Las Vegas Desert Heat No Match for MagnaDrive Technology

BELLEVUE, Wash., May 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Las Vegas is known for stage
shows, creatively themed casinos, and triple-digit summer temperatures. Now,
magnetic technology from MagnaDrive Corporation is helping one top Vegas hotel
chain beat the heat.
Inside the city's resorts, huge water chillers work 24 hours a day, seven
days a week to keep visitors cool with air conditioning. Energy Managers say
up to 40 percent of energy bills go toward keeping cold air pumping through
the buildings. The Energy Manager for one of Las Vegas' most popular hotel
chains says he installed MagnaDrive technology on one of his chiller pumps
this spring to reduce wear and tear on the system and maintenance costs.
Normally, the pumps connect to the motor driving them, but MagnaDrive
couplings use magnetic energy instead, allowing space between the parts and
eliminating vibration and shock to the system during start-up and operation.
After the unit was in, they realized that MagnaDrive's technology was a
royal flush when it came to savings in other ways as well. MagnaDrive
engineers custom tuned a constant speed coupling to offer the performance
needed while also significantly reducing the energy needed to run the system.
The resort was able to put a big dent in those hefty electricity costs, which
can total millions of dollars during the summer months.
"My initial motive was to cut down some of [the shock created by vibration
in the system] and save a little electricity, now I'm saving a lot of
electricity and [eliminating] the shock as well, so it was an experiment that
turned out extraordinarily well," he said.
Lowest Total Cost of Ownership
This major Las Vegas hotel has some of the most automated mechanical
systems in the United States to keep close track of costs. Because of the
intense automation, Energy Managers could immediately see the savings take
shape with MagnaDrive technology installed.
Before their first MagnaDrive coupling installation, the pumps at the
hotel used 17-kilowatt hours of electricity. Electricity usage dropped below
14-kilowatt hours on the first pump installed with a MagnaDrive coupling. Not
only was it an immediate 20 percent drop in electricity, but adding MagnaDrive
technology to the pump will reduce future maintenance costs as well. In
addition, MagnaDrive's "green" technology achieves all those benefits while
being environmentally friendly.
"That's pretty phenomenal," said the resort's Energy Manager.
Because of this success, the hotel plans to put several MagnaDrive
couplings on all six of its giant chiller systems. MagnaDrive CEO Alex
Deriugin says the technology's growing popularity is more than just a touch of
Vegas luck.
"We are very excited about the continued success of our magnetic
technology and products in the Las Vegas area," said Deriugin, "We have had
several hotel/resort installations with wonderful results and look forward to
many more."
How the Technology Works
MagnaDrive products eliminate vibration and misalignment complications
between motors and loads because they are a disconnected technology. In a
typical application, a MagnaDrive Coupling is installed between a motor and
the load the motor is driving, in this case a pump. The coupling consists of
two independent components that have no physical contact.
One component, a precision rotor assembly containing high energy,
rare-earth magnets, is mounted on the load shaft. The second component, a
copper conductor assembly, is installed on the motor shaft. Relative motion
between the magnets and the copper creates a magnetic field that transmits
torque through the air space between the components. The magnets allow the
motor side to rotate the load side without actually touching it, making
alignment problems and maintenance because of misalignment a thing of the
past.
About MagnaDrive Corporation
MagnaDrive Corporation was founded in 1999 and is based out of Bellevue,
WA. The company's breakthrough magnetic technology provides a cost-effective
"green" solution to increase reliability and lower maintenance expense while
achieving energy savings and process control. MagnaDrive serves many markets,
including power generation, mining, oil and gas, maritime, the U.S. Navy,
water and wastewater, HVAC, and general manufacturing. The impact and
potential of this magnetic, world-wide patented technology was recognized by
Industry Week magazine, which selected MagnaDrive as Technology of the Year in
2001. MagnaDrive was selected by Inc. Magazine as one of the 500 fastest
growing private companies in the United States. Recently, Deloitte named
MagnaDrive one of the 100 fastest growing technology companies in North
America. MagnaDrive offers a family of products to accomplish a broad range
of operating objectives: Reliability, Speed Control, Torque Management,
Cushioned Start, Vibration Control and Misalignment Tolerance.
For more information, visit the company's Web site at
www.magnadrive.com or contact Eric Rothberg at (425) 463-4744 or
Eric.Rothberg@magnadrive.com.
SOURCE MagnaDrive Corporation

Eric Rothberg of MagnaDrive Corporation, +1-425-463-4744,
Eric.Rothberg@magnadrive.com