Posted on Tue, Apr 19, 2011
A novel magnetic valve system being developed at LaunchPoint Technologies could enable the implementation of electronically-controlled variable valve timing in camless internal combustion engines. The linear-motion actuator implements the patented magnetic spring technology originally developed by LaunchPoint for an aerospace application. Outstanding performance characteristics seen in the first bench-top prototype have led to the award of a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Science Foundation for continued development.
LaunchPoint's Magnetic
Valve Actuator
LaunchPoint Technologies Inc. has been awarded a $500K National Science Foundation (NSF) Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grant (No. IIP-1058556) to continue the development of a novel magnetic valve actuator. Once fully developed the actuator will enable the implementation of electronically-controlled variable valve timing in camless internal combustion engines.
Despite the introduction of hybrid-electric and electric cars, the vast majority of vehicles driven worldwide will continue to use internal combustion engines for several decades. To meet stringent emissions regulations and improve fuel-efficiency, new engine technologies are necessary. The "Holy Grail" of combustion control for internal combustion engines is variable valve timing. At each engine speed and operating condition, the valve timing can be optimized, enabling double-digit improvement in fuel-efficiency, torque, and emissions reductions.
Thus far, however, variable valve timing technology has been either too costly to implement on conventional vehicles or far less effective and robust than desired. LaunchPoint's new valve system could change that. The valve actuator is based on the patented magnetic spring technology (U.S. Patent 7,265,470) originally developed by LaunchPoint for an aerospace application. A bench-top prototype developed during the Phase I effort demonstrated outstanding performance characteristics. Test results showed that the actuator was able to traverse an 8mm stroke distance in 3 milliseconds with consistent switching trajectories and very soft landings.
Magnetic Valve System Prototype
Mike Ricci, VP of Engineering at LaunchPoint and Principal Investigator for the Phase II effort praised the U.S. SBIR program--"It is only with grants like this one from NSF that valuable new technologies being developed at small companies have a chance to get to market. This funding will enable LaunchPoint to bring the technology to a point where it is attractive for investors to help with commercialization."
The goal of the Phase II development effort is to reduce the switching interval even further while improving the robustness of the design. LaunchPoint engineers will design, build, and test a second generation of the magnetic valve actuator. The actuator will then be integrated into a complete engine subsystem and tested on an experimental engine.
Magnetic valve actuators can be applied to a wide variety of internal combustion engines. Actuators of this type would eliminate the numerous engine components required for a typical camshaft drive, thereby decreasing manufacturing and maintenance costs and increasing reliability. Magnetic actuators could be designed into new engines and retrofitted to existing engines. The widespread adoption of these actuators would substantially decrease petroleum usage and the associated production of greenhouse gases and air pollution while promoting the country's energy independence.
About LaunchPoint Technologies Inc.
LaunchPoint Technologies Inc. is an engineering services and contract R&D firm with expertise in electromagnetics; control theory; motor and generator design and development; medical device design and development; CFD optimization, and prototyping. LaunchPoint works with government agencies, companies, and entrepreneurs to develop new technologies, secure IP, and procure funds for commercialization efforts. For more information, please visit our website at www.launchpnt.com.
Posted on Tue, Apr 12, 2011
Thomas R. Mason, a recognized expert in power generation and gas turbine technology, has joined Gravity Power LLC as the new Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Mason previously served as Executive Vice President at Calpine, a major U.S. power company and North America’s leading provider of geothermal energy. In addition, he served as President of the Calpine Power Company where he was responsible for the largest fleet of gas-fired power plants in the world. Mr. Mason replaces Founder Jim Fiske who will turn his focus to technology development as the Chief Technology Officer.
“Bringing Tom on board is a huge boost for Gravity Power,” said Mr. Fiske. “At Calpine Tom was in charge of the simultaneous construction of 30 large power plants. With his help, we intend to beat that record.”
Gravity Power, a spin-off of LaunchPoint Technologies, is developing a new modular pumped hydro energy storage system that can be sited almost anywhere electricity storage is needed. The Gravity Power Module (GPM) can be quickly installed underground with virtually no adverse environmental impacts. With a combination of proven pump-turbine technologies and ground-breaking system architecture, the GPM offers far superior operating characteristics and economics over conventional pumped hydro storage, compressed air energy storage, or batteries.
