Charlotte, NC · Energy conversion R&D

Turning heat directly into electricity.

Kulicage Dynamics is developing TorrideX, a plasma-assisted thermionic converter that turns heat directly into DC power with no moving parts. Our work is simulation-first: models are verified against analytical references before they inform hardware decisions.

Explore TorrideX Partner with us
  • NVIDIA Inception member
  • Founded 2024 · Charlotte, NC

TorrideX · operating principle

Thermionic converter operating principle Heat enters a hot emitter, which releases electrons. Electrons cross a plasma-filled gap to a cooler collector and return through an external load, producing DC power. Remaining heat is rejected from the collector. LOAD · DC OUT e⁻ + + + + HEAT IN HEAT OUT EMITTER PLASMA GAP COLLECTOR electrons cross the gap · ions neutralize space charge
Simplified schematic, not to scale. Design details are shared under NDA.

The company

Energy R&D, backed by production engineering.

Kulicage Dynamics LLC is an R&D company in Charlotte, North Carolina, founded in 2024. Its core program, TorrideX, investigates plasma-assisted thermionic conversion of heat into electricity for compact, long-duration power.

The company is founder-led and builds on more than a decade of hands-on mechanical, hydraulic and production engineering, including taking a product from design to series production and sales.

R&D program

TorrideX: plasma-assisted thermionic conversion

How it works

A heated emitter releases electrons that cross a narrow gap to a cooler collector, producing DC power directly from heat. A low-pressure plasma in the gap supports electron transport by neutralizing space charge, the effect that otherwise limits current.

Where we are

Modeling and numerical verification: thermal, electrostatic and particle-transport models, tested for physical applicability before they are used to size hardware.

Next milestone

A controlled, electrically heated, non-radioactive bench experiment.

How we verify our models

  • Numerical results compared with analytical reference solutions
  • CPU and GPU implementations cross-checked, including an NVIDIA Warp benchmark
  • Grid-convergence and conservation-balance checks
  • Reproducibility of selected runs
  • Explicit tests of where model assumptions stop holding

Small

Active

Primary track: first hardware validation of the converter.

Power

Future

Scaling the shared converter module to higher power.

Waste

Exploratory

Long-term research on residual heat from storage containers at licensed facilities. Feasibility depends on real thermal conditions.

Geometry, materials and design details are available under NDA or through formal partner discussions.

Founder's track record

Selected engineering work

Projects by founder Nikolai Kulikov. Each card notes the project context and his role. Detailed case studies are on kulikov.tech ↗

≈3,000kits sold
15,000+components

Product development · Production

Commercial sealing products

Took a sealing product from an identified field problem through design, prototyping and testing to production setup and customer feedback.

Role: end-to-end, from design to sales

SkyForge ozone generator and injection system, CAD model

Hardware R&D

SkyForge

Hello Tomorrow Deep Tech Pioneer, 2024

Ozone generator and injection system: prototype development, airflow analysis and integration constraints.

Role: mechanical development

Multi-stage hydraulic cylinder, generic schematic MULTI-STAGE HYDRAULIC CYLINDER RETRACTED EXTENDED · 3 STAGES GENERIC SCHEMATIC · NOT TO SCALE

Hydraulics · Robotics

Heavy-duty hydraulics and remote platforms

Multi-stage hydraulic cylinders, highly loaded mechanisms and remotely operated platforms for hazardous environments, with actuator and sensor integration.

Tools: SolidWorks · Inventor · AutoCAD

Capabilities

From physics model to production drawing.

Thermionic & plasma modeling

Thermal, electrostatic and particle-transport models with numerical verification and applicability checks.

COMSOL · Python · NVIDIA Warp

Mechanical & thermal design

Mechanical architecture, CAD, materials selection and thermal management for prototype hardware.

SolidWorks · Inventor · AutoCAD

Prototyping & testing

Prototype planning, fabrication including additive manufacturing, test setup and design iteration.

Production support

Engineering drawings, materials selection and manufacturing support, from prototype to series production.

Founder

Nikolai Kulikov at work in the office with a hardware prototype

Nikolai Kulikov

Founder & CTO

LinkedIn ↗ Portfolio ↗

Nikolai Kulikov is a mechanical engineer with more than ten years of experience in mechanical design, hydraulics, robotics and production support. He holds a specialist degree in aerospace engineering (M.Sc. equivalent) from Volgograd State Technical University (2014).

He has taken his own product from design to series production and sales, and has engineered hardware ranging from multi-stage hydraulic actuators to remotely operated platforms for hazardous environments.

At Kulicage Dynamics he leads the TorrideX program, combining computational work (COMSOL, Python, NVIDIA Warp) with hands-on mechanical design.

Recognition

Programs and recognition

  • NVIDIA Inception Kulicage Dynamics LLC is a member of NVIDIA's program for startups.
  • Hello Tomorrow Deep Tech Pioneer, 2024 Awarded to the SkyForge project; Nikolai's role was mechanical development.

Company data

Legal name
Kulicage Dynamics LLC
Formerly
SynthoShield LLC
Founded
2024, North Carolina
Location
Charlotte, NC, USA
SAM.gov
Registered · UEI and CAGE on request

Contact

Work with Kulicage Dynamics

We welcome inquiries from research partners, agencies and suppliers. Current collaboration interests:

  • Lab validation & measurements
  • Prototype fabrication
  • Materials & surface engineering
  • Thermal integration

Kulicage Dynamics LLC

Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

Email: nikolai@kdyn.tech

LinkedIn: Nikolai Kulikov

Founder's portfolio: kulikov.tech

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