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Sheffield based Magnomatics, the developer of a revolutionary magnetic gear system, has won the prestigious 2011 Northern Defence Industries (NDI) Innovation and Technology Award.  

Peter Luff MP, Minister for Defence Equipment, Support & Technology, presented the award to Magnomatics for the development of a magnetic gearing system capable of delivering industrial levels of torque and power. The company integrated this magnetic gear into a novel electric motor known as a Pseudo Direct Drive, or PDD®, which offers significant advantages over traditional induction and permanent magnet motor systems.

There has been significant interest in Magnomatics PDD® system. In 2009 Magnomatics, with help from NDI, were contracted by the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) Programmes and Technology Group, to provide a desk-based study to progressively de-risk this novel motor technology and evaluate options for a naval application. This was successfully achieved and under a new MOD project, Magnomatics is now designing, building and testing a scale prototype of a 300 kilowatt naval Magnetically Geared Propulsion Motor (MGPM) that will de-risk production of a full size naval MGPM of 15 megawatts.

Speaking after the conference, NDI Managing Director, Robin Fox, said; “Magnomatics has created a new technology that will change the way we think about all drive systems, not just the naval drive system above. They are a wonderful example of the wealth of innovation that SMEs in the UK have to offer. I can only marvel at the possibilities that their superlative research and development will produce next.’

Magnomatics is a spin-out company from the University of Sheffield, founded in 2006 to commercialise revolutionary research on magnetic transmission systems, high-torque electrical machines and electromechanical actuators and dampers and the Company now works with some of the largest and most prestigious blue-chip multinationals.

The Pseudo Direct Drive® (PDD) offers significant advantages over traditional induction and permanent magnet motor systems; these include very high torque capability for a given motor size, protection from overloads, low maintenance and efficiencies of more than 98 per cent at full load, which also gives the benefit of a reduced requirement for cooling. In addition, the PDD® offers a quiet drive system, as its internal gear does not include any meshing components.

The current contract with the MOD is a 14 month programme that will deliver a 300 kilowatt Magnetically Geared Propulsion Motor (MGPM) that has been tested for basic operation at part power. Recommendations will be made for subsequent programmes of work to fully test the machine and further de-risk MGPM systems (i.e. bearings and bearing lubrication systems) and to construct a 15 megawatt machine. 

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