RCS - Libertine Holdings - Strategic Partnership Agreement with Vieletech Inc

Libertine HoldingsAnnouncement

13/05/2024 07:00

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RNS Number : 0699O  Libertine Holdings PLC  13 May 2024

13 May 2024

RNS Reach

Libertine Holdings PLC

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

Libertine announces Strategic Partnership Agreement with Vieletech Inc

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 (http://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
(http://www.libertine.co.uk) or contact:

 Libertine Holdings PLC                               via Tavistock
 Sam Cockerill, Chief Executive Officer
 Gareth Hague, Chief Financial Officer

 Tavistock (Public Relations and Investor Relations)  +44 207 920 3150
 Rebecca Hislaire                                     libertine (mailto:libertine@tavistock.co.uk) @tavistock.co.uk
                                                      (mailto:libertine@tavistock.co.uk)
 Saskia Sizen

 

 

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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 (http://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.

 

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