DON26TZ01-NV006ActiveSBIR

Waste Heat Recovery

Department of DefenseNAVY

AI Overview

The Navy seeks an innovative waste heat recovery system to capture thermal energy from LM 2500 engine exhaust and convert it to electrical power, reducing fuel consumption and emissions while operating within strict DDG 51 Class constraints on space, weight, and radar signature.

This summary is AI-generated from the official solicitation.

Key Details

Agency
Department of Defense
Funding Amount
Release Date
March 2, 2026
Due Date
June 3, 2026

Official Description

LM 2500 gas turbine engines’ maximum thermal efficiency is approximately 38%. This means at least 62% of the energy in every drop of fuel consumed by the process of propelling a DDG 51 Class ship is unused and available for harvesting as it is being expelled in the form of heat via engine exhaust. Significant energy that is currently “wasted” could be recovered from exhaust to save on fuel costs and increase the range of surface combatants. To effectively utilize all resources, the Navy seeks to...

Change History

Q&A UpdatedMay 22, 2026 at 1:01 PM

Waste Heat Recovery

Q1 received a new answer clarifying heat rejection options: proposers can use existing seawater systems (28°F–95°F, 35 PSI nominal) or alternatives. The answer emphasizes Phase I focus is on demonstrating technology effectiveness and ROI, not integration into existing systems. Proposers must define their cooling requirements and operational assumptions.

Q&A UpdatedMay 20, 2026 at 1:02 PM

Waste Heat Recovery

**Q&A Changes Summary:** Added 1 new question (Q1) regarding seawater cooling infrastructure availability, temperatures, and flow rates for heat rejection systems. Previous Q&As renumbered accordingly (Q1→Q2, Q2→Q3, Q3→Q4). No answer content was modified.

Status ChangedMay 6, 2026 at 1:47 PM

Waste Heat Recovery

Status changed from Pre-Release to Open

Q&A UpdatedApr 30, 2026 at 2:52 PM

Waste Heat Recovery

**Q2 now has an answer** clarifying that sCO₂ power cycles are technology-agnostic and responsive, but proposals must address high-pressure integration challenges and SWaP-C constraints within the DDG-51's operational profile.

Q&A UpdatedApr 28, 2026 at 7:40 PM

Waste Heat Recovery

Added new Q1 asking if Navy would accept all-electric, solid-state, low-maintenance technology with lower peak efficiency but net energy gain across all engine speeds. Original Q1 about sCO₂ cycles moved to Q2. Q3 (waste heat temperature data) renumbered with no content changes.

Q&A UpdatedApr 27, 2026 at 12:47 PM

Waste Heat Recovery

Added Q1 asking whether supercritical CO₂ (sCO₂) power cycles are responsive given space/weight/integration constraints on naval vessels. The answer to this question is not provided in the updated Q&A section.

Q&A UpdatedApr 23, 2026 at 11:34 AM

Waste Heat Recovery

No changes detected. The Q&A content is identical between the previous and updated versions.

Q&A UpdatedApr 21, 2026 at 5:32 PM

Waste Heat Recovery

Q1 received a detailed answer clarifying waste heat temperature ranges for DDG-51 Gas Turbine Module operations, specifying that exhaust temperatures are ≤1000°F over 75% of underway time, with percentage breakdowns by temperature band (800-1000°F: ~55%, 1000-1200°F: ~15%, 1200-1400°F: ~8%, >1400°F: ~1%), and directing offerors to optimize solutions for lower-temperature conditions.

Q&A UpdatedApr 20, 2026 at 4:38 PM

Waste Heat Recovery

Q&A section updated

Date ChangedApr 14, 2026 at 3:03 AM

Waste Heat Recovery

Close Date changed from 2026-04-22 to 2026-06-03

Date ChangedApr 14, 2026 at 3:03 AM

Waste Heat Recovery

Open Date changed from 2026-03-25 to 2026-05-06

Status ChangedApr 14, 2026 at 3:03 AM

Waste Heat Recovery

Status changed from Removed to Pre-Release

Opportunity RemovedMar 3, 2026 at 4:25 PM

Waste Heat Recovery

Opportunity DON26TZ01-NV006 no longer available

Opportunity AddedMar 2, 2026 at 11:14 PM

Waste Heat Recovery

New opportunity: Waste Heat Recovery

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