Okay….let’s talk about the Galin Integrated Smart Pump:
what is it, how it works, and its advantages and disadvantages.
We talk about pumps here as different to compressors. We make this distinction because we are talking about a device that moves incompressible (maybe pressurised, maybe not) fluid from one place to another. That is what we mean when we talk about pumps, and the device we will be discussing below.
Pumps are ubiquitous. The global market for pumps is estimated to be between $60 to $80 bn (sources are quite inconsistent) expanding to $100 bn in 2030. There are hundreds of different pump designs on the market fitting all kinds of niches. Pumps come in two main types: dynamic and positive-displacement. Dynamic pumps are for applications which require high flow, at low pressure; positive displacement pumps are used where constant flow under varying pressures is needed, or where exact fluid amounts must be delivered.
Here is a great volume that attempts to be a comprehensive (1801 page) handbook capturing all the variability: “Pump Handbook” by Karassik, Messina, Cooper, Heald. Taken from there is the image below of a classification tree of pumps. It is not clear to us where to place the Galin pump, and our description below will make clear why.
Figure 1 - Classfication tree of pumps, showing just the “displacement” types, from page 125 of “Pump Handbook”.
Figure 1 on the left shows a breakdown of only the “displacement” type pumps, the other side of the tree equally densely populated is not shown here, but may be found on page 125 of the above mentioned pump handbook. For reference, displacement pumps are defined as those pumps: “…in which energy is periodically added by application of force to one or more movable boundaries of any desired number of enclosed, fluid-containing volumes, resulting in a direct increase in pressure up to the value required to move the fluid through valves or ports into the discharge line.”
[Just to comment here on the mention of “increase in pressure”. The ideal pump does work on the fluid when it moves it from a lower to higher pressure location. The ideal pump has a rectangular PV diagram, and the work imparted by the pump onto the fluid is enclosed by the PV diagram.]
Dynamic (centrifugal specifically) pumps account for 50-60% of the market with the rest accounted for various types of positive displacement pumps. Centrifugal pumps are the cheap, simple design workhorses used for most pumping applications. However, they suffer the drawback that their flow is affected by the pressure of the fluid. Consequently, it is difficult, if not impossible to maintain flow at varying pressures. The efficiency of the pump suffers as a result. Positive displacement pumps do not suffer from this problem, able to maintain constant flow at varying pressure levels. However, they are expensive and more complicated, requiring flow and pressure sensors and valves to prevent catastrophic failure.
We are not sure where to place the Galin pump on this tree, because unlike all the other pumps shown here, as well as those on the “dynamic” branch all of them will operate when the drive shaft of the pump is rotated. (It may be that the pump is also bi-directional too, hence direction of rotation is not relevant, it just reverse the flow of fluid within the pump. But, this is not the case for all pumps.)
Galin pump is different. It will not operate when the drive shaft is “simply” rotated - by an electrical motor, or engine. The Galin pump requires sophisticated electrical machines, and sophisticated control of these machines. Why this is in fact a feature and not a bug we will discuss below. In the mean time, let us present some of the outstanding characteristics of the Galin pump.
Galin pump’s distinguishing features:
mechanically simple and scalable (cheaper to manufacture, repair, and maintain)
higher flow than a piston pump (like a dynamic pump, 2-8 times the flow of the same volume positive displacement pump)
constant flow across a range of pressures (like a positive displacement pump)
pressure and flow sensing built into the pump (software feature)
precise fluid delivery, adjustable in real-time (software feature)
higher efficiency.
It is important to stress that the operating features of the pump are software controlled. The same mechanical device with adjustments to software can be converted from a simple constant flow pump to a precise metering pump (where volume delivery is adjusted in real-time). Additional to this, we also want to stress the flow and pressure sensing is also a software feature, and does not require external sensors to be added to the pump.
So, what about it? Well, here’s a detail breakdown of the problem, our solution, our competition, and the possible first market.
