About ARB Geowell
ARB (American Refining Biochemical), headquartered in Conshohocken, PA, is the parent company of ARB GeoWell Systems. ARB owns oil refining assets in Bradford County, PA. The company is investing in forward-looking renewable energy development, notably innovative wind turbine and geothermal products, services and projects.
ARB GeoWell Systems has developed novel products and services around the use of standing column wells (SCW) that result in a significant reduction in well field installed cost. GeoWell™ systems are targeted to “green” commercial buildings, schools and developments. The licensed use of their technologies offers significantly faster and more reliable installation with less parasitic power requirements. The company champions environmentally sound practices by offering products and services that support “best practices”.
The technical contact to ARB GeoWell Systems is Albert A. Koenig, Ph.D.
Dr. Koenig is VP of American Refining & Biochemical, Inc. (ARB), founder of ARB/Geowell and technical consultant to ARB/Franklin Fuel Cells, a SOFC development company. By training and practice, he is a physicist and consulting engineer in the greater Philadelphia area. He has been involved in numerous alternative energy development activities since 1975, including large solar thermal industrial energy projects, residential passive solar and photovoltaic applications, testing of the first 0.5 MWe wind turbine, advanced battery development for EVs, battery energy storage for on-site power, SOFC fuel cells, enhanced oil recovery and geothermal HVAC. He is a member of the National Ground Water Association (NGWA), the Am. Soc. Of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), and the Association of Energy Engineers, Greater Philadelphia Chapter.
Dr. Koenig is a frequent instructor for HeatSpring geothermal seminars specializing in standing column well (SCW) operation. He is currently overseeing a SCW project at Villanova University as part of a renewable energy practicum. Since obtaining his Ph.D. from Duke, he has worked for the General Electric Company, Advanced Energy Programs, Chloride Silent Power in the UK, and the Ben Franklin Technology Partnership. During this time, he taught various courses in renewable energy, physics, solar energy and heat transfer. He was awarded Engineer of the Year by General Electric and has received several patents. He has numerous publications and presentations, most recently as an invited speaker at the NGWA Ground Source Heat Pump Conference.