Ideal Power to Commercialize Variable Frequency Drives Based on PPSA Technology

Company said its next-generation VFD is expected to raise the bar for performance and system reliability

AUSTIN, Texas — Ideal Power Inc., a developer of power conversion technologies, announced it has successfully tested and demonstrated a new variable frequency drive (VFD) based on its patented Power Packet Switching Architecture™ (PPSA).

The company said its 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. Variable frequency drives control the speed of electric motors used in HVAC compressors and blowers, pumps, conveyor motors, cranes, 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), Ideal Power noted that its PPSA-based VFD yielded superior performance results over existing technology. The University of Texas CEM’s testing, research, and comparison showed that Ideal Power’s VFD had very low output distortion, which results in quiet motor operation and preserves overall motor life.

“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,” said Bill Alexander, chief technology officer and founder of Ideal Power.

For more information, visit www.idealpower.com.

Publication date: 3/29/2016

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