPTI Heat Exchangers. A third generation prototype Heat Exchanger has been designed more recently and is currently in manufacture.
Commencement of development tests in November 2008 marked the start of an intensive system and vehicle validation programme leading to the build of a fully functional reefer demonstration vehicle for mid 2009.