Perpetuum powers new low-cost wireless monitoring system

An energy harvester designed by an ECS professor and manufactured by an ECS spin-out company is powering the world's first low-cost industrial wireless condition monitoring system.

Perpetuum’s energy harvesters power the world’s first low cost industrial wireless condition monitoring system at Prüftechnik’s stand D16, hall 24, at the Hannover Fair. PMG17-100 energy harvesting microgenerator converts machine and plant vibration into useful electricity, enabling wireless sensors to transmit large amounts of critical data. Perpetuum’s microgenerators can be used to power condition monitoring systems enabling end-users to continually monitor plant and equipment allowing them to make significant cost savings.

PMG17-100 operates on vibration from plant or machinery running on mains frequency at 50Hz. It transforms the kinetic energy of vibration into an electrical current, producing ample power, for a wireless transmitter to send 6 Kbytes of data (i.e. a vibration spectrum), every few minutes, or smaller amounts of data several times a second. Installation is easy, efficient and virtually instantaneous: it is simply placed on the piece of equipment without the need for a timely and costly plant shut-down.

Perpetuum’s technology enables wireless sensing nodes to monitor plant, processes and machinery, remotely, wirelessly and without any batteries. It eliminates the need for cables, costly installation and time consuming maintenance.

Perpetuum has been working with partners, including leading European condition monitoring provider, Prüftechnik, and wireless solutions provider, Nanotron, to develop this commercial solution for condition monitoring applications.

“We are delighted to have worked with Prüftechnik and Nanotron to bring this wireless condition monitoring solution to market,” says Roy Freeland, CEO Perpetuum. “The result of this collaboration will allow plant operators and managers to improve efficiency through timely and accurate management of plant assets.”

The PMG17-100 is the latest offering from Perpetuum, whose other product developments include microgenerators for transportation, medical and aerospace industries.

The original research behind the Perpetuum products was carried out in the School of Electronics and Computer Science, by Professor Neil White and colleagues.

For further information contact: Perpetuum Ltd., Epsilon House, Southampton Science Park, Southampton SO16 7NS. Tel : +44 (0)23 8076 5888. email : info@perpetuum.co.uk