Ecogate, Inc.

Archive: 2005

December 2005 : Project for General Motors Oshawa, Canada

In cooperation with Benham Engineering, Ecogate prepared a project for the General Motors Oshawa plant. Our on-demand ventilation systems project was prepared for the dynamic vehicle testing operation, the toe-in workplace, and the care-line. Estimated combined savings for plant 1 and plant 2 are $1.74 million annually. Approximately 66% of the savings are due to the reduced heating costs that are a direct result of less air being exhausted out of factory (therefore, less outside air needs to be re-supplied into the factory and heated by natural gas). We plan to offer similar systems to other auto manufacturers. A detailed description of the on-demand system for auto-manufacturers is available here . 

November 2005 : Upgraded 4" plastic gate (EG204E)

 Our 4" plastic gate (EG204E) has been upgraded with an advanced electronic board. The new electronic board uses a small microprocessor and read contacts as limit switches for gate open and closed positions. The new gate has been tested and proven to work for more than 100 000 open-close cycles. This represents about 15 years of usage in a typical small shop. The new gate is fully compatible with all existing Ecogate systems. This is a major step ahead for Ecogate since this is the first gate equipped with microprocessor control.

           Also, we started delivering shielded cables between the greenBOX® control unit and the gates to achieve higher protection against interferences (such as starters from fluorescent lighting, large power equipment, variable speed drives etc.).

December 2005 : New version of the greenBOX® ONE control unit

Ecogate now ships the new version 4 of the greenBOX® ONE control unit. The new version is smaller and includes a test button on the front panel, as well as improved indicators. The new unit uses a powerful Motorola microprocessor and a special integrated circuit for driving DC motors. The greenBOX® ONE has programmable on-delay and off-delay times, and programmable sensitivity for the current sensor. This new unit is fully compatible with all versions of Ecogate gates. A User Guide is available through Ecogate dealers.

December 2005 : High-tech ProfiBus upgrade for the Ecogate MASTER system

Sauder Woodworking is currently preparing the installation of another Ecogate MASTER system. On their request, Ecogate developed a ProfiBus upgrade for the MASTER system. ProfiBus communication allows controlling all greenBOX® MASTER inputs through a serial channel, as well reading the complete status of the entire system. This allows integration of the Ecogate system into computer-controlled manufacturing plants. This option is now available for all greenBOX® MASTER models. A more detailed description of this solution is available here .

December 2005 : Current and upcoming installations 

Installations are underway at: Williams Dental Labs in Gilroy, CA (Ecogate MASTER system); Sandberg furniture, CA (two MASTER systems); Pillow Kingdom, CO (MASTER system). Installations of greenBOX® PRO and greenBOX® ONE systems are also in progress in other factories. The installation of an Ecogate MASTER system for Sauder Woodworking, OH is currently being planned.

July 2005 : AWFS Show, Las Vegas

The Ecogate system will be showcased at the Nordfab stand, AWFS Show, Las Vegas ( http://www.awfsfair.org/awfsfair/index.asp ) Booth # 8223 , July 27-30 2005. The most recent greenBOX PRO+ system will be presented. This is an affordable system for small/medium factories with the variable speed drive to achieve high savings.

World Energy Engineering Congress

Ecogate on Demand System Will Be Presented at 28th World Energy Engineering Congress (WEEC) In Austin, Texas, September 14 -16 2005, (for details visit World Energy Congress at http://www.energycongress.com/ ).

July 2005 : Current and upcoming installations

Installations for Mark Richey (MASTER System 250 HP) and for the Maine State Prison (220 HP MASTER System, EnergyEcon project) have been successfully finalized.

Ecogate motorize gates are being put to use outside of the dust collecting industry. One example of such use is the successful installation of gates in Northern Electric company. The gates are used for a remote monitoring measurement station. Our gates are used to regulate the temperatures inside electronic control systems. The greatest advantage of the gate in this application is the fact that it does not use electricity in the open or closed positions. Two other companies are also currently testing Ecogate gates for applications in currently developed new products.

We are also overjoyed at the Nordfab installation for Williams Dental Labs (Nordfab dealer project). While our greenBOX system has already been used in several small dental laboratories, this is the first large laboratory that is going to use the Ecogate MASTER System.

