ClearSign Technologies Corporation and Zeeco, Inc., a large fired equipment manufacturer, have announced a major expansion of their partnership with the launch of a new co-branded process burner line capable of firing both natural gas and 100% hydrogen while maintaining ultra-low emissions.

The December 10 announcement marks a significant advancement in industrial combustion technology, with the new burners achieving sub 5 ppm NOx emissions to meet the strictest regulatory requirements.

"This is an exciting development in our ongoing relationship with Zeeco. I believe this development in our relationship creates the structure and alignment necessary to accelerate the adoption of this technology in the global market," said ClearSign CEO Jim Deller.

The expanded collaboration will see both companies' sales teams marketing the rebranded ZEECO-ClearSign process burner product lines, combining ClearSign's innovative emission control capabilities with Zeeco's global presence and manufacturing infrastructure.

"Zeeco has always looked to develop innovative solutions for global customers that move our industry forward, and this collaboration with ClearSign is an extension of that," said Darton Zink, President and CEO of Zeeco.

The partnership builds on ClearSign's patented technology that helps industrial clients meet increasingly stringent emissions requirements while avoiding costly backup cleanup systems.

"We have a very unique flame technology that we've developed into a range of burners that control NOx emissions. For our customers, what that means is we can avoid the need of a back-end cleanup system, like an SCR [Selective Catalytic Reduction]," Deller said.

“We've got a lower capital cost, but a much more simple, efficient, and I'd say, elegant solution, than having to operate this large catalytic system on the back end to clean up the NOx, which, in our opinion, you don't need to make in the first place,” he added.

The company showcased its technology to industry leaders through significant demonstrations in 2024.

"On August 29, we had about 70 customers out at the site in California. We've also recently run a full scale multi-burner demonstration of our process burners in the Zeeco facility earlier this month," Deller said, noting Zeeco has supported ClearSign by offering the use of its Global Technology Center in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, for research and development.

Recent developments in hydrogen infrastructure have created new opportunities for ClearSign. ClearSign secured an approximately $2 million Department of Energy grant to develop burners capable of handling 100% hydrogen while maintaining low NOx emissions. This technology addresses a critical challenge in the industry, as hydrogen fuel typically increases flame temperature and NOx emissions.

"One of the significant impacts of hydrogen, apart from just decarbonization, being a clean fuel... the addition of hydrogen into a fuel increases the flame temperature, and that increases NOx emissions," Deller said, adding the company's solution helps bridge what he calls the "chicken and egg scenario" where clients need technology in place before hydrogen infrastructure becomes widely available.

Beyond emissions control, ClearSign's technology offers tangible efficiency benefits. Recent studies have shown that boilers equipped with ClearSign burners operate several percentage points more efficiently than those with standard low-NOx burners.

"That's an incremental savings on fuel, not just on carbon savings, but for our customer, it's a meaningful savings on their fuel cost," Deller said.

Currently, about 80% of ClearSign's installed base is in California, where the strictest NOx regulations in the country have created a ready market for their technology. The company's technology has demonstrated the ability to achieve sub-2.5 ppm NOx emissions without requiring ammonia, expensive retrofits or periodic catalyst system replacement.

California's ongoing implementation of the Heavy-Duty Omnibus Low-NOx Rule mandates a 90% reduction in NOx emissions by 2031, creating a growing market for ultra-low emission technologies. This regulatory environment positions ClearSign's sub-5 ppm NOx burners as an increasingly valuable solution for industrial operators seeking to meet these ambitious targets.

And as California goes, so goes the country. The company is now seeing expansion opportunities beyond California.

"We're seeing a significant request from the industry, from other process heaters such as coking furnaces, ethylene furnaces, to hydrogen plants," Deller concluded.