Fossil Energy Research

What Fossil Energy Research does

Fossil Energy Research Corp. (FERCo) is a privately held engineering services and R&D company founded in 1984 and headquartered in Laguna Hills, California. The firm specializes in combustion and emissions control, providing research, pilot-scale development, and full-scale evaluation services to power generation utilities, industrial combustion operators, and government/research clients. Its work spans Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) and Selective Non-Catalytic Reduction (SNCR) system optimization, AIG tuning, NH3/NOx and velocity distribution measurement, catalyst deactivation studies, and combustion diagnostics/boiler tuning across equipment ranging from 3 MW natural gas turbines to 1,300 MW coal-fired utility boilers.

FERCo's product and capability stack rests on three physical pillars: (1) one of the only independent bench-scale and micro-scale catalyst activity testing facilities in the United States, with over 1,000 individual SCR catalyst samples tested and proprietary CatalysTraK® software and an in-situ Reactor Potential measurement system; (2) a 2,500+ square foot cold flow modeling laboratory for physical simulation of SCR/SNCR reagent injection and air flow distribution; and (3) custom-built fully instrumented mobile emissions laboratories with CEMs-quality analyzers (O2-paramagnetic, CO-NDIR, NO-Chemiluminescent) and a proprietary Multipoint Combustion Diagnostic Analyzer (MCDA) capable of simultaneous real-time readings across up to 24 sample probes.

The business model is professional services: project-based engineering engagements sold direct to enterprise and government clients, augmented by recurring SCR catalyst management engagements, custom mobile lab hardware sales, and licensed use of the CatalysTraK® software. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is exclusively direct enterprise sales supported by a content library of technical presentations and selective industry-conference participation (e.g., Reinhold NOx Conference, NOx-Combustion Round Table). Disclosed customers include Phillips 66, LADWP, Consumers Energy, Southern Company Services, Luminant, City of Redding, and EPRI.

Name

Fossil Energy Research

Legal name

Fossil Energy Research Corp.

Website

https://ferco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fossil Energy Research Corp. (FERCo) is a US engineering services and R&D firm, founded in 1984, specializing in combustion and emissions control — catalyst activity testing, SCR/SNCR optimization, cold flow modeling, and custom mobile emissions labs — for power utilities, industrial operators, and government clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Emissions Control Engineering Services

akta.pro primary industry

Substation & HV Equipment Diagnostics (Partial Discharge, DGA, SF6) (EUAEAHAH)

Keywords

• Combustion engineering
• Emissions control services
• SCR catalyst testing
• Catalyst management software
• Mobile emissions laboratories

Headquarters

HQ city

Laguna Hills

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Engineering Services and R&D: FERCo provides research, pilot-scale development, and full-scale evaluation services to industry and government clients in applied energy and environmental systems. Revenue is generated through project-based engagements including catalyst testing, emissions optimization, combustion diagnostics, and SCR/SNCR system tuning.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Fossil Energy Research Corp. (FERCo) is an engineering services and R&D firm specializing in combustion diagnostics, catalyst evaluation, and emissions control for power generation and industrial combustion systems. The company designs and operates proprietary instrumentation and software (including the CatalysTraK platform, the Multipoint Combustion Diagnostic Analyzer, and custom-built Mobile Emissions Laboratories) to measure and reduce NO, mercury, CO, opacity, and SO emissions at coal-fired power plants and industrial facilities.

Product overview

Fossil Energy Research Corp. (FERCo) is an engineering services and R&D company offering specialized emissions testing and combustion optimization services. The portfolio includes three core service lines: (1) Catalyst Activity Testing comprising bench-scale and micro-scale testing facilities, the CatalysTraK® - Manage software, and the CatalysTrak® - Activity In Situ Test System; (2) Laboratory and field testing services including Mobile Emissions Laboratories with custom MCDA instrumentation, Cold Flow Modeling in a 2500+ sq ft facility, and Combustion Diagnostics; and (3) Emissions reduction expertise spanning SCR and SNCR system optimization. The company operates one of the only independent catalyst activity testing facilities in the United States and owns fully instrumented mobile combustion analysis laboratories for full-scale testing. Founded in 1984, FERCo serves power and process steam generation clients ranging from small gas turbines (3MW) to large coal-fired utility boilers (1300MW).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CatalysTraK®: SCR Catalyst Management Software - a tool for streamlining and organizing the management process of SCR catalyst replacement decisions
• CatalysTraK®-Activity In Situ Test System
• CatalysTraK® - Manage

