Calnetix Technologies to Present Magnetic Bearing Supported Blower Data at the 53rd International Conference on Environmental Systems

CERRITOS, Calif. – July 9, 2024 – Calnetix Technologies has announced that Rasish Khatri, Manager of Rotordynamics and AMB controls, will be presenting a lecture on Tuesday, July 23 entitled “Commissioning and Operational Data of Advanced Magnetic-Bearing-(AMB) Supported Carbon Dioxide Blower for Space Applications” during the 53rd International Conference on Environmental Systems (ICES) taking place in Louisville, KY.

ICES is committed to developing and propagating scientific knowledge and engineering achievements that advance the technologies needed to create habitable conditions in outer space. The conference will bring together a global audience encompassing academics, government, and space industry organizations.

As such, Khatri’s presentation will highlight Calnetix’s AMB systems integrated into the blower used in NASA’s next-generation Four Bed Carbon Dioxide Scrubber (FBCO2) currently installed on the International Space Station (ISS). The blower moves air through the FBCO2 sorbent beds, providing the volumetric airflow required to absorb CO2 from habitable spaces.  AMBs achieve high-speed, maintenance-free operation over long product lifetimes, offering an unmatched level of operational reliability, which is paramount in habitable space application equipment.

Khatri will describe the design of the novel magnetically levitated blower and highlight key software features engineered into the system’s Continuum Dual Controller, which enabled the blower to be remotely commissioned as the first five-axis AMB-supported machine operating in space.

Khatri will also share an analysis of the vast quantity of live, zero-gravity data captured from Calnetix’s Continuum Dual Controller during the first thirty days of FBCO2 operation onboard the ISS. Data was continuously monitored over the past year, allowing for a comprehensive assessment of blower performance.

“Because it was not feasible to send an engineering team into space to install the blower, the installation and commissioning process for this blower presented several unique challenges not previously seen in fielded AMB applications.  The lack of direct verbal communication and inability to directly connect a computer to the blower controller coupled with the total cost of commissioning systems in space, meant that we had to take several steps to automate normal commissioning procedures in our controller.  We also needed to thoroughly test all commissioning processes on the ground first.  In the end, the team worked diligently and efficiently to get this product launched and commissioned successfully.”

About Calnetix Technologies

Calnetix Technologies, LLC (“Calnetix”), headquartered in Cerritos, Calif., is focused on Innovation That Drives Industries®. The company specializes in high-performance, high-speed motor generators, and best-in-class advanced magnetic bearings and control systems. Calnetix’s patented, underlying technologies have been in use since its inception in 1998, making it a world leader in the design and production of high-speed electromagnetic machines.

 

The company’s technology portfolio and system integration capabilities have led to numerous development and production opportunities with industry leaders and many successful start-up subsidiaries focused on niche markets.