ClearSign Technologies Corporation to Install ClearSign Eye Sensors at Supermajor Gulf Coast Refinery

Rhea-AI Summary

ClearSign Technologies (Nasdaq: CLIR) has announced the upcoming installation of four ClearSign Eye sensors at a supermajor refinery on the U.S. Gulf Coast. This marks the first commercial trial installation of these sensors in an operating facility.

The ClearSign Eye sensors are designed to detect functioning burner pilots without being inserted directly into the flame, unlike conventional equipment. According to CEO Jim Deller, this provides a more durable and reliable flame detecting solution that can deliver significant value to customers.

Following an extensive technical review by the refinery operator, the sensors are scheduled to be installed on each burner of a multi-burner process heater during the second quarter of 2025. ClearSign Technologies positions itself as an emerging leader in industrial combustion and sensing technologies supporting decarbonization, operational efficiency, and emissions reduction.

Positive

• First commercial trial of ClearSign Eye sensors in an operating facility
• Technology validated through extensive technical review by a supermajor refinery operator
• Product addresses critical safety function (flame detection) with improved durability and reliability
• Installation in a Gulf Coast supermajor refinery provides high-profile reference customer

Negative

• Still in trial phase, not yet generating significant revenue
• Commercial success depends on performance during trial period
• No information on pricing or potential contract value

Insights

Industrial Technology Analyst

ClearSign Technologies' announcement of its first commercial trial of ClearSign Eye sensors at a supermajor Gulf Coast refinery represents a significant milestone in the company's commercialization journey. As a small-cap company ($40.7 million market cap) focused on industrial combustion technologies, securing a trial with a supermajor oil company provides important validation for CLIR's technology.

The ClearSign Eye flame detection sensors address a critical safety function in refineries. Traditional flame detection systems require direct insertion into the flame environment, exposing them to extreme temperatures and corrosive conditions that lead to frequent failures, maintenance requirements, and potential safety risks. CLIR's non-intrusive approach could significantly reduce maintenance costs and improve reliability in an application where failure can lead to emergency shutdowns or hazardous conditions.

This installation represents more than just a technical achievement – it's a potential inflection point for CLIR's revenue trajectory. The refining industry is notoriously conservative with new technology adoption, making this trial particularly noteworthy. Supermajors typically operate dozens of refineries globally, each containing numerous heaters with multiple burners. A successful trial could lead to fleet-wide implementation, creating a substantial revenue opportunity for CLIR.

Investors should note several key considerations:

• The industrial sales cycle is lengthy – from this Q2 2025 trial to meaningful revenue could take 12-18 months
• This sensor technology complements CLIR's broader portfolio of emissions reduction and combustion technologies
• Success could provide entry points to sell additional products to this customer
• Refineries represent just one potential market, with applications extending to petrochemical facilities, power plants, and other industrial combustion settings

While promising, this remains a trial installation with uncertain outcomes. The company will need to demonstrate performance advantages in real-world conditions before securing commercial orders. Given CLIR's relatively cash resources, successful commercialization of technologies like the ClearSign Eye is important for long-term viability.

The timing of this announcement is strategically significant as industrial facilities increasingly focus on reliability, safety, and digital transformation initiatives. If CLIR can position its technology as part of this broader industrial evolution rather than just a component replacement, it could accelerate adoption and strengthen pricing power in the market.

First Commercial Trial Installation in Operating Facility

TULSA, Okla., Feb. 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- ClearSign Technologies Corporation (Nasdaq: CLIR) ("ClearSign" or the "Company"), an emerging leader in industrial combustion and sensing technologies that support decarbonization, improve operational and energy efficiency, enable the use of hydrogen as a fuel and enhance safety while dramatically reducing emissions, announces that the Company is installing four ClearSign Eye sensors into a supermajor refinery located on the Gulf Coast of the U.S.

"We are excited to be installing the first ClearSign Eye sensors into burners in a heater at major refinery," said Jim Deller, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of ClearSign. "These sensors are designed to detect the presence of a functioning burner pilot, which is required to light the main burner flames. The advantage of our technology is that it can do this without being inserted into the flame itself, unlike the typical equipment in use today. We believe that our sensor provides a more durable and reliable flame detecting device, which is of vital importance, and can be of great value to our customers. We are encouraged that, after an extensive technical review by this operator, they chose to take the next step and trial multiple units in one of their operational facilities."       

