Many small steps are helping reduce carbon emissions, but if we are to avoid catastrophic global warming giant leaps are urgently required. Torque measuring specialist Sensor Technology is helping one of the key green tech players develop and test technologies critical for a sustainable future.
Redeem Technologies is dedicated to creating a more sustainable future by developing and licensing advanced clean technologies in heat pumps, CO2 refrigeration, compressed air high speed drive/generation systems and carbon capture.
Established in 2014, its founders recognised the urgent need for innovative clean technologies to replace traditional, unsustainable systems in heating, cooling, and carbon capture. Focussed on research and development, Redeem licenses its ground-breaking solutions, empowering third parties to develop eco-friendly products and services that address the pressing environmental challenges of our time.
Chief Technical Officer, Bernard Killingbeck is the driving force behind ground-breaking innovations of Redeem. He gives some background:
“Refrigeration is critical to modern life, but it comes at a significant environmental cost. Accounting for 20% of global electricity consumption, refrigeration generates over twice the carbon emissions of shipping and aviation combined. As the demand for refrigeration continues to grow, it is crucial to develop more sustainable solutions. At Redeem Technologies, we’re committed to addressing this challenge by revolutionising refrigeration with energy-efficient, eco-friendly technology.”
Redeem’s technology reduces the energy input required for refrigeration by up to 30%, lowering operating costs, conserving natural resources and mitigating carbon emissions. Its current focus is on applying new technology to heat pumps and CO2 transcritical refrigeration. It is also beginning to look at other fields such as carbon capture and storage and pneumatic propulsion.
“Importantly, our technology is designed to be scalable, making it suitable for a wide range of settings and industries,” says Bernard. “This allows our licensee partners to develop tailored solutions that meet the specific needs of their customers while maximising the environmental benefits.”
Unsurprisingly, Redeem’s headquarters at Hethel Engineering Centre, Norfolk is a hotbed of testing, testing and more testing. It uses bespoke test rig to put prototypes through long term evaluation, collecting and analysing vast quantities of data.
“We need our rigs to be simple to set up and run, plus the data collection must be reliable,” he explains. “Much of our research comes down to comparing torque inputs with speed, power or work done outputs. Discovering TorqSense from Sensor Technology has been a godsend, as it is easy to set up and totally dependable even on long-term tests. We now use TorqSense across the board on all drive systems laboratory trials.”
Sensor Technology specialises in torque measurement, offering two ranges of sensors: SGR which is based on a full four element strain gauge bridge and the ORT optical range. Both are available in a wide range of sizes and both are contactless rather than hard-wired solutions involving delicate and unreliable slip rings.
“In an intensive testing environment, the time saved from not having to set up slip rings for each test soon multiplies into a significant productivity gain,” notes Bernard, “while TorqSense’s steadfast data collection means every test produces a near-perfect data set.”
TorqSense is designed to meet both established user requirements. Notably, new units have the ability to accurately recording transient torque spikes, which tend to be important markers for test engineers as they often indicate developing problems that can be addressed early.
TorqSense units automatically compensate for any extraneous forces, such as bending moments, inadvertently applied to the sensor. They also offer high sensitivity, have a wide temperature tolerance, do not suffer the signal corruption associated with slip rings and hard wired solutions, and have a 400% mechanical overload capacity.
Bernard has also been delighted at the help and support offered by Sensor Technology. “They have been involved in the development of many technologies over the last 40 years, experience that has been invaluable to us as a start-up. Their expertise is never more than a phone call away and we know that nothing leaves Sensor Technology unless it is 100%.”