The problem:
The purpose of our innovation is to improve the process automation of systems which pump water and/or other fluids.
Arguably no process runs perfectly, meeting all output/delivery metrics all the time. Equipment wears out, requires maintenance, goes offline, and sometimes operators make mistakes. Processes can always be improved to optimise performance and decrease operating costs. This will always be true. However, the frequency and severity of operating errors, driven by either machinery or operator behaviour, can be reduced.
At the present moment a lot of knowledge about process operations is embedded in the minds of the people operating it. These people are few, and very valuable to the company. They are carriers of the algorithm(s) required to successfully run a given process. Consequently, they become important/pivotal/integral but also stressed, trapped and often overworked and underpaid.
As a concrete example, consider that even though pumps are regularly operating under variable output power requirements, there are still many places where throttle valves are used to “slow down” their output flow. This is analogous to driving a car by fully depressing the accelerator pedal, and using the brake pedal to control the speed. There are people that know how to do this, and remember why it is done. That knowledge should be codified.
We have the technology to do better. Our innovation allows for more of the process knowledge to be integrated into machines (specifically pumps). This frees up operators to think of higher level tasks, thereby improving the process efficiency, increasing the complexity of tasks which the operators can undertake.
Our innovation will benefit those customers that want to improve the process of their operations and who expect uptime, efficiency, and quality, and better performance from their processes.
Our solution:
Our innovation is a “smart pump” - a pump that has pressure and flow sensors built-in.
Pumps are typically thought of as mechanical devices that are used to move fluids (liquids or gases), or sometimes slurries, by physical or mechanical action. Typically, the mechanical pumping chamber is seen as separable from the device (motor or engine) that turns the shaft of the pump to actuate it. Our pump is different.
Our innovation is a “smart pump” which includes:
battery,
electrical machines (motors),
fluid chamber,
position sensors,
computing device.
Without any one of these components our pump will not operate as a pump.
The benefit of the Galin pump is that it provides pressure and flow metrics in real-time, albeit with some increase in complexity. The Galin pump’s distinguishing features are:
mechanically simple (cheaper to manufacture, repair, and maintain)
higher flow than a piston pump (comparable to a dynamic pump, 2-8 times the flow of the same volume positive displacement pump)
constant flow across a range of pressures (like a positive displacement pump)
pressure and flow sensing built into the pump (software feature)
precise fluid delivery, adjustable in real-time (software feature)
higher efficiency.
It is important to stress that most of these features are software controlled. The same mechanical device with adjustments to software can be converted from a simple constant flow pump to a precise metering pump (where the volume delivered is adjusted in real-time).
The design of our pump gives the customer the ability to move information about the pump’s environment and expected operation into the software control system of the pump. Thereby the operator is able to codify information of the operational requirements of the process into the pump's computing device.
The Need for Smarter Pumps:
At first, it may appear that our solution, our “smart pump”, is overly complicated. We are proposing to replace the humble pump with a sophisticated, sensored, motorised, computing device. Why bother? Well, because existing pumps, as simple as they are, are components of processes which quickly become very complicated. But, the knowledge of their required operation stays within the remit of operators.
Pumps operating within systems require flow adjustment. Flow adjustment can be achieved via speed adjustment devices (VF/SD - Variable Frequency/Speed Devices). These devices regulate the speed of rotation of the input shaft of the pump thereby allowing flow regulation. Then, in order to automate flow regulation, pumps need to be fitted with pressure and/or flow sensors whose data needs to be fed into a computer which in turn must also be connected to the VF/SD in order to alter the pump’s operating point.
All of a sudden the operation of an apparently simple pump is complicated. And this additional complexity comes with the added expense of integration, and interoperability problems. The operators are now looking after 4 devices (pump, motor, VF/SD and sensor) - each with their own operating characteristics.
Industry is recognising that in order to improve the operation of a pump, it can no longer be seen as a standalone device, but rather considered as part of a whole control system [1]. There is growing understanding that pumps are no longer separable from the systems that they operate in. Pump performance is strongly affected by and dependent on the operating environment, and consequently integration of the pump with sensors, and speed control is becoming a requirement.
