NEXT: New Ethanol eXpansion Technology
Unlock the hidden capacity in your existing DD&E systems without major equipment replacement
Why NEXT Changes the Rules
For decades, standard ethanol plants have been constrained by design limits that capped production well below their true potential. RCM Thermal Kinetics developed NEXT to change that. NEXT applies advanced process optimization and precision engineering to unlock hidden capacity within existing distillation systems, without major equipment replacement.
Revolutionizing Ethanol Expansion
Enhanced Production Capability
NEXT enables producers to move beyond incremental gains by addressing the true constraints within existing DD&E systems. Rather than pushing equipment harder, the platform strategically rebalances vapor, liquid, and thermal hydraulics, allowing plants to operate at production rates well beyond historically accepted design limits.
Improved Efficiency and Profitability
NEXT is a comprehensive engineering platform that evaluates and optimizes the entire distillation, dehydration, and evaporation train as one integrated system. Through targeted equipment upgrades and detailed hydraulic balancing, NEXT eliminates hidden inefficiencies that limit performance and inflate energy costs.
Expansion with Zero Production Downtime
NEXT is engineered to respect real-world plant constraints. Following the detailed engineering and planning phase, implementation is executed during short-duration plant turnarounds. We focus on surgical equipment upgrades and system optimization, not disruptive rebuilds.
Plants continue to operate on schedule — achieving expansion goals without prolonged downtime, parallel column additions, or major capital disruption.
NEXT doesn’t just optimize performance — it redefines the practical limits of standard ethanol plant design.
NEXT Case Study Highlight
DD&E Capacity Expansion
Using the NEXT Engineering Platform, RCM Thermal Kinetics helped a Midwest ethanol producer transform an original 40 MMGPY DD&E system into a 105 MMGPY operation, a more than 250% capacity increase achieved without major equipment replacement. By combining accurate field data, validated process modeling, and targeted engineering upgrades, the project eliminated hidden bottlenecks, reduced carryover, and maximized utilization of existing assets.
The NEXT platform opens the door for existing plants to dramatically increase output, reduce cost per gallon, and strengthen their competitive position in the renewable fuels market.”
Roy Viteri, Senior Engineer