Products and services

• Catalyst Activity Testing Laboratory testing service that measures catalyst activity for SCR and other emissions control catalysts at micro-scale using FERCo's proprietary catalyst activity test rig; serves power utilities, catalyst manufacturers, and industrial clients evaluating catalyst performance.
• CatalysTraK Manage Software FERCo-developed software product for managing SCR catalyst life, performance tracking, and activity management across power plant and industrial catalyst inventories; sold as a standalone software offering.
• CatalysTrak Activity In Situ Test System Proprietary in-situ reactor-based test system used to evaluate SCR catalyst activity directly on site at power plants and industrial facilities as part of FERCo's catalyst management services.
• Multipoint Combustion Diagnostic Analyzer (MCDA) Proprietary combustion diagnostic instrumentation developed by FERCo to measure combustion parameters (including O2, CO, NO, and related species) at multiple points within a combustion system for tuning and troubleshooting.
• Mobile Emissions Laboratories Custom-designed, fabricated, and commissioned mobile emissions monitoring laboratories built by FERCo for utilities such as Consumers Energy, Southern Company, and Luminant to continuously monitor SCR/SNCR performance and emissions at coal-fired power plants.
• Cold Flow Modeling Engineering service using physical flow models to evaluate combustion air flow patterns, SCR mixing, and overfire air distribution at power plants and industrial furnaces prior to full-scale implementation.
• Combustion Diagnostics and Tuning Field service using the proprietary MCDA instrument to diagnose combustion conditions, tune burners and overfire air, and improve emissions performance at coal-fired utility and industrial boilers.
• SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) Experience Services Consulting and implementation services covering SCR system design support, performance evaluation, catalyst management, and emissions reduction for NO control at coal-fired power plants and industrial facilities.
• SNCR (Selective Non-Catalytic Reduction) Experience Services Engineering services for SNCR system design, reagent optimization, and performance testing for NO reduction where SCR is not applied, targeted at industrial and utility combustion systems.
• Emissions Reduction Services Integrated engineering program covering measurement, diagnostics, and mitigation strategies to reduce NO, mercury, CO, opacity, and SO emissions for utility and industrial combustion customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• SCR systems can operate within proposed regulatory limits without modifications to existing equipment
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Reaction Engineering International: Combustion and emissions research firm providing R&D, modeling, and testing services to utilities and industrial clients. Highly comparable in technology focus (combustion diagnostics, CFD modeling) and customer type.
• RJM International: Combustion optimization and emissions reduction company serving power generation and industrial markets. Directly comparable in combustion tuning, boiler optimization, and NOx reduction service offerings.
• Fuel Tech, Inc. Public emissions control company specializing in NOx reduction technologies (SCR, SNCR) and combustion optimization for utility and industrial customers. Directly comparable to FERCo in target market, service offering, and customer base.
• Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC): University-based R&D center performing applied combustion, emissions, and catalyst research for utilities and government. Comparable in research-driven emissions testing services and customer base.
• CoaLogix: Emissions control services and SCR catalyst management company serving the power generation industry. Closely comparable in service offering (catalyst management, SCR optimization) and target customers.
• Clean Air Engineering: Emissions testing and consulting firm providing stack testing, CEM services, and combustion diagnostics to industrial and utility clients. Directly comparable in mobile emissions measurement services.

Broad incumbents

• Babcock & Wilcox: Large, established power generation OEM and service provider with deep emissions control and SCR catalyst capabilities. Competes with FERCo for utility emissions work but as part of a much broader portfolio.
• Johnson Matthey: Global specialty chemicals and catalyst company with significant emissions catalyst and SCR business. Operates in the same SCR catalyst value chain as FERCo but as a large, diversified incumbent.

Emerging players

• CORMETECH: Specialty manufacturer of SCR catalysts for power plants and industrial applications. Comparable in serving the same SCR catalyst ecosystem as FERCo, though CORMETECH is a catalyst supplier while FERCo tests and manages catalysts.
• ClearSign Technologies: Combustion technology company developing low-NOx burner and sensor solutions for industrial and utility markets. Adjacent to FERCo's emissions control focus with comparable end customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fossil-energy-research-corp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fossil Energy Research