REFERENCE: CLIENT #1059 MAGNETIC COUPLED VARIABLE SPEED DRIVES OFFER TO LICENSE THE MANUFACTURE AND MARKETING We have recently been retained to find a qualified global partner to manufacture, market, and distribute within an $18 Billion dollar market, our Client’s line of patented magnetically-coupled variable speed drives. We understand that this technology, developed through ongoing R&D, has become the industry standard for magnetically coupled variable speed drives with a proven track record of exemplary performance in a wide variety of applications. Where other variable speed drive technologies have proven to be either problematic or unsuitable, the Client’s variable speed drives have become the ultimate solution to the speed control needs of industry. The Client has multiple patents for this technology in the US, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Australia, China, and Brazil. Our Client is presently manufacturing the patented products, however, their geographical location inhibits their ability to produce them in the scale dictated by the vast market. With the current high cost of energy, the time for global introduction could not be better. This new technology not only fulfills some obvious market needs, it will also open new markets where application requirements prohibit alternative technologies. Moreover, the simple and efficient design of these products is well suited for mass production on a very large scale with exceptional profit margins. We show below a document entitled Variable Speed Dive Comparisons that briefly summarizes the differences and many advantages of our Client’s patented technology versus other variable speed drive methods. This document also includes a summary of our Client’s capabilities. If you have an interest in licensing the technology to manufacture and market, or would simply be interested in investing in a “proven” winner, please feel free to contact Business Consultants International, Inc. VARIABLE SPEED DRIVE COMPARISONS Magnetic Coupled –vs- Variable Frequency Our Client was established in 1983, and began manufacturing its first generation of patented magnetic coupled drives in 1993 and now offers both belt and direct coupled versions in sizes from 1/3hp up to 200hp. Their magnetic coupled drive technology is protected under numerous US and foreign patents including Canada, Mexico, China, Brazil, Australia and Europe. Our Client. takes great pride in being the recognized leader in introducing this new and exciting alternative drive technology. It is expected that soon they will introduce more models and sizes that are presently under development or in field beta testing. We would first like to tell you a little bit about the evolution of our Client’s drive, the reason for its development and the key differences between their magnetic coupled technology and the electronic drive technology typically referred to as “Variable Frequency Drives” or “VFD’s”, (also known as “AC Inverters” or “Adjustable Frequency Drives”). Today, VFD’s are the most commonly known method of speed control and are manufactured by numerous companies worldwide. There are a few major players that comprise the bulk of the industry’s supply, such as: Danfoss, ABB, Toshiba, Eaton, Robicon, Fuji, Siemens, and Yaskawa. However, the applications of these VFD’s do come with some engineering issues that have never been fully resolved. Unlike VFD’s and older eddy current drives, our Client’s magnetic coupled drives are a totally different as they were developed as a result of customer requests for an alternative to problematic existing speed control methods. The primary goal was to eliminate motor and power quality problems that are caused by the application of VFD’s. The first objective was to employ a more reliable and less complex variable speed control methodology that could be easily maintained while using any existing AC motor, without the concerns typically associated with VFD technology (motor winding failure, bearing damage, audibly induced high frequency noise and power line disturbances). Another objective was to provide a drive with the highest achievable efficiency in a magnetic eddy current coupling and to reduce the size, weight and complexity of the technology in a simple, shaft mounted design. Yet another objective was to provide commonality in low cost replacement parts, regardless of horsepower. Yet another objective was to incorporate a simple low cost method of bypass to engage the load in case of any unforeseen emergency. The Client’s patented variable speed drives are the accomplished result. The design has fewer parts than any other variable speed drive technology (fewer parts mean fewer problems); it is used for energy saving speed control of variable torque loads (i.e.: fans, pumps, and cooling towers) as an ultra reliable alternative to VFD’s; the variable speed drives are selected for use in critical and demanding applications, especially where low maintenance and low service cost are important, where maintaining good power quality is a requirement, or when there is concern for parts availability 10 or 20 years down the road. Because of these reasons, it is desirable and common for our Client’s drives to be specified in hospitals, airports, universities, commercial and government facilities. These drives are now being introduced with great acceptance into new market segments, including