Onboard Dynamics

Unique, Patented Natural Gas Compression Technology for Driving Down Emissions

News and Events

Onboard Dynamics Selected as a Finalist for the Pipeline & Gas Journal Awards

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Onboard Dynamics is competing for the 2022 Best Advance in Maintenance Technology Award put on by the Pipeline & Gas Journal. The program honors the midstream’s leading innovations and outstanding personal contributions to the pipeline industry. The GoVAC FLEX, which is designed, developed, and manufactured by Onboard Dynamics, is one of five finalists competing in the category.

The GoVAC FLEX is an innovative, self-contained pipeline evacuation system that enables natural gas pipeline operators to reduce methane emissions from occurring during pipeline evacuations.

The fully self-contained system can draw down a pipeline to near 0 PSIG. The recovered natural gas can then be transferred either into an adjoining pipeline or compressed up to 3600 PSIG and put into a tube trailer for transport and reinjection elsewhere or put into a storage tank to be used as CNG fuel for vehicles. 

The patented, integrated combustion-compression system is powered by a small portion of the natural gas in the pipeline. Without the need for external power sources, such as diesel-powered air compressors, this design results in the lowest possible carbon and emissions footprint during pipeline evacuations.

The GoVAC FLEX is small enough to be towed by a standard pickup, which makes it easy to maneuver around job sites and be quickly deployed in field operations.  State-of-the-art telemetry and controls including temperature and pressure sensors, electronic valves, and flow meters are installed throughout the system to enable ease of operation, to facilitate remote monitoring capabilities and to provide data collection for reporting purposes. The system is designed with attention to low noise for use in neighborhoods or high-density spaces.

The winners for the 2022 Best Advance in Maintenance Technology will be announced on November 17th, 2022.

Onboard Dynamics Presentation at The Energy Venture Investment Summit

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The virtual event was presented by Enercom and Colorado School of Mines and featured an array of emerging energy technologies and alternative energy start-up ventures. It took place on February 10 – 11th, 2020. Our CEO, Rita Hansen, shared our solutions for cutting down emissions for natural gas pipeline operations.

During this presentation, Rita highlighted Onboard Dynamics’ latest product, the GoVac, which provides a unique solution for evacuating natural gas pipelines and compressing the gas into a tube trailer for refueling, or for injecting natural gas into an adjoining pipeline. 

GHG emission reduction has a world focus and Onboard Dynamics offers smart technologies to transition to clean energy through practical, scalable, and economical solutions in the natural gas industry. 

Download the presentation>>

Onboard Dynamics at Fuel 2020

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Fuel 2020 Logo

Fuel 2020, hosted by VertueLab, is the Pacific Northwest’s premier cleantech summit. This year’s virtual event took place from September 9th to 25th and featured short daily sessions that attendees could participate in. The sessions ranged from fireside chats, hot-seats, panels, and networking circles.

September 9th, 2020 Rita Hansen, CEO of Onboard Dynamics, shared our story of what an equitable, sustainable future looks like from her perspective, and where Onboard Dynamics products and services fit into that future. 

“This invitation really validates the work we are doing to transition to a cleaner, global energy footprint,” said Rita Hansen, CEO of Onboard Dynamics. “I believe that a solid, reasonable transition plan is what is necessary for society to embrace and fully commit to in order for us to get from here to there.” 

Watch our video from this event to learn about our vision of how Onboard Dynamics is helping to provide a more sustainable future to combat climate change through our CNG and RNG solutions. 

About Fuel 2020

For 11 years VertueLab has brought together a community of future-focused leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, and investors at an annual summit to fund, fuel, and catalyze solutions for climate change. 

Learn more about the event here >>https://vertuelab.org/fuel-2020/ 

Onboard Dynamics selected as a semi-finalist in ARPA-E’s $75m scaleup funding opportunity.

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Onboard Dynamics, Inc. initially spun out of a concept that originated at Oregon State University and was funded by Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) to address the critical lack of infrastructure to refuel natural gas vehicles. The company developed innovative natural gas compression technology allowing a low-pressure natural gas source to be compressed up to 3600 PSI within an engine platform that runs on natural gas to compress natural gas without the need for electricity. 

Their commercialized GoFlo® compressor provides critical, smaller, and more flexible compression solutions for use in the natural gas and renewable natural gas (RNG) industries. Since it does not require electricity, this natural gas-powered system lowers installation and operating costs, facilitates easy mobility and redeployment, and maximizes operating resiliency. In addition, the novel, mobile compressor technology enables natural gas utilities to perform critical pipeline maintenance in their efforts to address methane leakage.

Onboard Dynamics SEMI-FINALISTS SELECTED FOR THE ARPA-E $75M SCALEUP FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
The GoFlo® Natural Gas Compressor

As a former successful ARPA-E awardee, Onboard Dynamics was encouraged to apply to the ARPA-E SCALEUP $75M funding opportunity (FOA) – a new program launched this year by ARPA-E intended to build on their primary R&D focus and to support the scaling of high-risk and potentially disruptive new technologies across the full spectrum of energy applications.

The company’s preliminary application was one of 32 selected (out of >200 submissions) to move to the Full Application phase.  There is a presentation that outlines more information about this FOA and the company’s proposed technology titled “SELF-CONTAINED METHANE TREATMENT & COMPRESSION SYSTEM” which will combine raw gas clean-up and conditioning with the core GoFlo compression technology.

Contact Rita Hansen, CEO, Onboard Dynamics to get access to the presentation that goes with the application.
Email: rita.hansen@onboarddynamics.com
Phone: 541-550-3632 x700

This step of the FOA process requires additional levels of technical, market, and financial model details as well as identifying and securing commercial and financial partner(s) who will actively support field demonstration of the technology and provide financial support.

There is a lot of work to accomplish between now and September 25th when the Full Application is due, but this award is a big opportunity for a small business like Onboard Dynamics because it only requires 20% cost share. In addition, the cost share does not start until the 2nd year of the 3-year program. 

On August 11th, Rita presented at Day 1 of the two-day Virtual SCALEUP Workshop to interested commercial and financial partners. Any potential commercial and/or financial partner can register here for funding details.

Watch this video of ARPA-E Technology-to-Market team leaders James Zahler and Mary Yamada talk about the upcoming SCALEUP Virtual Workshop Series, on August 11 & 12.