Our pump is the solution that the industry is seeking. It is an integrated pumping device.
Market:
Pumps are ubiquitous in industry. The global market for pumps is estimated between US$60 to $80 bn, expanding to US$100 bn in 2030. Our market within the general pump market is the “smart pump” market which singles out demand for pumps that are digitally controlled.
The global smart pump market is expected to reach a valuation of US$1.0 bn in 2023. Sales of smart pumps are expected to grow, reaching US$2.1 bn by 2033. With time “smart pumps” will become an increasing proportion of the total pump market.
Sales of new, efficient water pumps are surging worldwide, especially for agricultural uses. There is a notable move away from diesel-powered pumps towards electric ones. Additionally, enhancements in industrial water and sanitation infrastructure are contributing to the overall increase in the market for smart pumps [2]. Existing industry trends are indicating that the market is ready for our product which overcomes the shortcomings and inefficiencies that are naturally present with existing market offerings.
New Zealand’s largest sector is agriculture. We anticipate strong domestic demand for our pump in applications where water processing is used, especially given how conscientious our country is about efficient energy use. However, the domestic market is small with estimates of the overall pump market being ~US$500 million [3]. Fortunately, general industry reports state that the largest growing geographic region for smart pumps is the Asia-Pacific [4].
The key to breaking into the market will be establishing partnerships with existing distributors that already have relationships of trust and respect with end-users. To this end, our strategy for acquiring customers is to partner with distributors of pumps and pump products.
Our market is selling to customers who are looking to purchase a pump which improves process efficiencies, and reduces operating costs.
References:
[1] https://empoweringpumps.com/europump-extended-product-directive-a-pump-is-not-a-light-bulb/
[2] https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230927296391/en/Strong-Replacement-Demand-and-Smart-Pump-Adoption-Fuel-a-11.39-CAGR-in-the-Global-Pump-Market---ResearchAndMarkets.com
[3] https://www.eeca.govt.nz/assets/EECA-Resources/Product-regulations/star-projects/Technical-Discussion-Paper-Pumps.pdf
[4] https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/smart-pumps-market
Galin pump system vs Existing pump systems:
Figure 1: the simplest pump operating environment. A 3-phase supply driving an induction motor which always spins at a constant speed, driving the shaft of a pump, which is thereby always also spinning at a constant speed. This is an open loop system. The problem with this system, as with all open-loop systems, is that it will have been designed for some mean (or worse, maximum) operating point, which in practice is rarely observed. The only way to change the operating point of the process (via flow rate) is for an operator to manually adjust the throttle valve. (This is analogous to driving a car with your foot fully on the accelerator pedal, and changing the speed through the brake pedal.)
Figure 2: a more common pump operating environment. A VSD (variable speed drive) inserted between the 3-phase supply and induction motor. The VSD can adjust the supply voltage frequency, and thereby change the spin speed of the motor. This allows for adjustments to flow of the pump. But this process is still an open loop system. There is still no knowledge of what the actual pressure or flow is in the system. Thereby until the operator adjusts the frequency (and thereby speed, and thereby flow) the system can drift far from its optimal operating point.
Figure 3: a closed-loop pump operating environment. Now, we have pressure and flow sensors that send their readings to a central computer which is also connected to the VSD. Finally, we have the ability to measure the operating point of the pump, and adjust it in real-time without operator intervention. We have to be sure that our line frequency to flow rate is a function that doesn't drift with time. Additionally, now, the system involves 4 extra components that need to be integrated, themselves monitored and maintained by the operator.
Finally, figure 4: A Galin pump system. Outstanding features: induction motor swapped for permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM). (For differences between the two machines, see here.) No external pressure and flow sensors. No VSD. Pump and motor directly coupled. We achieve all the control capabilities of figure 3, but with fewer components.
