dual drive technologies

What dual drive technologies does

Dual Drive Technologies, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Energy Transfer, develops and licenses a patented hybrid natural gas compression architecture that mounts both a natural gas engine and an electric motor on a single shaft coupled to a reciprocating compressor. Founded in 2000 as Energy Transfer Technologies and rebranded in 2017, the company holds patents on the dual-driver concept (first issued in 2000) and combines it with a proprietary over-running clutch and a custom control system built by Prime Controls on Allen Bradley PLC hardware. Together, these components enable push-button switching between gas and electric drivers in under one minute without loss of throughput, achieving claimed 99% runtime across field gathering, transmission, and cryogenic plant service installations.

The company monetizes through three complementary streams: (1) hardware sales of compressor packages configured for dual-driver operation; (2) licensing of Dual Drive Technologies' patents under agreements that leave customers with 100% ownership of the physical equipment; and (3) managed energy services in which Dual Drive serves as a Qualified Scheduling Entity (QSE) inside ERCOT, continuously monitoring natural gas and electricity prices to switch drivers during peak market pricing and optimize fuel cost and electric surcharges. Target customers are midstream oil and gas operators — particularly within Texas deregulated energy markets — seeking emissions compliance (the technology has been recognized by the EPA as Best Available Control Technology), uptime reliability, and the ability to perform maintenance without throughput loss.

The go-to-market is direct enterprise sales led by a Director of Sales and Director of Commercial Operations, complemented by the company's status as a subsidiary of Energy Transfer, which provides a captive reference customer and channel into the Permian Basin. Geographic exposure is concentrated in the Southwest US, with explicit deployments at Energy Transfer's Permian gas processing plants. By 2023, the installed fleet exceeded 500,000 operating horsepower across more than 500 installations, with multiple industry awards (EPA, TCEQ, GPA Midstream, D CEO Magazine, Gulf Energy Information) validating the emission-reduction positioning.

Name

dual drive technologies

Legal name

Dual Drive Technologies

Website

https://dualdrivetechnologies.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Dual Drive Technologies, a subsidiary of Energy Transfer, licenses and sells patented hybrid natural gas compression systems that switch between a gas engine and an electric motor on a single shaft, serving midstream oil and gas operators — particularly in Texas ERCOT markets — with integrated energy management services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Oil & Gas Compression Equipment

NAICS

Air and Gas Compressor Manufacturing (333912)

SIC

Engines & Turbines (3510)

akta.pro primary industry

Natural Gas Compression Services (EUAAACAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Natural Gas Compressor Station Operations & Services (TLAGACAD)

Keywords

• Natural gas compression
• Hybrid compressor systems
• Dual drive compression
• Midstream compression equipment
• Emission reduction compression

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Compressor Package Licensing: Licensing agreement for use of Dual Drive Technologies Patents, allowing 100% ownership of the compressor package. Customers pay for the compression equipment and license the proprietary technology.
2. Compression Equipment Sales: Sale of compressor packages including both natural gas engine and electric motor drivers configured for dual drive operation.
3. Energy Management Services: QSE (Qualified Scheduling Entity) services for energy management within ERCOT systems, allowing management of fuel cost and electric surcharges through strategic driver switching.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Dual Drive Technologies designs, manufactures, and licenses hybrid natural gas compression systems that combine a natural gas engine and an electric motor on a single shaft coupled to a reciprocating compressor. Customers purchase the compressor package outright and license the proprietary dual-driver technology, while Dual Drive provides optional QSE energy management services within ERCOT systems to optimize driver switching against natural gas and electricity prices.

Product overview

Dual Drive Technologies offers a hybrid natural gas compression solution comprising the Dual Drive Compression System and Dual Power Source System. These products combine a natural gas engine and electric motor on a single shaft, allowing seamless switching between drivers via an over-running clutch. The core offering includes proprietary control systems using Allen Bradley technology, supplemented by energy management services that provide 24-hour monitoring of natural gas and electricity prices to optimize driver switching based on market conditions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dual Drive Compression System Hybrid natural gas compression system pairing a natural gas engine and an electric motor on a single shaft coupled to a reciprocating compressor, with an over-running clutch and proprietary control system enabling push-button driver switching in under one minute and no interruption of flow. Sold to oil and gas midstream operators for field gathering, transmission, and cryogenic plant service.
• Dual Power Source System Patented dual power source compression technology featuring both a natural gas driver and an electric drive operating on the same compression skid, enabling operation on the electric motor 80% of the time to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Targeted at midstream gas processing plants such as Energy Transfer's Permian Basin facilities.
• Energy Management Services (QSE within ERCOT) 24-hour monitoring of natural gas and electricity prices with alerts when it is financially beneficial to switch drivers; includes Qualified Scheduling Entity (QSE) energy management within ERCOT systems to manage fuel cost and electric surcharges. Provided to oil and gas operators with compression assets in the Texas deregulated market.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% runtime in multiple types of installation service
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Prime ControlscoreTechnology or IntegrationPrime Controls designed and installed the proprietary control system for Dual Drive Technologies using Allen Bradley technology. The control system can be monitored both on-site or remotely and manages the driver transfer process.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Flowserve: Flowserve supplies pumps, compressors, and related rotating equipment for oil & gas midstream, directly competing with Dual Drive on compression packages and integrated driver-compressor solutions.
• INNIO Waukesha: INNIO's Waukesha gas engines are a standard prime mover choice for field gas compression in the Permian and similar basins, directly competing with the gas-engine half of Dual Drive's hybrid drivetrain in midstream applications.
• Caterpillar: Caterpillar manufactures natural gas engines (e.g., G3500/G3600 series) widely used as prime movers for reciprocating gas compression; Dual Drive integrates Caterpillar-class engines onto its hybrid shaft, making Caterpillar the most direct comparable on the engine/driver side.
• Ariel Corporation: Ariel is the leading manufacturer of reciprocating gas compressors for the oil & gas industry; Dual Drive couples its hybrid drivers to reciprocating compressors of this type, making Ariel the most direct comparable on the compression end of the stack.
• Solar Turbines (Caterpillar): Solar Turbines supplies gas turbine-driven compression packages for gas processing and pipeline transmission; competes with Dual Drive's engine-based hybrid solution in larger-horsepower midstream compression applications.
• Cummins: Cummins supplies natural gas engines and integrated power solutions for oil & gas compression, overlapping with Dual Drive on the gas-engine driver and on hybrid power generation for industrial sites.

Broad incumbents

• Gardner Denver (now Ingersoll Rand): Gardner Denver / Ingersoll Rand manufactures compressors and gas processing equipment used in upstream and midstream applications, providing a broad incumbent alternative to Dual Drive's integrated hybrid compression packages.
• Atlas Copco: Atlas Copco is a broad industrial compressor and gas equipment incumbent with oil & gas compression offerings; overlaps with Dual Drive across gas compression but at much larger scale and broader product portfolio.
• Dresser-Rand (Siemens Energy): Dresser-Rand, now part of Siemens Energy, supplies turbomachinery and reciprocating compression packages for gas processing and pipeline transmission, overlapping with Dual Drive's market across both driver and compression categories.

Emerging players

• Archrock: Archrock is a US-focused provider of natural gas compression services and equipment to midstream operators; competes with Dual Drive at the customer level but primarily through contracted compression fleets rather than hybrid-driver technology.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dual-drive-technologies

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 dual drive technologies