Department of Energy (DOE)
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Illinois
- Multidisciplinary science and engineering research center within US Dept. of Energy
- CFD runs (Computational Fluid Dynamics) modeling of VAST combustor variations
- Conducted over 300 detailed reactive combustion and fluid flow simulations (fuel, air, water, steam) to model combustion in the VAST TriFluid Combustor
- Created a neural network model for 23 design variables to optimize the VAST TriFluid Combustor
Learn more: www.anl.gov
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), California
A Multi-disciplinary R&D Center Including fusion, climate & energy Security
- Develops system-wide optimization using neural network modeling
- Calculated reduced order equations with R2 of 0.90+ which enables VAST to perform future advanced modeling on laptops, without requiring supercomputers
- Implemented the VAST breakthrough invention of a new Platform Technology which DOE intends to widely applying to other industries
Learn more: www.llnl.gov
University of Genova, Italy
- Thermo-economic analyses by the Engineering Department’s Power and Transportation Division
- VAST achieved Combined Heat and Power (CHP) efficiencies better than Steam Injected Gas (STIG) cycles
- 10% to 25% lower CapEx costs
High Performance Computing 4 Advanced Manufacturing Grant from LLNL
Phase 1 High Performance Computing for Manufacturing (HPC4Mfg) Grant
- Project awarded August 2018
- $300K DOE award supported VAST’s TriFluid Combustor optimization
- Utilized ~1 Million core hours of supercomputer run-time
- $150K VAST contribution in-kind
Phase 2 High Performance Computing for EnergyInnovation (HPC4EI)
- $300K DOE award supported further combustor optimization
- Allocated 16 Million core hours of supercomputer run-time
- $150K VAST contribution in-kind
- Project completed February 2023
Argonne National Labs Report – 2024
Argonne National Labs found VAST powered microgrids would economically and profitably enhance and ensure grid stability with major renewable power. Below is an excerpt from their report.
“National Impact: VAST® provides a new, more cost-effective backup power generation system essential to enable increasing penetration of intermittent renewable solar and wind power. It offers new technology for the rapidly growing market of renewable power backup – beyond peaker turbines. VAST FastRamp™ Turbines offer economically superior IRR, competitive from peaking to baseload power. This enables growth of renewable energy with much lower blackout risk.”
Intellectual Property
Patent Portfolio
VAST has held 41 issued patents in the US and in 20 strategically selected countries. It won 16 US patents out of 18 prosecuted since 2000 for its VASTechnologies™.
VAST currently has 28 active issued patents (16 in the USA and 12 internationally) plus two provisional patents. VAST sees opportunities for its technologies to profitably solve problems in international markets and intends to deepen its foreign coverage in future filings.
VAST has invested over $6 million in our patent portfolio, winning over 65 independent claims with over 1,100 dependent claims. VAST’s US patents have been cited over 1,829 times, and its active patents 1,317 times, particularly to our combustion patents.
The VASTeam™ is preparing provisional patent applications for its next generation combustor breakthroughs. The first was filed in November, 2023 and the second was filed in April, 2024. These provisional patents cover many of the recent innovations embodied in our VAST® TriFluid™ Combustor. Additional provisional patents are being prepared. VAST anticipates filing several full patents from these provisionals. Such patents will be filed in the US and other key countries.
Patent Quality
Ocean Tomo (one of the world’s leading IP valuation firms) gave A+ grades to VAST’s “Thermodynamic cycles using thermal diluent” patents US 7,416,137 and US 8,136,740 (with Intellectual Property Quality IPQ scores of 152 and 163). It ranked them in the top 99.8% of active patents (at 5.2 and 6.3 standard deviations above the mean). Ocean Tomo ranked 6 of VAST’s patents in the top 98% of all patents (at 2.34 sigma above the mean, graded at A+, A+, A, B+, B and B-). Ocean Tomo expected VAST to have an industry profitability of ~42% which would be 27% higher than industry’s median of 33%. Therefore, both by citation analysis as well as by expert opinion, our patents contain high quality innovation of current commercial relevance to leading industrial firms.
VAST IP Business Model
VAST is an innovation company, focused on research and development (R&D). VAST seeks to align our interests with those of suitable industrial counterparts for whom VASTechnologies offer significant economic advantages. VAST seeks minority participation in joint ventures built around the commercialization of our technology, or licensing contracts for specific applications to existing product lines of Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).
VAST Trademarks and Domains
VAST has been granted a registered trademark for “VAST” when used in conjunction with an energy related noun, verb or expression. This was filed in International CLASS 42: Engineering services relating to combustion systems that generate energetic fluid for operating turbomachinery or engines, enhancing hydrocarbon recovery, powering chemical processes, and for other combustion processes.
VAST has registered 47 web domains protecting potential future fields of expansion both domestically as well as internationally as VAST expands its footprint.
What VAST Proposes
VAST seeks to align our interests with an industrial strategic partner to commercialize the VAST® TriFluid™ Combustor and the VAST® Power Cycle and their associated technologies. We propose entering into a bilateral Confidentiality Non-Disclosure Agreement to facilitate further discussion.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us. We look forward to exploring an opportunity to work together.