Posted on Mon, Apr 19, 2010
Gravity Power’s innovative pumped storage hydropower technology, the Gravity Power Module, is the subject of a recent article in International Water Power and Dam Construction (IWPDC), a well-known trade magazine that provides industry news and information for the worldwide hydropower, tunneling and construction business. The article, entitled “A Weighting Game,” is the result of extensive interviews with Chief Executive Officer, Jim Fiske, and Executive Vice President, Chris Grieco, and provides the reader with an in-depth look at the company, the technology, and the market opportunities. Gravity Power is a spin-out of LaunchPoint Technologies, Inc., a California-based venture engineering firm and hi-tech incubator where Fiske is also VP of Advanced Systems.
Posted on Wed, Mar 03, 2010
A novel magnetic valve system being developed at LaunchPoint Technologies could be the enabling technology for electronically-controlled variable valve timing in advanced internal combustion engines.
Santa Barbara, CA (PRWEB) March 3, 2010 -- LaunchPoint Technologies, Inc. (LaunchPoint) has been awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovations Research (SBIR) grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to design and test a new magnetic valve actuator that will enable the reliable and cost-effective implementation of variable valve timing in camless internal combustion engines. Although desirable for its demonstrated improvements in fuel-efficiency, torque, and emissions reductions, variable valve timing has remained an elusive technology. Currently, available variable valve timing mechanisms are either too costly to implement on conventional vehicles or far less effective and robust than desired. The goal of the proposed project is to demonstrate a compact, linear-motion actuator capable of driving a typical engine valve.
During the Phase I development effort, LaunchPoint will design, prototype, and test the proposed actuator using the magnetic spring technology originally developed for a high-speed switching mechanism in a space application.
"Variable valve timing is the Holy Grail of internal combustion control," explains Dr. Maksim Subbotin, Systems Engineer and Principal Investigator for the project. "The advantages of our technology lie in the inherent nature of the nonlinear magnetic spring used as the primary valve actuator." The nonlinear spring provides most of the energy required to open or close the valve while also ensuring a soft landing. The low-power electromagnetic actuator is used only to "throw" or "catch" the valve at the beginning or the end of the stroke.
Variable valve timing technology has demonstrated a fuel efficiency improvement of up to 20 percent, torque improvement of 5 to 13 percent, emission reductions of up to 10 percent in hydrocarbons, and 40 to 60 percent in NOx for conventional spark ignition (SI) and compression ignition engines. The demonstrated improvements are even more dramatic for innovative Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) engines and Compressed Air Hybrid engines. For example, the NOx reduction is predicted to be two orders of magnitude lower in comparison to a conventional SI engine with almost zero particulate matter emissions.
Valves of this type could be applied to a wide variety of internal combustion engines. A magnetic valve actuator would eliminate the numerous engine components required for a typical camshaft drive, in turn, decreasing manufacturing and maintenance costs and increasing reliability. Magnetic valves could be designed into new engines and retrofitted to existing engines. The widespread adoption of these valves would substantially decrease petroleum usage and the associated production of greenhouse gases and air pollution, while also promoting energy independence.
About LaunchPoint Technologies
LaunchPoint Technologies Inc. is an engineering services and design firm that specializes in technology and product development. We have extensive experience in motor/generator design and development, medical device design and development, and maglev technologies. Our staff includes product and system designers, physicists, and engineers from a wide array of disciplines. As 'Venture Engineers' we invest our engineering expertise in proof-of-concept modeling and prototype design, secure IP, and assist with grant-writing and/or venture capital solicitation. For more information, please visit our website at launchpnt.com, or call 805-683-9659, ext. 219.
Media Contact:
Maksim Subbotin, Ph.D.
LaunchPoint Technologies, Inc.
5735 Hollister Ave., Suite B
Goleta, CA 93117
805-683-9659, ext. 237
Posted on Sun, Feb 14, 2010
LaunchPoint Technologies, Inc. and its fellow Consortium members have been awarded a $5.6 million contract from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to pursue the continued development of the PediaFlowTM VAD, an implantable heart-assist device for infants and small children with congenital or acquired heart disease. The four-year program, known as 'Pumps for Kids, Infants, and Neonates (PumpKIN) Preclinical Program,' will enable the PediaFlow Consortium to complete preclinical testing and obtain FDA approval to begin clinical trials.
The PediaFlowTM VAD is one of four projects sponsored by the $23.6 million NIH National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) PumpKIN Preclinical Program. The PediaFlow Consortium, under the direction of Dr. Harvey Borovetz, Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh, includes researchers and developers from the University of Pittsburgh; Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh; Carnegie Mellon University; World Heart Corporation (WorldHeart); and LaunchPoint Technologies, Inc. (LaunchPoint).
