Mainstream Engineering Awarded Contract from the U.S. Marine Corps to Develop a Waste Heat Recovery Tray Ration Heater

ROCKLEDGE, FL – July 25th, 2014 – Mainstream Engineering Corporation, a 28-year-old Brevard County manufacturer with a history of leading-edge research and development that has resulted in advanced, lean-manufacturing, cost-competitive products, which are all Made in the USA, has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Marine Corps to develop a waste heat recovery tray ration heater.

Reduction of fuel consumption at forward-deployed sites has the potential to greatly improve the safety of our Marines. The burdened cost of fuel to the battlespace, both financial and personnel has grown to a level that demands innovation to reduce fuel consumption and improve efficiency. The Tray Ration Heating System (TRHS) currently used by the Marine Corps requires 30 gallons of diesel for 59 hours of operation.

The Marine Corps has contracted Mainstream Engineering Corporation to develop an exhaust gas heat recovery system to replace the TRHS burner and completely eliminate the fuel consumption. The proposed system will use the exhaust heat generated by a military vehicle to heat the water for ration heating. The heat generated by the main vehicle engine is a free source of heat and will require no increase in fuel consumption by the vehicle. Waste heat recovery will improve the utilization of each gallon of fuel that must be supplied to forward operations.

Starting with only one employee in 1986, Mainstream has grown to more than 100 employees. Mainstream Biomass is being developed to use Mainstream’s patent-pending fast pyrolysis technology to create a portable self-contained tractor-trailer unit, that can be driven to any location where trash or waste is available and convert 10 tons per day of waste material directly into number 6 fuel oil. This oil can be sold directly for use in the shipping industry and at fuel-fired power plants. Mainstream is also exploring the spin-off of an engine manufacturing company to pursue diesel and diesel-electric hybrid applications for their highly advanced AMD engine.

About Mainstream Engineering
Mainstream Engineering Corporation is a solutions-oriented research, development, and manufacturing small business with a history of leading-edge research and development that has resulted in advanced, lean-manufacturing, cost-competitive products, which are all made in the USA. Founded in 1986, Mainstream’s mission is to transition advanced thermal control, energy storage, and energy conversion technology into high-quality, cost-effective, environmentally-safe green, commercial products. Products include lightweight diesel/JP8-fueled engines (including UAVs, generators, and hybrid vehicle drive trains), advanced thermal control units, advanced biomass conversion technologies, refrigerators/freezers for shipping containers, and the QwikProducts™ line of heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC/R) products.