The ClearSign Eye sensors are expected be installed on each burner of a multi burner process heater in a U.S. Gulf Coast refinery in the second quarter of this year. 

About ClearSign Technologies Corporation

ClearSign Technologies Corporation designs and develops products and technologies for the purpose of decarbonization and improving key performance characteristics of industrial and commercial systems, including operational performance, energy efficiency, emission reduction, safety, the use of hydrogen as a fuel and overall cost-effectiveness. Our patented technologies, embedded in established OEM products as ClearSign Core™ and ClearSign Eye and other sensing configurations, enhance the performance of combustion systems and fuel safety systems in a broad range of markets, including the energy (upstream oil production and down-stream refining), commercial/industrial boiler, chemical, petrochemical, transport and power industries. For more information, please visit www.clearsign.com.

Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements

All statements in this press release that are not based on historical fact are "forward-looking statements." You can find many (but not all) of these statements by looking for words such as "approximates," "believes," "hopes," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "projects," "intends," "plans," "would," "should," "could," "may," "will" or other similar expressions. While management has based any forward-looking statements included in this press release on its current expectations on the Company's strategy, plans, intentions, performance, or future occurrences or results, the information on which such expectations were based may change. These forward-looking statements rely on a number of assumptions concerning future events and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside of the Company's control, which could cause actual results to materially differ from such statements. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include, but are not limited to: the performance of the Company's burners; the Company's ability to commercialize its sensing technology; the Company's ability to accelerate development timelines of new burner technologies while minimizing overall costs through the use of its computer modeling techniques; any changes to the regulatory landscape for decarbonization efforts, including related to federal funding and grants, across industries; the performance of the Company's computer modeling technique and its ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; the Company's ability to successfully deliver, install, and meet the performance obligations of the Company's products, including  process burners, boiler burners, sensing and flare products, in the markets the Company operate and sell its products in; the Company's ability to expand its sales in the electrical flame sensor market for industrial applications; the Company's ability to successfully manufacture or license, as applicable, its sensing products; the Company's ability to demonstrate the efficacy of its sensing products, including, but not limited to, its higher durability and reliability; the Company's ability to successfully manufacture and supply its sensing and burner products timely; the Company's ability to further expand into other geographic markets; the performance of the Company's flex fuel hydrogen capable burner; the Company's ability to further expand the sale of ultra-low NOx process and boiler burners, including the flex fuel hydrogen capable burner; the Company's ability to successfully perform engineering orders and performance optimization processes included therein; general business and economic conditions; the performance of management and the Company's employees; the Company's ability to obtain financing, when needed; the Company's ability to compete with competitors; whether the Company's technology will be accepted and adopted and other factors identified in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and available at www.sec.gov and other factors that are detailed in the Company's periodic and current reports available for review at www.sec.gov. Furthermore, the Company operates in a competitive environment where new and unanticipated risks may arise. Accordingly, investors should not place any reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. The Company disclaims any intention to, and, except as may be required by law, undertakes no obligation to, update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that subsequently occur or of which the Company hereafter become aware.

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SOURCE ClearSign Technologies Corporation

FAQ

When will ClearSign Technologies (CLIR) install the ClearSign Eye sensors at the Gulf Coast refinery?

ClearSign Technologies will install the sensors in the second quarter of 2025.

How many ClearSign Eye sensors will CLIR install at the supermajor Gulf Coast refinery?

CLIR will install four ClearSign Eye sensors at the refinery.

What advantage does CLIR's ClearSign Eye sensor technology have over conventional flame detection equipment?

ClearSign Eye sensors can detect functioning burner pilots without being inserted into the flame itself, providing more durability and reliability than typical equipment.

What is the significance of this installation for ClearSign Technologies (CLIR)?

This is the first commercial trial installation of ClearSign Eye sensors in an operating facility, representing an important milestone for CLIR's technology adoption.

Where will the ClearSign Eye sensors be installed within the Gulf Coast refinery?

The sensors will be installed on each burner of a multi-burner process heater at the refinery.