Mackwell Boilers
Mackwell has rediscovered the steam locomotive and reinvented its boiler, creating an invaluable tool for a world moving beyond fossil fuel.
Our innovative technology is designed to utilise biomass directly with minimum processing, thus preserving the high Energy-ROI of the biomass fuel source.
Biomass generally has a lower energy density compared to fossil fuels. Mackwell compensates for this low energy density with innovative designs resulting in a three-fold increase in thermal efficiency. Long term, we expect that a six-fold increase over conventional steam locomotive efficiency is possible.
The steam locomotive’s boiler was its Achilles heel and we have re-invented the locomotive boiler specifically for use with biomass.
Mackwell's Advanced-Steam Boiler
Comparison to Old: Firebox & Steam Generation
Two key principles underpin the Mackwell boiler technology:
- No heat is removed until combustion is complete.
- Fast moving water is heated inside small, robust tubes.
The Mackwell boiler technology has numerous operating benefits including:
- Clean burning advanced combustion system.
- Intrinsically safe design, containing just 3% of the water that a conventional boiler does.
- Rapid steam-raising from cold (30 minutes).
- 40% efficiency improvement due to complete combustion of fuel at rated output, which combined with state of the art engine technology, leads to a 400% improvement in overall efficiency compared to traditional locomotives.
- Non-fouling heat exchanger.
Mackwell tech is built for any most biomass fuels including: dry firewood, wet or dry hog fuel & wood chip and crop residues such as sugar cane bagasse. Mackwell’s use of biomass fuels and enhanced efficiency can reduce fuel costs by over 70% compared to diesel.
Mackwell's 300kW Prototype Boiler