Product category:
Power supplies and plant cabling
News Release from: Perpetuum | Subject: Perpetual source of power
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 08 June 2006
World first for perpetual source of
power
Perpetuum has launched the world's first truly effective vibration energy harvester to power wireless and battery-free devices capable of sending large amounts of data from many types of equipment
The Perpetuum vibration energy harvesting microgenerator is an enabling technology that makes wireless, battery-free sensors a reality Perpetuum has launched the world's first truly effective vibration energy harvester to power wireless and battery-free devices capable of sending large amounts of data from many types of industrial equipment
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 23 Jun 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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A battery-free wireless condition monitoring team
Perpetuum and Cap-XX have teamed up to use the Perpetuum vibration energy-harvesting micro-generator, with a Cap-XX supercapacitor, to allow wireless condition monitoring systems
ATEX-certified energy harvesting power source
Perpetuum has launched the intrinsically safe ATEX approved microgenerator version of the industrial PMG17 vibration energy harvester, for safe sensor working in Zone 0, 1 or 2 environments
The PMG7 high-performance microgenerator enables users to power sensors, microprocessors and transmitters for accurately monitoring the condition of plant equipment and machinery without the need for batteries, expensive cabling or maintenance.
The easy-to-install solution is now available to OEMs, sensor manufacturers and end-users in all industries, allowing them to make significant cost savings.
The microgenerator converts kinetic energy from the vibration of the equipment running at mains frequency (50 or 60Hz) into electrical energy.
Further reading
Texas RF transceiver powered by vibration energy
The Texas Instruments RF transceiver and microcontroller, powered by a Perpetuum vibration energy-harvesting microgenerator can transmit high data loads over a wireless link, for condition monitoring
Wireless, battery-free condition monitoring at YWA
The Yorkshire Water Esholt Waste Water Treatment Works is conducting a trial of the world's first practical vibration energy-harvesting microgenerator, on a wireless condition monitoring sensor
It can generate up to 5mW which is enough to power a wireless transmitter sending up to 6Kbytes of critical data every few minutes, or smaller amounts of data - such as a temperature reading - several times a second.
It is a practical device which can operate in most industrial environments and at minimal vibration levels (25mg).
The PMG7 allows operators to continually monitor plant equipment, providing valuable data - such as temperature and vibration spectra - about the condition of equipment including pumps, motors and fans.
As a result, the data can be used to optimise the efficiency and availability of plant, increase the cost-efficiency of maintenance work, to prevent accidents and make significant savings in energy costs.
According to the ARC advisory group, this is a market which can expect significant growth in the next three years - reaching almost £700 million by the end of 2007.
"This is a major breakthrough in the technology," says Roy Freeland, CEO, Perpetuum: "We are delighted to be in a position to now offer this product to the market, having successfully completed field trials at Yorkshire Water, the US Navy and an international oil company.
This is a practical device, not a laboratory experiment.
No competitive offering has come close to this level of performance in terms of the amount of data that can be sent, or the conditions under which it will operate reliably".
The microgenerator is easy to install - it is simply screwed into place, or can be held in place by magnets.
It is then left in place with no need for maintenance; a truly perpetual source of power.
Recently GBP2.2 million of new funding for developments underway will extend the range of applications and the performance of these remarkable devices.
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