INdustrial LEvitation Technology

Project Information

INLET

Grant agreement ID: 876049

DOI

10.3030/876049

Project closed

EC signature date 2 August 2019

Start date 1 September 2019

End date 31 January 2020

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

SpinDrive Oy
Finland

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - INLET (INdustrial LEvitation Technology)

Reporting period: 2019-09-01 to 2020-01-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

As electrical machines are using a significant part of the total electrical power generated around the world, their efficiency improvements are a mandatory trend in motor production worldwide. However, most of the electrical machines are not working at the optimum point from a process efficiency point of view. As 70% of the lifetime costs of the industrial equipment come from the electricity bills, the energy losses are directly affecting the end-users profitability. Additionally, the need to increase the industrial processes’ energy efficiency is of key importance for reducing global energy consumption.

Cost-effective high-efficiency solutions are highly required.

SpinDrive provides highly efficient turn-key drivetrains (INLET), supported by frictionless magnetic bearings, for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). We help customers to significantly increase their solutions’ system efficiency, reduce material consumption and minimize maintenance costs. INLET lowers the customer’s lifecycle costs by 35%. By levitating the rotational part of the machine eliminating friction, SpinDrive enables 20 years of maintenance-free operations and saves on average more than 500 000 EUR on the maintenance costs during the product lifetime.

Furthermore, INLET is completely oil-free, which allows OEM customers to enter rapidly growing markets and ensure alignment with a contaminant-free environmental strategy. INLET reduces energy losses in the machine by half. For a 500-kW unit, this solution mitigates 200 tons of CO2 emissions annually, which is equivalent to 2 000 barrels of oil burnt and enables 2-year payback time.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the Phase 1 project, after piloting our solution, speaking and interviewing the potential partners and customers, the feedback to and reception of the SpinDrive solution has been sincerely positive throughout all cases.

Following the feasibility study, SpinDrive has (1) validated and refined business model, (2) provided input for the further technical development of the solution towards TRL8, (3) completed the market study and the competitor analysis to identify prospective customer segments in Europe as well as to validate the market demand, (4) scanned the relevant IP landscape for attractive gaps, including “freedom to operate” analysis and potential to file additional patent to protect the innovative assets, and (5) planned our dissemination and communication goals.

Furthermore, the participation in conferences, contests and events supported SpinDrive’s business development efforts and demonstrated that the interest in INLET technology is global. This presence will continuously be expanded, by visiting international trade fairs, start-up events and conferences.

Having confirmed the technical acceptance and market potential of SpinDrive with the feasibility study carried out under the Phase I project, SpinDrive plans to apply for EIC Accelerator (SME Instrument) Phase 2 funding to support reaching TRL 8 and in a later-stage scale-up effort.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

SpinDrive provides a turn-key drivetrain design that gives an opportunity for complete package optimization and tight integration with the customer’s product. It is aimed for those applications where high rotational speed improves process efficiency, i.e.: turbocompressors; turbo blowers and turbo pumps; small and micro-turbines; etc. SpinDrive’s end users are the factories and other industrial plants, where the equipment is employed. For example, oil-free compressors are used in automotive and chemical industries, turbo blowers and pumps are utilized in the water treatment plants and the microturbines are parts of the units for a decentralized energy generation.

SpinDrive overcomes the current limitations of state-of-the-art technology by offering the following advantages:
• A smaller size which leads to the reduced transportation costs, easier installation process and reduced material consumption.
• Reducing losses in the system by half, mitigating CO2 emissions, and operational cost savings.
• No need for maintenance of rotating components operating even at the speeds up to 200 000 rpm. Frictionless bearings eliminate wearing of the rotating components in the electrical machines.
• Completely oil-free technology which allows OEMs to enter rapidly growing markets, where an oil-free operation is a compulsory requirement.
• SpinDrive’s active magnetic bearings (AMB) technology already includes built-in position sensors, which are required for reliable operation. An analysis of the data from these sensors indicates any possible failures or malfunctions of the customer’s equipment. There is no need to connect any additional sensors or equipment to diagnose the condition of the whole drivetrain and working tools. These components together with controller AI algorithms add values of the system design verification, high-speed balancing, condition monitoring, fault identification, and process optimization.

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