machine tool, waste water, mining, oil field and gas field. The new models of self-powered drives can be utilized in areas where there is no electrical power available and where VFD’s cannot operate. The drives are in use in thousands of applications throughout the U.S. and Canada since 1993 with a superior track record. Many air handler unit manufacturers (OEMS) now install these drives directly in their units and then ship the unit to the end user on engineered specified jobs. Engineered Air®, for example, a very high quality custom unit manufacturer, has considerable experience and confidence with the Client’s technology and has been specifying and using their drive systems successfully for many years. An inverter duty motor is never required with these variable speed drives since they have no adverse effects on the motor. This is because the motor is still connected directly to the pure uninterrupted A.C. power source when such magnetically coupled drives are installed. VFD’s on the other hand are connected between the power source and the motor and therefore must be matched to inverter duty motors with spike protected windings and must include inductive filters to help reduce the possibility of motor bearing and winding damage. Unlike the VFD, the Client’s drive actually increases the life expectancy of the motor, as the motor operates more efficiently and runs cooler without added stress on the windings. With a Client’s drive, the speed of the fan or pump can be reduced to its lowest speed point continuously without causing any damage to the motor, since the motor load is reduced while the motor is still operating at its most efficient speed. Any additional heating is designed to be dissipated effectively by the drive and not the motor. This is not the case with a VFD. A VFD causes additional heating in the motor and the VFD itself, reducing the life expectancy of the motor. That is why the Client’s technology can make the following guarantee that VFD’s cannot: “That their patented magnetic-coupled variable speed drive will never cause electrically induced damage to the motor windings or bearings and will never distort power to the motor.” All of their drives are designed to be rated well under the overhung load capacity of the motor shaft. All major motor manufacturers endorse the application of our Client’s drives for use with their motors. In fact, motor manufacturers offer the full extent of the standard motor warranty when their motors are used with such drives (unlike when motors are used with VFD’s, whereby de-rating or reduction of motor warranty is typically required). In critical applications, VFD’s typically require the added expense of bypass contactors for the simple reason that the VFD must have an across the line back up when it fails. Unlike a VFD, the Client’s drive does not require an expensive bypass contactor. The motor is already running with a standard motor starter in the real -safe-motor-world. If for some reason the signal from the remote BMS is bad or loses connection, the Client’s controller can be easily switched to the manual mode, whereby infinitely adjustable speed control is accomplished via the manual adjustment (standard feature). In the even more remote event that the drive becomes magnetically decoupled from the load for any reason, the drive has a simple, built-in mechanical lock up feature that is standard with all the Client’s drives (two simple lockup bolts couple the drive’s rotating components for full speed operation). Many of the fail safe features that VFD’s have incorporated into their systems are intended to protect not only the motor, but the VFD itself, since the complex circuitry is more susceptible to power line disturbances, common glitches, and brownouts. Additionally, since the VFD directly feeds power to the motor windings, much of the VFD motor protection circuitry is required because the VFD can create these same negative conditions to the motor if there is an electrical event or a fault occurring in the VFD. (Additional motor protection is never a requirement as a direct result of the installation of our Client’s drive system, because unlike the VFD, their drive cannot damage the motor windings). One of the most attractive features of their drive system is the inherent simplicity of the totally installed system. The Client’s drive system is industry compatible with any building management system (BMS), and is also very simple to control and monitor via industry standard analog signal connections (0-10vdc, 4-20mA, etc.). The drive is also particularly well matched to work directly with the Engineered Air® C-Trac® controller system. Since the drive is a simple magnetic coupling, it is totally isolated from the power source and therefore there are no provisions to interface with the motor incoming power. If real-time power monitoring of the motor is required, it can be done separately as an option with the Client’s system. Their system can also include under voltage, over voltage and phase loss protection modules for the motor, if so required by the user. Unlike VFD’s, their drive can operate just about anywhere and at any distance from the drive’s power source without de-rating. Unlike VFD’s, there is no concern for “reflected wave voltage ring up” or electrical damage to the motor or drive because of any VFD related distance issues between the drive and