Thermax is quite well-known as a manufacturer of industrial boilers, but what they had in store for us for the first-ever Thermax Fest was far from boilerplate. Starting from boilers which can be fired by 140 different types of fuels that are intelligently segregated to climate control solutions that leverage wasted heat energy, it was a cornucopia of green technology. Thermax is at this point the leading energy transition company in the country, coming up with custom solutions to fit the evolving needs of different sectors of process industries while at the same time, they are developing solutions that work for a wide variety of scenarios with minimal modifications thereby providing value for the customer.
Two of the technologies caught our eyes as they pertain directly to the automotive sector and the impact of these technologies in their fully-realised forms should be rather far-reaching.
Thermal HVAC system:
The first of these two technologies is the Thermal HVAC system, which can be thought of as a hybrid system for HVAC. There’s a compressor that does the work when the exhaust gas heat energy is not sufficient to prime the system. But once the exhaust gases are up to temperature that alone can keep the cabin temperature cool and disengage the AC compressor. Thermax estimates 5 to 6 percent fuel savings, which in a fleet of buses travelling cross country translates to massive gains. They also intend to offer this as a retrofit solution to existing vehicles. Furthermore, from January 2025 onwards truck cabins are mandated to have AC, Thermax sees potential in the trucking industry as well, where fuel savings is one of the major concerns. This system can bridge the gap for humane working conditions for the driver while keeping fuel costs in check.
Bio-CNG:
CNG or Compressed Natural Gas is excavated out of the ground just like petroleum, which makes it a non-renewable resource. However, as CNG mainly comprises methane, it can be produced by humans easily as compared to synthetic petroleum. Furthermore, heavy vehicles such as trucks, buses and even locomotives can be modified to operate on CNG. Thermax is looking to solve the production of CNG problem with Bio-CNG – CNG produced from biomass obtained locally. Speaking to the people working on this project, we learned that while technological viability is within grasp, the commercial viability of this will require some more time to come to fruition. However, considering the projected energy consumption of India in the coming years, the ability to mass-produce CNG will go a long way in solving our energy needs.