The PediaFlowTM VAD is a fully magnetically-levitated (maglev) blood pump, approximately the size of an AA battery. The pump design is an evolution of the award-winning maglev technology originally developed at LaunchPoint in collaboration with Dr. James Antaki and the University of Pittsburgh, and further refined during collaborations with WorldHeart on their LevacorTM VAD (currently in US bridge-to-transplant clinical trials). A recently completed five-year NIH contract allowed the Consortium to make significant progress in pump miniaturization and to successfully complete a multi-month in vivo implant in late 2009. The bearing-less blood pump is designed to offer excellent blood-compatibility with acceptably low energy consumption, and to ultimately provide up to six months of extended circulatory support for infants and children recovering from heart surgery or awaiting a heart transplant.
The three other PumpKIN awardees are Ension, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA; University of Maryland School of Medicine; and Jarvik Heart, Inc., New York, NY.
According to the NHLBI, nearly 1,800 infants die each year as a result of congenital heart defects and another 350 develop heart disease. Of those placed on the heart transplant list, approximately 60 infants and children under the age of 5 lose their lives each year while waiting for a donor heart.
"This research seeks to develop technologies to expand life-saving options for infants and children born with congenital heart defects or those who develop heart failure," noted Susan B. Shurin, M.D., pediatrician and Acting Director of the NHLBI. "Well-designed circulatory support devices are expected to substantially improve the outcomes of the infants and young children who need them as they seek to recover or wait to receive a heart transplant."
Posted on Tue, Feb 09, 2010
The growing complexity of automobiles is creating an urgent need for Hi-Rel Systems Design. Even Toyota, a company renowned for high quality and advanced engineering, is facing issues with some of the most basic functions in their cars - sticking accelerator pedals (or possibly accelerator electronics), and unreliable braking systems. The result, as broadly reported in the press, is that at least 19 people have died, and nearly 8 million Toyota vehicles have been recalled at an estimated $2 billion in cost for the recall and lost sales, not to mention damage to its leading position in brand loyalty.
"LaunchPoint's assessment is that attaining safety and high-reliability in large fleets of vehicles continues to be a tremendous challenge. The challenge is exacerbated by the increasing sophistication of the vehicle electronic systems demanded by consumers. Safety and reliability in electronic systems will become a greater issue as large high-power lithium ion batteries are deployed into the next generation of green cars. These large battery packs contain hundreds of energy-dense cells where each cell must be monitored and controlled. Without ultra 'Hi-Rel' electronics the risks of severe injury and costly failures will be too great. To meet this urgent need, LaunchPoint has established a Hi-Rel business unit," says Brad Paden, CEO of LaunchPoint Technologies Inc., and UC Santa Barbara Professor of Engineering. "Our first action was to recruit Larry Yount as our CTO, a Senior Technical Fellow at Honeywell. Larry is a 30-year veteran of the toughest area in Hi-Rel - commercial aircraft control where a single system fault can cause a catastrophic loss of life."
"While successful automotive Hi-Rel system design is based on the principles learned in aerospace, it must be adapted to the technical problems and cost requirements of commercial automobiles. This has been essential in my work, including working with major automotive manufacturers - safety and reliability are essential, but cost effectiveness is too. I am very pleased to lead the Hi-Rel initiative at LaunchPoint," said Yount.
Yount goes on to say: "Automotive OEMs and suppliers are beginning to recognize the benefits of aerospace thinking in electronic throttle control, or more complex problems such as HEV braking, and Li-ion battery management. And, if the US wants to be a major player in Li-ion batteries for electrified vehicles, it must recognize that there are major safety and reliability problems that chemistry alone cannot solve - we need Hi-Rel systems-level solutions. The US aerospace industry spent decades evolving the solutions to similarly complex problems, and this area of knowledge is still a very rare commodity."
While at Honeywell, Larry proved himself as chief system architect in the design of numerous fly-by-wire control systems, including contributions to the Boeing 787. Mr. Yount has numerous patents addressing the various aspects of Hi-Rel system design, and more than a dozen peer-reviewed technical publications. His current interest is in applying his talents to lithium-ion battery safety, reliability and product value.
