NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The U.S. Army Natick Soldier Systems Center (NSSC) has awarded S-RAM Dynamics a Small Business Independent Research (SBIR) Phase 2 contract for $1 million to build and test a mobile refrigeration system demonstration prototype using the new S-RAM energy recovery compressor that utilizes CO2 refrigerant. The next-generation CO2 refrigeration system is expected to reduce energy consumption of the Army’s mobile refrigeration assets in excess of 50 percent, decreasing fuel consumption for forward operating bases without using synthetic refrigerants. The mobile CO2 demonstration refrigeration system will be installed on the Army’s Multi-Temperature Refrigerated Container System (MTRCS).

The high-performance S-RAM CO2 energy recovery compressor is designed to make HVAC, refrigeration, and heat pump systems significantly more efficient and climate friendly. The patented product integrates an axial piston compressor with an opposed axial piston expander to recapture normally lost energy and boost system performance. The company said the energy recovery compressor will be applicable to the millions of refrigerated transport containers that travel road and rail across the nation and world, as well as millions of stationary refrigeration units. This technology is also being used for an external heat recovery engine to generate power as well as an axial internal combustion engine for unmanned systems, such as drones. The S-RAM CO2 energy recovery compressor will be manufactured in Tennessee.