The Trymer Company develops energy related products, namely a small, solid-state electric, heat-to-electric converter. These converters range in capacity from 1 to 10 kW. Individual units can be rack mounted to form a 250 kW module, four modules comprising a mega-Watt unit, a capacity for 1,000 homes. A brisk market exists for 1 to 10-kW converters. The killer application however, is believed to be in residential systems. A 5 kW converter, burning methane or propane (any fuel works), supplying waste heat from the converter to a 5-ton absorption chiller, will produce all the electricity a home might need, and provide climate control, virtually free for all seasons. The new system operates for a fraction of the cost the consumer now pays for electric plus gas. The new product is all solid state, noiseless, and has no moving parts to wear, except pumps and fans. Trymer Company seeks funding to complete product packaging and engineering, to move this product into the market. The U.S. market alone is estimated to be greater than 200 million units. The challenge will be to engineer a package that satisfies both northern and southern U.S. climate needs, which will result in a product that can be used globally. Product can be sold directly, or through established fuel companies (gas), that already support our future customers The firm has produced a 5-kilowatt noiseless generator called the Trymer 5000, which can provide power for recreational vehicles (RVs). Projected to cost roughly $500, this portable, bundt-cake-sized unit can provide either alternating current (ac) or direct current (dc) electricity. While designed to operate on propane fuel, other types of fuel, such as kerosene and diesel fuel, can be used. For RVs, the generator could supply back-up power for refrigeration, lighting, air conditioning, and other electrical needs. According to Trymer, the demand for a power generator, such as the Trymer 5000, for RV and other applications is about 10,000 units per day. The Trymer 5000 is based on a century-old technology called the thermopile. When opposing ends of a thermionic material are exposed to a large temperature excursion, a thermopile can generate a large current. Trymer maximizes the number of junctions in the thermopile and brings them closer to each other. The denser thermopile array is formed into a ring with half the junctions sinked to a chill block (typically tap water or air), and the alternate junctions exposed to a heat source. BMDO funded this research at Trymer through the SBIR program as an energy storage device for space platforms
