VYCON, a subsidiary of Calnetix Technologies, will showcase its VDC XXE flywheel kinetic energy storage system for emergency backup power at the American Society for Healthcare Engineers (ASHE) Annual Conference and Technical Exhibition this month.
The VYCON VDC XXE provides a reliable, cost-efficient power source for uninterruptible power systems (UPS) in hospitals and medical facilities. It provides instant regulated DC electricity to the UPS to start up and transition to the emergency generators during a power outage, ensuring vital systems and electronics are kept on line.
“The NFPA Health Care Facilities Code requires that stand-by generators must cycle on within 10 seconds of a power failure, and the VYCON flywheel technology is designed to bridge that gap,” explained Frank DeLattre, VYCON business unit leader. “Traditionally, banks of lead-acid batteries have been used to power the UPS, but batteries require a large dedicated temperature-controlled space with spill containment and hydrogen gas monitoring. The batteries have a relatively short service life and are subject to hazmat disposal requirements. In contrast, the VYCON flywheel system has 20 times higher reliability, a much smaller footprint, self-monitoring capabilities, is virtually maintenance-free and can be operated in extreme temperatures without degrading performance over a 20-year design life.”
“The VYCON flywheel system provides a three- to four-year return on investment, and over its 20-year lifetime it can save hundreds of thousands of dollars in operating costs compared with batteries,” he added. “It also provides a 96 percent reduction in carbon emissions over lead-acid batteries, based on a typical 1MW requirement and a 15-year operating period. This is equal to approximately 65,000 kg of operational and embedded carbon.”
Unlike other flywheel systems, the patented VYCON design uses full five-axis active magnetic bearings instead of less-reliable mechanical bearings. This frictionless maintenance-free flywheel levitation solution eliminates the need for lubrication and bearing replacement.
The VYCON flywheel systems are certified by most major three-phase UPS manufacturers. Over 1,000 VYCON systems have been deployed worldwide. VYCON supports its products with a network of more than 200 trained technicians available 24/7.
The annual ASHE conference and exhibition takes place in Denver, July 10-13. It is expected to attract more than 3,200 healthcare facility management and engineering professionals, who attend the event to keep up-to-date on compliance, codes, standards, trends, emergency preparedness, efficiency sustainability and other topics. A personal membership group of the American Hospital Association, ASHE is the largest association dedicated to professionals who design, build, maintain and operate hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Visitors are invited to come by Booth 1021 to learn more about the VYCON kinetic energy storage technology.
For more information, please visit http://www.calnetix.com.
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