Expander Tech S.L. is a technology company spun off from the Universitat Jaume I in Spain, focused on developing and commercializing low-power expanders for distributed electricity generation. Founded in 2010, the firm addresses a market gap for technically and economically viable expanders in the 5 kWe to 100 kWe range. The company’s core technology utilizes Organic Rankine Cycles (ORC) to convert low-temperature heat sources (above 90°C) into clean electricity, targeting energy revalorization from sources like residual heat from cogeneration engines. The company was co-founded by José Pascual Martí Mata, Roberto Collado Puig, and Joaquin Navarro Esbrí. Martí Mata, an agronomist engineer, serves as the Commercial and Quality Director. Collado Puig, an industrial engineer, is the CEO and Director of Engineering. Dr. Joaquin Navarro Esbrí, a professor at Universitat Jaume I and lead researcher for the ISTENER group, acts as the scientific and R&D manager. Their combined expertise in industrial processes, engineering, and thermal energy systems underpins the company’s technological development. Expander Tech commercializes its technology under the brand Rank®, offering microgeneration and micro-cogeneration machines. Its B2B model involves the design, development, construction, and commercialization of these systems. The company has a technical office and a larger industrial park facility for its laboratory, prototype workshop, and equipment assembly area, staffed by a team of engineers dedicated to energy research. Expander Tech actively participates in multiple large-scale, grant-funded research projects, including programs like HORIZON and initiatives supported by Spain’s CDTI, focusing on heat recovery and high-temperature heat pumps. Keywords: low-power expanders, distributed electricity generation, Organic Rankine Cycle, ORC, waste heat recovery, energy revalorization, micro-cogeneration, low-temperature heat, clean electricity, thermal energy systems, industrial heat recovery, reversible heat pump, spin-off, Universitat Jaume I, Rank®, energy efficiency
