Ideal Power, developer of innovative power conversion technologies, successfully tested and demonstrated a new Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) based on its award-winning, patented Power Packet Switching Architecture™ (PPSA). Variable frequency drives are part of the broader power conversion marketplace where Ideal Power’s PPSA technology is rapidly gaining market acceptance.
Ideal Power’s next generation VFD is expected to raise the bar for performance and system reliability for a wide range of applications in the global VFD market which is projected to reach $37 billion by 2026, according to Future Market Insights. Variable frequency drives control the speed of electric motors used in HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning) compressors and blowers, conveyor motors, cranes, pumps, and a wide range of other products. Patents for the unique controls and method of operation are pending. The company plans to initially target low voltage AC drives, which make up 71 percent of the addressable market, through licensing and alliance partnerships.
“The development of our VFD products will open doors to large, mainstream global markets where there has been limited innovation for quite some time,” said Dan Brdar, CEO of Ideal Power. “Our variable frequency drives are anticipated to extend product life and bring performance improvements and cost reductions to the industry.”
After undergoing months of testing by independent researchers at the University of Texas Center for Electromechanics (CEM) alongside a popular product from one of the world’s leading VFD manufacturers, Ideal Power’s PPSA-based VFD yielded superior performance results over the existing technology. UT CEM’s testing, research and comparison demonstrated that Ideal Power’s VFD had very low output distortion which results in quiet motor operation and preserves overall motor life. The high output distortion of a traditional VFD will degrade a motor’s life when compared to the low output distortion of an Ideal Power VFD.
“The combination of low input harmonics, compatibility with standard motors, compact size, light weight, and high efficiency makes our VFD an excellent solution for both newly installed HVAC chiller drives and HVAC chiller drive retrofits, just one of the major segments of the broader VFD market where Ideal Power will focus,” commented Bill Alexander, chief technology officer and founder of Ideal Power.