MayMaan Delivers Clean Combustion Solution

by Becky Schultz (Power Progress) While the company is initially focusing on power generation, it said the AquaStroke system’s scalability means it can be used wherever an ICE is currently used. -- ... MayMaan, a cleantech company based in Florida, developed a solution that it said puts wasted energy to use, while utilizing a clean, renewable fuel source. According to the company, its AquaStroke technology takes advantage of pressure generated by steam that is created by burning a 70% water/30% ethanol or methanol fuel mix.

“The potential benefits,” Eitan (Eitan Schmueli, president of MayMaan Research) said, “include no NOx, cool combustion and the use of renewable sources that do not produce any diesel particles. And if you’re using bioethanol or bio-methanol, they are both considered a carbon-neutral fuel.”

Other benefits include the ability to utilize the proven combustion engine design as well as a liquid fuel. The water/ethanol fuel mix can be stored and delivered in the same fashion as diesel and gasoline and without the need for major changes to the existing fueling infrastructure, Eitan pointed out.

Ethanol and methanol are also more cost-effective to produce than gaseous fuels like hydrogen and do not require delivery under high pressure, he continued. “And most important, it performs. The end user will not feel the difference when using one versus the other. You don’t need to have a learning curve or try to convince everybody that this is better and cleaner.”

Steam-generated torque

Within the AquaStroke combustion process, fuel is pumped at a very high pressure and injected directly into a modified combustion chamber of a conventional piston engine. Ignited by a spark, the Aquastroke cycle is created by using the thermal and pressure properties of the combustion chamber and fuel.

“The heat that usually is lost in an internal combustion engine is turning into steam inside the combustion chamber. Instead of wasting the heat, we’re using the heat. We’re using some of that energy,” Eitan said. “And because we are using some of that energy, the combustion temperature does not go above 900 degrees C, so essentially, we do not create any NOx.

“But we’re doing something more than that. We’re increasing the efficiency and creating a high torque because of the steam, which is produced at an ideal position between the crank and the rod angle, where you have more ‘push’ in the engine.”

“The AquaStroke technology has been successfully tested in engines from 400 to 6,200 cc. We have single piston engines, four piston engines and eight piston engines running. The same method can be used to run a cargo ship but with a much larger engine,” said Doron Shmueli, CEO of MayMaan. “We’re also not limited to certain industrial sectors.”

“The system’s scalability means it can be used wherever an ICE is currently used,” Eitan said. “You can replace the diesel in generators, pumps, air compressors, trucks, locomotives – in everything where there is a diesel engine. Every size engine that we develop can apply to different industries.”

For example, take a two-liter engine that the company is currently using for power generation. “The same engine can be used for pumps, compressors or generators. It can also be a small range extender for a box truck or for a small commuter boat,” said Doron. “As we produce different sizes of engines, they can be used for different applications.

“Technologically, we can convert any internal combustion engine to an AquaStroke engine, generally speaking.”

While it sees broad application potential, MayMaan is initially focusing on power generation, including the development of its own line of generator sets utilizing Aquastroke-equipped engines.

Yet, MayMaan’s business model is not to become an engine manufacturer. Rather, it is to form strategic partnerships with established global suppliers who can help take the company’s technology mainstream.

“Our business model is contract manufacturing and licensing. We’re not planning to be a manufacturing facility,” Doron said. “Basically, we are a technology and R&D company. We are going to work with engine manufacturers and generator packagers. They are the ones that will license, manufacture and warranty our technology and products to the end user.

“Right now, we’re talking about retrofitting existing engines to enter the market. Later, the engines will be manufactured completely as a MayMaan engine. READ MORE

Excerpt from Refresh Miami: This week, MayMaan announced that it has raised a $30 million Series A round from WAVE Equity Partners, an investment firm focused on clean air, water, food, advanced materials, and recycling that make a meaningful environmental impact. MayMaan will use this funding to further develop and deploy its technology.

“We believe this significant investment from WAVE demonstrates their confidence in MayMaan’s vision and leading-edge technology,” said MayMaan CEO Doron Shmueli, a serial entrepreneur in South Florida and a former jet engineer in the Israeli Defense Force. “This funding will enable us to accelerate the growth and development of our proprietary clean combustion solutions, bringing us one step closer to a sustainable future.”

HIs brother, MayMaan President Eitan Shmueli, added, “At MayMaan, we are dedicated to developing solutions that reduce emissions and costs, and are excited about the potential positive impact this collaboration will have on the environment.”

Praveen Sahay, Partner at WAVE Equity Partners, expressed his hope that MayMaan’s product will play a major role in the next generation of renewable power generation.

“MayMaan embodies a transformative change in our energy and transportation infrastructure, which we believe will usher in a new era of distributed renewable power generation that is both cost-effective and low in carbon emissions,” Sahay commented. “WAVE takes great pride in its association with such a groundbreaking product, and is fully committed to collaborating with the company on both strategic and operational fronts to realize its grand vision.”

On top of being environmentally friendly, MayMaan asserts that its solution is more cost-effective than traditional alternatives. The company, founded in 2012, holds seven patents worldwide and has over 20 pending, its website says. READ MORE