It issued a press release in January trumpeting new technology that cheaply upgrades the kind of heavy oil found in Venezuela and mined out of Canada's tar sands with rapid applications of heat using sand as the heat carrier.

FORBES: On The Cover/Top Stories

Carrier's gadget instead uses the heat in outdoor air as the energy source.

FORBES: Companies & Strategies

Willis Carrier, meanwhile, created the modern air conditioner, liberating men from stifling heat.

FORBES: 'Give Back' Is One of the World's Most Impoverishing Commands