US Navy Awards SBIR to Hyliion to Develop 3D Printed Megawatt Generator

Hyliion, an Austin-based company that uses metal additive manufacturing (AM) to produce power generation solutions with reduced carbon remissions, has received a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the US Navy to develop the concept for a megawatt scale, modular version of the company’s KARNO generator. Hyliion acquired the KARNO technology, which features 3D printed heat exchangers, from GE in 2022.

The Navy’s primary interest in the fuel-agnostic KARNO technology stems from the anticipated surge in production of Unmanned Surface Vessel (USVs) of different sizes and capabilities. The KARNO’s compatibility with NATO F-76 — the fuel used for ships with latest-generation turbine engines — means that a modular version of the generator could be pivotal to the US Navy’s entire drone program.

In a press release, Hyliion founder and CEO Thomas Healy said, “We are honored to receive this SBIR contract from the US Navy. This award is a testament to the KARO generator’s expected ability to offer efficient, flexible, and low-maintenance power generation. We are excited to contribute to the Navy’s mission and explore higher power solutions for their USV initiative.”

As I wrote yesterday concerning 6K Additive’s participation in America Makes-funded R&D into more sustainable AM production for aerospace parts, the ideal pivot for the AM industry’s next phase would be to make reducing carbon emissions its central focus. This is important not only from the standpoint of fundamentally improving the manufacturing sector’s sustainability. Equally, it is essential because the US power grid is imminently due for a huge wave of investment from both the public and private sectors.

The only way that humanity has any hope of coming close to meeting its long-term emission reduction targets is by combining more sustainable manufacturing processes with more sustainable end-use goods. It remains to be seen, whether metal AM can deliver on that dual objective, but conventionally manufacturing conventional power generation and storage hardware certainly won’t get the job done.

Government funding isn’t appropriate for every project, but this is one that it is perfectly suited for. Along these lines, the virtually impossible task of reducing carbon emissions calls for the US to establish a different economic framework from the traditional free-for-all the nation has grown used to.

In other words, for instance, we don’t need a million different companies making a million different generators. We need to pick the generator design that is best-equipped to make a difference at scale as quickly as possible, and then let the competition happen in terms of which companies do the best job at manufacturing that one design.

Images courtesy of Hyliion