Heat Recovery Innovations

Heat Recovery Innovations (HRI) is a specialized designer and manufacturer of high-temperature heat exchangers, spun out of FlexEnergy in 2022. The company's technology has a rich history, originating in the mid-1990s at Ingersoll Rand for use in microturbines before being acquired and further developed by FlexEnergy in 2011. HRI was co-founded by CEO Mark Schnepel and CFO Wes Kimmel, who lead a team with extensive experience in high-temperature applications. In June 2023, HRI secured a growth investment from a group including Coppermine Capital and Nicholas Stork, the co-founder of Archaea Energy, to fund team expansion and production automation.

HRI's business is centered on creating custom heat exchanger solutions that capture and recycle waste heat in extreme temperature environments, ranging from 600 to 2000°F. This process significantly improves the operational efficiency of industrial systems, reduces fuel consumption, and lowers carbon emissions. The company serves a diverse client base across emerging and established markets, including fuel cells, carbon capture, energy storage, gas turbines, and other clean energy sectors. Its business model involves collaborating closely with clients from the initial concept and design phase through to production and integration, ensuring the final product meets specific operational needs.

The company's core products are custom-engineered heat exchangers, including plate-fin, fin-tube, and microchannel types, which are designed to be up to 75% smaller than traditional technologies while delivering high performance and durability. HRI's patented technology has accumulated over 8 million hours of commercial operation across various applications. A key benefit of these systems is their ability to make processes more efficient; for example, adding a recuperator can increase a small gas turbine's efficiency from around 15-20% to over 30%. By retrofitting these systems to existing hydrocarbon-based applications, clients can achieve significant efficiency gains and reduce their carbon footprint.

Keywords: heat exchangers, heat recovery, waste heat utilization, high-temperature applications, industrial efficiency, decarbonization, energy transition, custom engineering, recuperators, combined heat and power, fuel cells, carbon capture, energy storage, plate-fin heat exchangers, fin-tube heat exchangers, microchannel heat exchangers, clean energy components, thermal management, emissions reduction, process heating