controller. Unlike VFD’s, the Client’s drive never requires special VFD wire cabling. Unlike VFD’s, their drive is isolated from the power source and therefore does not care what the operating power supply source voltage is. The same drive that is used with low voltage motors can be used with high voltage motors and is also safer to operate and service in high voltage power situations. Another misleading myth that is perpetuated by the VFD proponents is in the area of power factor. Go to http://www.lmphotonics.com for a third party reality check. Click on the chapter “Power Factor Correction”. Read the article and then go to the section on inverters. Most VFD companies tell you that their VFD’s are rated at 95% power factor, but in reality, all standard VFD’s, with the normal additions of the harmonic currents they produce, have true power factor that is typically in the 70% power factor range. To correct power factor in a VFD, filters must be installed to reduce the harmonics to acceptable levels. Further, they fail to tell you that our Client’s magnetically coupled drive actually has better power factor in the operating upper half portion of the fan curve (where most of the fan applications are actually operating) than does an unfiltered VFD. A VFD cannot be easily or safely corrected with power factor correction capacitors. You can however safely and easily use power factor correction capacitors with any A.C. motor when using the Client’s drive to improve power factor just as you would with any fixed speed AC motor. Regarding belt drive applications, the Client’s drive, which uses electromagnetic technology, is a less costly alternative to permanent magnet style eddy current designs because it does not require assembly and the shaft mounted drive is supplied with an integral pulley. (The closest competitor’s permanent magnet design would require a third party to devise a jackshaft and pulley arrangement to fit up between the motor and driven equipment). The Client’s shaft mounted drives are available in both belt drive versions and direct coupled versions, as a complete and simple component that mounts directly to the motor shaft and is available in ranges from 1/3 hp to 200 hp. Plans for foot mounted enclosed models will extend the product range to 1000 HP and beyond. Unlike the VFD, where the electronic package generally has many sizes throughout the entire horsepower range and spare parts inventory becomes an issue, ALL of the Client’s drives use the same spare parts for ALL drive horsepower sizes, effectively reducing inventory requirements: (a user field replaceable plug-in circuit board and electric rotary coupler). Once the VFD user has experienced a history of high repair costs and service charges for VFDs (typically from $1000 and up per event as routine example for even small sized installations), the decision to switch to an alternative technology where the total spare parts cost for multiples of the Client’s drives are much less than a single VFD service call, becomes obvious. These low cost “off-the-shelf” items will always be readily available for years to come. In contrast, based on past history, the VFD manufacturer is forced to change its design every couple of years or so to remain competitive, and consequently the VFD end user may frequently find himself with obsolete VFD’s and obsolete VFD replacement parts. Frequently, the Client’s drive is installed as a reliable replacement for VFD’s that have died or have proven to be either too costly for the end user to maintain or too complicated to service or repair. Over the last 12 years, our Client’s customers have requested that they replace many different brands of VFD’s, including many of the brands mentioned previously in this letter. One of the most important questions that one could ask is -"Are our Client’s drives reliable?" The short answer may be to ask this question to the very first user. The first generation of more than forty drives were field installed in 1993 in new air-handlers as part of the State of Texas Capitol expansion in the main Capitol Rotunda and House of Representatives offices in Austin Texas. Twelve years later, all of these same drives are still operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Regarding operating efficiencies, energy savings and real “payback”, an official third party source, Pacific Northwest Labs, under the Federal Energy Management Program for the U.S. Department of Energy, recently conducted a test comparison between the Client’s belt drive model, a VFD, and another magnetic coupled drive design. This test was titled "Technology demonstration of Magnetically-Coupled Adjustable Speed Drive Systems". The results of the 50HP test showed that out of all of the variable speed drive technologies submitted for testing, the Client’s drive provided the fastest simple payback based on overall energy savings, purchase cost, and installation cost. We hope that the foregoing information has been helpful and informative, and should you have any questions about the magnetic coupled technology described here, please do not hesitate to contact us at Business Consultants International, Inc. Technology Transfer · International Business Research · International Business Opportunities Technologies Sought · Offshore Services · Additional Services Home · Contact BCI · Search Database Copyright © 1999, Business Consultants International