UOP LLC, a Honeywell company, has launched Envergent Technologies, LLC, a joint venture with Ensyn Corp., to offer technology and equipment to convert second-generation biomass into pyrolysis oil for power generation, heating fuel and for conversion into transportation fuels.

The new company will offer Ensyn’s commercially proven Rapid Thermal Processing (RTP™) technology to convert second-generation biomass like forest and agricultural residuals to pyrolysis oil for use in power and heating applications. The joint venture will also accelerate research and development efforts to commercialize next-generation technology to refine the pyrolysis oil into transport fuels such as green gasoline, green diesel and green jet fuel.

Honeywell and Ensyn announced their intention to form the joint venture in September 2008. Mark Reno has been named managing director of Envergent Technologies. Reno previously served as the director of service and sales support for UOP’s Catalysts, Adsorbents and Specialties business. He has 35 years of experience in the refining and petrochemicals industries in research and development, technical services and customer support.

“We offer proven technology today that converts wastes and residuals with little to no value into high-value, high-quality energy,” Reno said. “This is an important step in reducing our carbon footprint and diversifying our sources of energy to address the growing demand for energy around the world.”

RTP is a rapid thermal process in which biomass such as wood chips or straw is rapidly heated at ambient pressure to generate high yields of a pourable, liquid pyrolysis oil, which can then be burned for energy in industrial burners and furnaces or converted to green electricity. Honeywell and Ensyn are working together on technology to further refine the pyrolysis oil into transportation fuels.

UOP, a recognized leader in refining process technologies, has been active in renewable fuel technology, forming a separate Renewable Energy & Chemicals business in late 2006. Since then, UOP has commercialized the UOP/Eni Ecofining™ process to produce green diesel fuel from biological feedstocks and has also developed process technology to produce renewable jet fuel under a contract from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). UOP has ongoing research efforts in biofuels, with specific focus on second-generation feedstocks working with organizations such as the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the DOE’s National Renewable Energy Lab, Pacific Northwest National Lab and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agriculture Research Service Eastern Regional Research Center (ARS-ERRC).

Ensyn has more than 20 years of commercial experience with its RTP technology producing pyrolysis oil for various natural chemical and fuel products. Ensyn’s technology is currently utilized in seven commercial biomass processing plants in the US and Canada.

“Taking-off and landing in desert terrain during brownout, when outside conditions and obstacles are completely obscured, can lead to accidents,” said Mike Cuff, Vice President, Honeywell Helicopter and Surface Systems. “Honeywell’s synthetic vision system enhances situational awareness and reduces the workload for pilots operating aircraft in degraded visual environments. The system is designed help ensure safer missions and mission success.”

The flight tests were conducted last month. Three flights were conducted with three different test pilots, and each flight accumulated nearly two hours of flight time. The tests included five approaches to three different landing zones, in a variety of terrain and obstacles. During each approach, the test pilot used the heads-down feature of the synthetic vision system to pick a safe landing point before moving to the next approach. Actual landings were not performed due to airfield and aircraft restrictions.

The installed equipment sustained no failures during the flight tests and earlier, during the 32 hour flight demonstration program.

Honeywell’s synthetic vision system and sensor fusion technology was selected by Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. in 2007 to improve helicopter landings in brownout conditions, as part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Sandblaster program. Under the terms of the $6.9 million, 18-month contract, Honeywell is designing, integrating, and demonstrating the avionics processor that hosts the synthetic vision and sensor fusion capabilities for the Black Hawk cockpit system.

The Honeywell system integrates radar-based sensor information with terrain and obstacle data. When combined with the synthetic vision, it provides a highly detailed three-dimensional graphic view of the landing environment on a primary flight display, regardless of outside conditions.

“The synthetic terrain display, overlaid with fused radar data and advanced symbology indicating current and predicted flight conditions, will help pilots land the aircraft without using outside visual reference points,” Cuff said. “Honeywell has been a leader for 50 years in developing advanced cockpit systems for helicopters and we continue to develop technologies that will make flying safer.”

For more information, read the recent release.