LIB Libertine Holdings Plc

13 May 2024

RNS Reach

Libertine Holdings PLC

("Libertine" the "Company" or the "Group")

Libertine announces Strategic Partnership Agreement with Vieletech Inc

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Libertine Holdings PLC (LSE AIM: LIB), a developer of Linear Generator technology, has entered into a Strategic Partnership Agreement with VIELETECH Inc ("Vieletech"), a provider of research engine controllers, to commercialise Libertine's OpenFPE research engine systems for advanced combustion development.

The purpose of the Strategic Partnership Agreement is to enable both companies to collaborate on business development, customer-oriented specifications development, technical development and commercial contractual development with a view to establishing OpenFPE research engine sales in the US and globally. The agreement sets out the understanding, intentions and scope of activities of Libertine and Vieletech in connection with this purpose. The nature of the Strategic Partnership Agreement is largely non-binding and any revenue generating activities would be subject to further agreement in the form of a binding Contractual Framework Agreement and Statements of Work.

Libertine's OpenFPE proposition is a turn-key free piston research engine solution for advanced combustion development and renewable fuels research programmes, combining a single cylinder Linear Generator module with the necessary power electronics, motion controls and auxiliary systems. OpenFPE has been designed to enable combustion system components to be modified or swapped, and to improve research and development productivity with tools for system modelling, data acquisition and analytics. 

Vieletech, Inc. (www.vieletech.com) builds and supports research engine controllers for government, academic and industrial applications around the world. Vieletech was formed by the team behind Drivven Inc. and National Instruments Powertrain Controls, and to date well over 2000 technical publications have been created using Vieletech and Drivven controllers. 

Libertine and Vieletech have entered into the Strategic Partnership Agreement to deliver prospective commercial sales of the OpenFPE research engine system to leading research organisations in the US and globally. 

The OpenFPE system builds on the first phase of combustion testing of Libertine's intelliGEN performance validation prototype in 2023 and makes use of intelliGEN enhancements that are now complete, having been validated in motored testing. Subsequent generation OpenFPE systems are expected to incorporate Vieletech's MICE/MICESTRO embedded controller hardware and POSLINK communications protocol, which may also be incorporated into next-generation Linear Power System products using Libertine's intelliGEN or HEXAGEN platform technology.  ​

Sam Cockerill, Chief Executive of Libertine, said: "OpenFPE changes the game for combustion researchers. It is the first ever research engine that offers real-time compression ratio control, multi-fuel capability and a customer-configurable combustion system. It provides research organisations a valuable shortcut to advanced combustion calibration using free piston technology, making use of the intelliGEN platform that has been years in the making.

"Matt and his team at Vieletech have supported the development of controllers for Libertine's intelliGEN and HEXAGEN platforms since 2017. OpenFPE packages the intelliGEN platform in a new format that has been designed specifically for research organisations. Vieletech works with some of the world's leading research organisations and has deep expertise and demonstrated capability when it comes to specifying, integrating and supporting systems for these customers.

"Now that we have completed intelliGEN platform performance enhancements we are looking to put this technology to work in research labs around the world. This agreement is a natural progression of our relationship with Vieletech and leverages the strengths of both companies to grow our OpenFPE sales."​

Dr. Matthew Viele, CTO of Vieletech said: "Vieletech's core architecture is built around a large Field Programmable Gate Array doing low level tasks and a real-time CPU doing complex math. We leverage the National Instruments LabVIEW™ language for its ease of use and reliability which allows us to support all sorts of special engines and engine accessories that could not have been practically tested without our controllers, drivers, and supporting systems. 

"Of all the engines we have run, the most promising is the free piston linear generator.  We had done some work with free-piston engines before 2017 when we started working with Libertine, but mostly at a device driver and hardware level. When Sam approached us about doing deeper support of the engine effort we jumped at the opportunity. 

"It has been a pleasure working with Libertine in the background supporting their work with software and control system hardware.  We look forward to expanding our partnership by directly supporting full research engine deployments."

For more information, please visit www.libertine.co.uk or contact:

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About Libertine

Founded in 2009, Libertine provides technology platform solutions for Original Equipment Manufacturers ("OEMs"), enabling efficient and clean power generation from renewable fuels, and more effective energy storage devices and gas compressor systems. Libertine was admitted to trading on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange in December 2021. 

Libertine has created two technology platforms, each using the same core technology elements, which the Company provides to its OEM customers for their development of Linear Generator and Linear Motor products:

-       The intelliGEN™ platform enables the creation of clean, highly efficient and fuel-flexible Linear Generator products including:

•      Heavy-duty hybrid powertrains of trucks, buses, tractors, construction and mining equipment;

•      Medium and light-duty hybrid powertrains of commercial vehicles operating over longer distances;

•      A proportion of the passenger automotive market where vehicle use and recharging constraints are a barrier to battery electrification; and

•      A wide range of off-grid, portable power and distributed power generation applications.

-       The HEXAGEN™ platform enables more effective energy storage, thermal power generation, waste heat recovery and gas compression products including:

•      Stirling Engine power generators and thermal energy storage systems;

•      Linear motor reciprocating compressor (LMRC) systems for hydrogen refuelling stations; and

•      Organic Rankine Cycle waste heat recovery systems.

These two platforms are a result of over a decade of development and performance validation of Libertine's proprietary core technology elements including its linear electrical machines, controls and developer tools.

The potential market for Linear Generator products goes well beyond the distributed power generation applications where Linear Generators are already in commercial use today, complementing intermittent renewable power with clean, on-demand power generation. Linear Generators also have the potential to complement battery electrification in hybrid powertrains, providing on-board power generation to address the practical and economic barriers to rapid adoption of clean electric propulsion using battery electric powertrain technology alone.

Working with OEMs from an early stage in the development cycle ensures Libertine's technology is effectively integrated into OEM products, maximising the performance and economic benefits provided by Libertine's platform technology. Libertine has developed a portfolio of over 30 granted patents in addition to a significant body of technical know-how generated since the Company's formation. The Company's senior management team and board includes executives with decades of deep technical experience in the automotive and energy industries.

About Vieletech Inc.

Vieletech (www.vieletech.com) is a US company providing research engine controllers to some of the world's leading research organisations. Vieletech provides control hardware, software, and systems integration for advanced combustion development and other research and development applications. Vieletech is a National Instruments alliance member and provides software that is primarily written in LabVIEW and control hardware that is designed to interface with National Instruments cRIO FPGA targets. Vieletech also support the C and Simulink™ programming languages.

Vieletech has supported engines on 6 continents and over two dozen countries from 6 stroke engines to optical engines, to novel rotary concepts. Supported engines have run both conventional liquid and gaseous fuels as well as a large variety of alternative fuels.

Vieletech's new MICE line of distributed engine controllers will extend its research caliber control and instrumentation into low-volume production applications that require under-hood support.