Sprint Electric, the world’s leading manufacturer of industrial motor control drives, has received funding from the UK Innovation Fund for its innovative Generis regenerative AC drive. This patented AC drive technology enables precise control of AC motors and efficient energy recovery – a need that traditional AC drives cannot adequately meet.
Sprint Electric was selected as one of 28 successful applicants out of 89 applications. The funding comes as part of the fifth round of the Innovate UK Investor Partnership program aimed at supporting small and medium-sized enterprises.
Sprint Electric has been working with the University of Nottingham since 2018, when they began prototyping new core technology for regenerative AC drives based on laboratory-scale silicon devices. The first 22 kW Generis drives are now ready for sale, and the funding will be used to develop the Generis range up to 250 kW.
Unique to the Generis is that the driver offers full four-quadrant control as standard, along with unity power factor and minimal input current distortion. Four-quadrant control eliminates the need for active input drivers or braking resistors, simplifying the control of AC motors in complex applications.
Generis will feature improved heating, motor precision and overall system efficiency. Regenerative AC drives also reduce operating costs and have simple safety circuitry. These aspects will be attractive to customers who value solid-state design, extended service life and reduced maintenance costs.
Sprint Electric has traditionally specialized in producing DC motor controllers that return kinetic energy stored in a load to the power source in the form of electrical current. These DC controllers improve the performance of rotating machines around the world while delivering significant energy savings.
In 2023, Sprint Electric received a £2 million private investment from Foresight Group and a £500,000 investment from the Midlands Engine Investment Fund.
Gary Keane, director of Sprint Electric, commented: “The AC motor market is over 40 times larger than DC motors, but there is currently no range of inverters (variable speed AC drives) that can effectively deliver efficient regeneration . taking advantage of a gap in the market to create an AC drive capable of regenerative operation and ultra-low harmonics.”
“This new technology will also have a huge impact on reducing global energy consumption. Modern industrial plants are responsible for efficiently producing and processing all the materials we need on a large scale. The world’s population is growing rapidly and is driven by resource-intensive industrial processes. Energy consumption is expected to reach 35 trillion kWh by 2035, with electric motors accounting for 28% of all electricity (Energy Efficiency International, 2011), representing 9.8 trillion kWh that the world needs to support. We believe Generis will play an important role in addressing this challenge while reducing energy consumption,” said Gary.
For further information contact: Sprint Electric Ltd Unit C2Peregrine HouseFord LaneFordW. SussexBN18 0DFT Tel: (01243) 558080 Email: info@sprint-electric.com Website: https://www.sprint-electric.com
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Post time: Jun-06-2024