From ORC to FIT: How Sapphire Technology Evolved from a Legacy of Innovation

Legacy and Innovation

Although Sapphire Technologies was officially established in 2021, the technology leveraged by our FreeSpin™ In-line Turboexpander (FIT) system originates from intellectual property painstakingly developed, tested, and proven across various applications by our parent company, Calnetix Technologies. While Sapphire Technologies is a fully independent company, we were born out of Calnetix Technologies, which was founded in 1998 to change the way the world harvests and utilizes energy.

When we started Sapphire Technologies, we saw the opportunity to evolve advanced magnetic technologies developed by Calnetix for industrial processes, to suit applications in natural gas. Specifically, we were able to build upon technology in Calnetix’s Thermapower™ Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) system to fit the specific conditions and demands of natural gas and hydrogen infrastructure.

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The Origins of the ORC System

The ORC system was developed to extract energy from a pressurized working fluid by allowing it to expand, converting the pressure energy into usable mechanical power that can be converted into electricity. Since 2006, 400+ ORC systems have been deployed worldwide, achieving millions of operating hours, and various international certifications for safety and compliance. Calnetix’s advanced magnetic technologies have been tested, validated, and implemented by renowned entities such as NASA and Ferrari.

In 2019, over a decade after the ORC system was first deployed, a fortuitous partnership between Calnetix and Baker Hughes provided the real-world validation to confirm our hypothesis: the ORC system could be adapted to the conditions at pressure letdown stations throughout the natural gas network.

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The FIT System and Its Advancements

This early pilot led to the founding of Sapphire Technologies to serve the natural gas industry, across midstream, upstream, LNG regasification, and future hydrogen applications. Sapphire Technologies’ FIT system evolved from the ORC, with several critical technical adaptations made to suit the conditions at various applications throughout the natural gas supply chain. The FIT system was adapted to increase inlet pressure from 300 psi to up to 1600 psi. We redesigned the active magnetic bearings to be optimized for the power and process conditions typically seen in natural gas applications. We replaced power connectors used in the ORC with ATEX-certified explosion-proof connectors suitable for installation in hazardous area of operation. We also developed a family of aerodynamic design for wheels and nozzles optimized to different customer process conditions. To accommodate loss in the grid connection, we added a brake resistor to absorb the electrical energy while waiting for the flow control valve to close. With these and other crucial design and system adaptations, we were able to successfully evolve Calnetix’s industry-leading technology for a new market: midstream natural gas.

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Next Phase for FIT in Wellhead Applications

In 2023, Sapphire Technologies further adapted the FIT system to meet the unique conditions of wellhead applications. These new systems represent the next phase in the evolution of the FIT. Our new systems operate at significantly higher pressures and include advanced technology and design components that can accommodate conditions like liquid drop-out and chemical impurities at the wellhead. By adapting the FIT to work at higher pressures, we will also ensure our system is fluid-flexible. The FIT will be able to work with future gases like hydrogen, and in future applications like carbon dioxide pipelines. While the FIT represents unique technology developed by Sapphire Technologies, its reliability is supported by millions of operating hours and legacy innovation that went into the inspiration behind the FIT – the ORC system.