Phase
Technologies has donated $8,300 worth of power electronics technology to the
electrical engineering department at South Dakota School of Mines & Technology.
For the past several months, the Phase Technologies’ engineering team, led by
Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Peda Medagam has been collaborating with Dr.
Magesh Rajan and Dr. Malek Ramezani, professors of electrical engineering at SD
Mines. Together they have been developing a custom power electronics system to
be utilized for research and hands-on student learning.
Dr.
Ramezani says, “The equipment donated by Phase Technologies will help the
Applied Power Electronics and Energy Conversion (APEEC) lab in the EE
department develop grid compatible inverters and facilitate the integration of
distributed and renewable energy resources into the power grid. The equipment
will be also utilized to develop and implement different synchronization
techniques under adverse grid conditions. These are critical steps toward
providing reliable power with high quality in the presence of deep penetration
of renewable energy resources into the traditional power grid.”
Phase
Technologies has deep ties to SD Mines. Many of Medagam’s team members received
their engineering degrees from the Mines. In fact, twenty years ago, it was SD
Mines professor Dr. Larry Meiners who invented the original phase conversion
technology that launched Phase Technologies into business. Meiners created the
world’s only solid-state (digital) phase converter. Since its inception, the
company has been continuously in a state of innovation. The original digital
phase converter was redesigned into the current market leader, the Phase
Perfect® Digital Phase Converter.
After
perfecting phase conversion, Phase Technologies shifted its focus to innovating
Variable
Frequency Drives (VFDs). It is this latest technology that was
donated to SD Mines.
“By
collaborating with the electrical engineering team at SD Mines, we are able to
develop and test new ideas and technology much quicker that have real-world
impact, not just theoretical. We are happy to donate this state-of-the-art
equipment to not only help develop new algorithms and products but to educate
the students who may become future employees. We look forward to supporting Dr.
Rajan and Dr. Ramezani and SD Mines in the future with additional equipment and
research funding as well as continue to innovate our industry,” says Dr. Peda
Medagam.
Phase
Technologies CEO Nicholas Kingsbury, also an electrical engineering graduate
of SD Mines, adds, “It gives me great pleasure to see our company make such
significant contributions. The power electronics industry is expanding at
levels we never could have predicted 20 years ago when our company was started.
Collaborations such as this are vital to the prosperity of our company and will
benefit many generations of students to come!”
The need for phase
conversion and VFD solutions in consumer and industrial applications is not
new. However, the way Phase Technologies has innovated specific industry
problems is what is getting them noticed. Phase Technologies manufactures the world’s
only phase converting, low harmonic, VFD that is phase converting, IEEE
compliant (the international standard for allowable harmonic levels on utility
mains), and regenerative; all in one system. This technology has made a huge
impact in the irrigation, groundwater, wastewater and well drilling markets.
Not to mention oil & gas and HVAC (heating, ventilation & air
conditioning) as well.
The
Phase Perfect® Digital Phase Converter stands on its own in many industries
including CNC machining, HVAC, elevators and any industrial equipment that
requires three-phase power from single-phase utility service. Other examples
include industrial refrigeration, brewery/winery equipment, industrial ag
equipment and much more. The patented technology is unique in that it doesn’t
require a motor like the alternative, a rotary phase converter. The Phase
Perfect® has no moving parts (truly digital), it consumes much less power to
operate and protects the electronics on sensitive/expensive equipment. Many
users have called it “the magic box”, because “it just works”.
Dr. Rajan concludes,
“We greatly appreciate the partnership and collaboration between Phase
Technologies and the electrical engineering department at SD Mines. This
significant new-equipment donation will enable our faculty to perform research
& development on cutting-edge technology leading to innovation and economic
development for the Black Hills region. It will also provide opportunities for
our students to gain real hands-on learning and skills that are needed for the
growing industry. We look forward to continued collaboration with Phase
Technologies for research, innovation, and education.”