For additional information about LaunchPoint and its Hi-Rel initiative, please contact:
Jerome Wiedmann
jwiedmann@launchpnt.com
805-683-9659 x200
Posted on Tue, Oct 06, 2009
Gravity Power LLC, a venture-funded start-up company formerly known as LaunchPoint Innovations LLC, has emerged from stealth mode to announce the development of a revolutionary grid-scale electricity storage system. The company's Gravity Power Module (GPM) exploits the established principles of pumped storage hydropower, but extends them in a new direction to provide greatly expanded applications and utility.
Pumped storage hydropower (PSH) is the only large-scale electricity storage technology widely used today, with over 120,000 megawatts of capacity worldwide. However, a new PSH installation typically takes 11-15 years to develop and an investment exceeding a billion dollars before a single watt of power is produced. It also has severe siting limitations due to the need for two large reservoirs at different elevations and the resulting environmental disruption. In contrast, the GPM can be quickly installed underground with virtually no environmental impact.
"We have designed a modular, closed system with a very small footprint that can be sited almost anywhere electricity storage is needed," notes Jim Fiske, founder and CEO of Gravity Power, LLC. "Our combination of proven technologies, such as reversible pump-turbines and shaft construction methods, and ground-breaking system architecture gives us better operating characteristics and economics than conventional pumped storage, compressed air energy storage or batteries."
The company says GPM installations can offset costly and controversial transmission system upgrades, optimize the value of renewable energy sources, and provide a vast array of services to the Smart Grid.
"The GPM will greatly reduce the time-to-market for energy storage because each module can go into service as soon as it's completed, and the installation can be expanded over time to the required capacity. This also provides a vastly shorter time span from initial capital investment to start of revenue", says Chris Grieco, Executive Vice President of Gravity Power, LLC. "We've recruited and have been working with an exceptional group of collaborators in hydropower, construction, engineering, permitting, and renewable energy finance to ensure our success."
"Our recent participation in the Clean Energy Leaders Day in Washington, D.C. with Rep. Lois Capps and other Congressional and local advocates only increased our confidence in the potential for our technology," adds Fiske. "We support the Department of Energy's Smart Grid initiative and have submitted a proposal to build a Gravity Power Module demonstration system right here in Santa Barbara County. At the recent GridWeek 2009 Conference, DOE Secretary Chu discussed pumped storage hydropower as a proven example of the energy storage capability that will be required to increase the rollout of renewable energy generation resources. This is music to our ears."
Gravity Power is currently in discussions with potential strategic partners and will be attending the biennial Electrical Energy Storage Applications and Technology (EESAT) Conference in Seattle, October 4-7, to explore collaborative development opportunities.
Posted on Mon, Sep 21, 2009
Santa Barbara, CA (PRWEB) September 21, 2009 -- LaunchPoint Technologies, Inc. has completed optimization and initial prototyping for a high efficiency, high power density, Halbach array electric motor. With a total weight of only 1.4 pounds, this electric motor produces 7 horsepower at 8400 rpm with 95 percent efficiency. At 5 horsepower per pound, this electric motor has a higher power density than any other electric motor on the market. The brushless, axial flux permanent magnet design is highly tolerant of temperature and centrifugal effects, and the ironless rotor and stator eliminate iron eddy current and hysteresis losses.
LaunchPoint's Halbach Array Electric Motor (Cross-Section)
Although the current design is only 6 inches in diameter and less than 1 inch thick, this high power density electric motor design can be scaled and adapted for larger electric vehicle motor applications such as: electrically-powered and hybrid UAVs; electrically-propelled manned aircraft and underwater vehicles; wheel motors for automobiles and motorcycles; and wheel motors for scooters, bicycles, and other lightweight transportation devices.
Designed and developed by LaunchPoint Senior Systems Engineer, Geoff Long, the new high efficiency electric motor will enable applications not previously possible. With the move to electrically-powered vehicles of all types, LaunchPoint's motor technology is timely. "Highly efficient and lightweight electric motors are needed now more than ever, and that's exactly what LaunchPoint's technology delivers," notes Long. "LaunchPoint's electric motor technology squeezes more power out of a smaller package and at a higher efficiency than any other motor on the market."
LaunchPoint received initial development funding through a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). DARPA is interested in using the motor in electrically-propelled Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The light weight and high power density provided by this new electric motor design enable an extended battery life, longer ranges, and larger payloads.
Continuing development funding is being sought from NASA and the Department of Defense as well as private investors. Several defense manufacturers and multiple branches of the US military have recently expressed specific interest in this motor design. The LaunchPoint Halbach array electric motor, with its ideal combination of power, efficiency and light weight, offers the best solution for applications where performance is critical.
