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Press
Direct Drive Systems Innovation Days to be held at the University of Texas at Austin’s Center for Electromechanics.
Austin, Texas
- 4/19/2008
- Direct Drive Systems (DDS) conducted a Technology Innovation Day in Austin, Texas on April 2nd & 3rd to present its new production Frame 8 machine. Experts from various industries were invited to a welcome reception and a tour and testing of the Frame 8 at the University of Texas at Austin's Center for Electromechanics (CEM) laboratory. The event received an overwhelming response with over 100 people attending representing leading Integrated O&G companies, natural gas pipelines, refiners, petrochemical companies, EPCs, various compressor, gas turbine and electrical equipment OEMs and the United States Military.
Attendees were impressed with the level of testing expertise performed by the U of T CEM lab and the resulting performance attributes of the Frame 8 machine. Because of the large turnout, people had to be rotated through the lab in several groups to observe the Frame 8 performance test and other interesting projects being performed at the U of T CEM facility. Many of the CEM lab projects were Military “proprietary” studies so there were some limitations for viewing and photos.
Due to safety requirements, attendees were directed to examine the DDS’ Frame 8 machine prior to its start up. Once the groups were rotated through, the Frame 8 was put through an extensive performance test. Machine attributes were continuously monitored in the control room (bottom right photo) where screens displayed the speed, temperature, vibration, and power output. The Frame 8 is a permanent magnet synchronous machine, so the same machine can be used as both a motor and a generator. At this event, the machine was run as a generator driven by a 3 MW TF40 gas turbine at 15,000 rpm and the power was dissipated through load banks with conditions available at the CEM facility.
The DDS Frame 8 is the first permanent magnet synchronous high-speed machine to achieve these powers and speeds and also the first to offer initial cost equal to or lower than conventional gear box solutions. This breakthrough product offering will allow compressors and gas turbines to be coupled directly without the assistance of a gearbox, resulting in a significant gain in efficiency and reliability while reducing operators’ total cost of ownership.
About Direct Drive Systems
DDS products include a line of high-speed, high-power motors, generators, magnetic bearings and power electronics. DDS technology allows its electrical machines to rotate at speeds matching the compressor and gas turbine shaft speeds without the need of any gear assembly. DDS machines are approximately 20% the size and weight of conventional motors. This “Energy Density” provides impressive reductions in the required footprint for offshore or space and weight limited applications. In addition, testing indicates that the DDS machines are not affected by Sour Gas environments and will perform as normally expected.
About University of Texas at Austin, Center for Electromechanics
The Center for Electromechanics (CEM) is a world-class center specializing in the analysis, design, fabrication and testing of advanced electrical power generation and distribution systems. Established in 1975, CEM is one of the largest Organized Research Units at The University of Texas at Austin, conducting approximately $15 million in funded research each year for a variety of government and commercial sponsors. Core competency areas include high specific power electromechanical devices, coupled electro-mechanical-thermal analysis and simulation techniques, composite materials and manufacturing technology, high specific power converters, energy storage systems, and system level design and optimization. These capabilities are supported by a dedicated laboratory and fabrication/test facilities unmatched by any university research facility in the United States. For more information, please visit: www.utexas.edu/research/cem or contact John Herbst: j.herbst@mail.utexas.edu.
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