Periodic Reporting for period 1 - INLET (INdustrial LEvitation Technology)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2019-09-01 do 2020-01-31
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.
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.
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.