LaunchPoint's Electric Motor Design Experience
LaunchPoint Technologies has a long history of electromagnetic technology development that includes rotary and linear motors as well as magnetic bearings, voice coil actuators, maglev vehicle suspensions, eddy current sensors, and wireless MEMS pressure sensors. Our engineering team focuses on optimization and high-performance applications, including: implantable magnetically-levitated rotary blood pumps; high-speed energy storage flywheels; and linear synchronous motors for maglev vehicles.
About LaunchPoint Technologies, Inc.
LaunchPoint Technologies is an engineering services and design firm that specializes in technology and product development. We have extensive experience in motor/generator design and development, medical device design and development, and maglev technologies. Our staff includes product and system designers, physicists, and engineers from a wide array of disciplines. LaunchPoint's areas of expertise include: systems engineering, electrical & electronic engineering, mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, security systems, MEMS devices, materials science, safety-critical fail-op/fail-safe systems, battery safety-reliability & availability electronics, and circuit design. Our business models include: engineering consulting; technology development with SBIR grants; and equity-exchange for engineering work on promising technologies. As 'Venture Engineers' we invest our engineering expertise in proof-of-concept modeling and prototype design, secure IP, and assist with grant-writing and/or venture capital solicitation.
Posted on Wed, Aug 05, 2009
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Santa Barbara, CA, August 5, 2009 -- LaunchPoint Technologies Inc. has won National Science Foundation (NSF) American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds to develop advanced control techniques for the operation of high-speed, high-efficiency, energy storage flywheels. Energy storage flywheels, such as LaunchPoint's 'Power Ring', provide bursts of power over short time periods and are currently being developed as a more cost-effective method for maintaining electric power stability in the face of outages, surges, and sags that typically last up to a few seconds. These disturbances in power have an enormous economic impact (estimates exceed $100 billion per year), interrupting business operations and causing inconvenience and safety concerns for millions of people.
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Cross-Section of a Magnetically-Levitated High-Speed Flywheel
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Maintaining the rated voltage and frequency of the U.S. electric power grid under changing load conditions requires a significant amount of readily controllable generating capacity or operating reserve. Today, the majority of that reserve comes from fossil fuel stations operating at partial capacity. This mode of operation is inefficient, leading to increased emissions as well as increased energy losses. Flywheel energy storage systems, on the other hand, are non-polluting in operation, more efficient under rapid load changes, and respond more quickly than conventional backup energy sources, making them well-suited for frequency regulation applications. This is particularly true for the regulation of highly variable energy sources such as wind power.
To be effective, however, energy storage flywheels must be able to generate power on the megawatt scale, which requires high rotational speeds and results in centripetal forces in excess of 100,000 G's. To achieve these speeds, which are on the order of 600 meters per second at 20,000 rpm, the flywheel is constructed of a carbon composite material and is levitated using a magnetic bearing. By using magnetic levitation and operating the flywheel in a vacuum, friction is eliminated, permitting higher rotation speeds and lower operating costs as a result of decreased wear on the system and reduced energy consumption. These advantages, however, can only be realized by an active control system that enables a uniform levitation gap between the flywheel stator and rotor (see figure).
Led by VP of Engineering, Mike Ricci, LaunchPoint is working to develop a robust adaptive control system that will allow a reliable and energy-efficient levitation system for flywheels operating at high speeds. This research will extend the state of the art in control theory by generalizing several disparate control design techniques into one unified framework.
"While our immediate application for the control system is the flywheel, this research will also be applicable to reducing energy consumption in many of the high speed machines that LaunchPoint designs," notes Mike Ricci, including the PediaFlowTM Pediatric Ventricular Assist Device (an implantable pediatric heart assist pump).
About LaunchPoint Technologies, Inc.
LaunchPoint Technologies, Inc is a venture engineering firm specializing in R&D, rapid prototyping, and product design. Our staff includes a group of creative product and system designers, engineers, and physicists, covering a wide array of disciplines. Brad E. Paden, Ph.D., IEEE Fellow, and Professor of Mechanical Engineering at UCSB, founded the company in 1992. Our business models include: consulting for companies that need to solve engineering challenges; grant writing for technology development; and equity-exchange for engineering work on promising technologies.
Areas of specialty include: Systems Engineering, Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Security, MEMS/NANO, Materials Science, Intellectual Property, Fail-Safe Systems, and Circuit Design.
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