Tulsa, Oklahoma-based ClearSign Technologies Corporation was awarded $1.65 million in Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding for the development of its “Flexible Fuel Ultra-Low Nitrogen Oxide (NO_x) Process Burner,” technology that can foster decarbonized hydrogen power use across the country in industrial settings.

A significant strategy toward decarbonizing the nation’s economy and power sector is the increased use of hydrogen sourced from America’s abundant energy resources when combined with new carbon capture technologies. Hydrogen fuel can be converted to electricity with already available technologies such as gas turbines and fuel cells. Yet, most industrial processes still require a low-cost source of heating fuel to operate. At present, industrial burners fulfill this requirement by efficiently converting hydrocarbon fuels to heat within a furnace or boiler.

NO_x produced during the combustion process contributes to the formation of photochemical smog, ozone, and acid rain causing harm to humans and ecosystems. With stricter regulations of NO_x emissions,

engineers have been further challenged to develop improved burner designs for mitigating emissions while still achieving all other requirements.

Most currently installed burners have increased NO_x emissions when using hydrogen as a fuel or may fail to operate altogether. To decarbonize industrial heating, the development of an industrial hydrogen burner technology is needed, and burning hydrogen for industrial processes requires new burner technology to operate safely while also controlling NO_x emissions.

ClearSign’s current burner technology, branded ClearSign Core™, reduces emissions to the order of those achieved by more complicated and costly aftertreatment systems and does so without the use of expensive catalysts or chemicals. The technology controls flame chemistry and optimizes flame structure to provide extremely low NOx emissions.

“ClearSign’s burner technology has already been successfully applied to refinery process heaters, boilers and enclosed combustors,” said Drew O’Connell, Federal Project Manager with NETL’s Hydrogen with Carbon Management Team. “Running completely on hydrogen, the updated burner can achieve very low NO_x emissions, consistently below five parts per million. This helps companies meet strict environmental regulations while providing cost savings.”

ClearSign is seeking and considering various potential early adopters of the ClearSign fuel-flexible hydrogen burner. A typical application would be one with upfired, natural draft process heaters, with the refinery fuel gas having high concentrations of hydrogen up to 100% and requiring emissions compliance of ultra-low levels of NO_x. Such host sites will provide early feedback and a reference in the marketplace, thus assisting in the rapid commercialization, adoption and use in the marketplace.

Widespread adoption of the ClearSign fuel-flexible hydrogen burner by 2034 could offset approximately 70 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and reduce NO_x emissions by 21,000 tons annually. This approach to decarbonization is economical and non-disruptive, facilitating industry adoption. With global CO₂ emissions from refineries nearing a billion tons annually, it is estimated that by 2029, a reduction of 3.5 million tons per year could be achieved using this method.

This award through NETL highlights the unique ability of the U.S. Department of Energy’s SBIR program to enable small businesses to explore their technological potential, leading to the development and commercialization of innovative clean energy solutions. By including qualified small businesses in the nation's research and development (R&D) arena, high-tech innovation is stimulated, and federal R&D needs can be met.

NETL is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory that drives innovation and delivers solutions for an environmentally sustainable and prosperous energy future. By leveraging its world-class talent and research facilities, NETL is ensuring affordable, abundant and reliable energy that drives a robust economy and national security, while developing technologies to manage carbon across the full life cycle, enabling environmental sustainability for all Americans.