Legov Systems Group has been awarded a $225,000 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Science Foundation to conduct research and development work on a Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) Thermal Energy Harvesting System.
Based in Nevada, Iowa, Legov Systems Group is developing an SMA actuator comprised of porous SMA material operating in a compact rotary form. The actuator’s porous material will allow for fast heat transfer and phase transformation, compared to solid SMA actuators.
The grant will support research headed by Legov Systems Group co-founders, Julie Slaughter, Kelly Rowles and Rick Zrostlik.
“Legov Systems Group is developing fast-acting SMA actuators as a key part of our thermal energy harvesting system,” Zrostlik said. “This novel actuator is expected to result in the recovery of substantially more power from low-grade waste heat than competing technologies, potentially leading to reduced operating costs, reduced energy demands, and improved sustainability for targeted users such as owners/operators of combined heat and power (CHP) installations, metal manufacturers, chemical processors, industrial boilers, and other industrial facilities currently unable to recover the substantial amounts of low-grade waste heat that their facilities generate.”
Once a small business is awarded a Phase I SBIR/STTR grant, it becomes eligible to apply for a Phase II grant of up to $1,000,000.
Previous coverage
ISU Startup Factory announces eighth cohort -Jan. 27, 2020