Other MASTER systems under installation: Huntwood (WA, three MASTER systems, DISA project), Williams Dental Lab (CA, one MASTER system, Nordfab project), Drees Woodwork (CA, two 300 HP MASTER systems, A.T. Mitchell project), Sanford Lussier (CA, one 250 HP system), Pillow Kingdom (CO, two 250 HP MASTER systems), Sapeli (Europe, one MASTER system), Spalensky Listy (Europe, two MASTER systems). The EnergyEcon is working on several projects for Masonite, the next installation will use greenBOX PRO+ with 125 HP variable speed drive for Masonite International Corporation, North Platte (NE).

July 2005 : greenBOX PRO+ variable speed drive

The largest recent technical improvement is the introduction of the greenBOX PRO+ system. This is an affordable system for small/medium factories with a variable speed drive. Previously, the variable speed drive was only available for the "high end" MASTER system. The greenBOX PRO+ control system is 3x cheaper than the MASTER system, while the electricity saving is almost on par with that of the MASTER system - up to 70%. The first five greenBOX PRO+ packages have already been delivered to the Nordfab distributor. Our EnergyEcon dealer is going to start the first greenBOX PRO+ installation in the last week of July. New user guides, software and firmware are already available (request your copy - email to support@ecogate.com ). The integration of the new greenBOX PRO+ into the Ecogate Wizards is currently underway (we are hoping that a new version will be available within a month).

June 2005 : Internet/LAN/Ethernet Connection for the greenBOX MASTER

We can now offer optional connection of the greenBOX MASTER with LAN/Ethernet/Internet connection to transfer Ecogate DataMining data to any PC on the LAN. This solution requires optional PLC Ethernet card. First such system was successfully installed (upgraded) for Kolbe & Kolbe corporation.  Attached is updated greenBOX MASTER brochure where this optional feature is listed.

Technical details: LAN/Ethernet 10BASE-T card is using internal FTP server, server can be connected via LAN network to the company intranet accessed from any PC by using for example Windows Explorer (Explorer supports FTP protocol). In cooperation with local IT department, access can be granted also via Internet (advanced security firewall setting is necessary by local IT personnel). Another possibility is to order DSL internet line just for the greenBOX MASTER access; such solution will cost approx. $19 per month.

Example of the greenBOX MASTER FTP server settings:

The Ecogate System monitors energy usage as well as the activity of all workstations connected to the system. Measured values are recorded on a CompactFlash card; data can be downloaded via modem to any Windows PC with Ecogate DataMiningT software. DataMining software imports the downloaded data to a database, and every new data file is merged into the current database records and checked for duplicity. This is a significant tool for corporate headquarters: key decisions can now be based on real data (past & current) plant performances & operations efficiency.

May: Duct Optimizer comparisons with a real system

We have made additional progress with the development of the Duct Optimizer software. In order to verify how precise our simulation of the air flow is, we have constructed a duct system in our lab and have also created a simulation of it in the Ecogate Duct Optimizer. Foremost, we wanted to verify our static pressure balancing (which we have not seen in any other software!). During the first simulation, it became clear that the effect of static pressure balancing on a real system is "smaller" than in our software. It was therefore necessary to verify the values that can affect static pressure balancing: hood losses and duct losses. Until now, our software has been using values for losses that were published in the "Industrial Ventilation Handbook 24 th Edition". During our measurements in a real duct system, it became obvious that the losses are actually about 55% of the published values (for metalized iron) in the 1,000 to 6,000 FPM range). This was a surprise to us, so we took the measurements again (with different technicians), the results were the same. It appears that the values written in the "Industrial Ventilation Handbook" have not been checked in a quite a while. Another surprise to us was the magnitude of duct leaks in the ducting. This value reached 17% of the CFM and 14% after superior insulation of the duct connections. After readjusting the values for duct losses and hood losses, the simulation in the Duct Optimizer was accurate with only a 5% margin!

April: New Ecogate Master System Sale in Europe

According to Oto Hofman, Ecogate European dealer Hofmans Company has already installed eight energy saving Ecogate MASTER Systems in Europe. Three of these systems were installed in Kasalova Pila, Czech Republic, and five of them at SAPELI, Czech Republic.

New contract has been signed for complete installation of two energy saving MASTER systems for company Spalensky, Drevene Listy s.r.o. in Kamyk nad Vltavou, Czech Republic. This company producing wood profiles has a long family tradition; it was established in 1888 (visit www.spalensky.cz ). First Ecogate System will be 120 HP, second 90 HP; both systems duct layout was designed by using Ecogate Duct Optimizer software, the only software in the world allowing to optimize duct system for lowest possible losses - with the result of approx. 20% more efficient system when comparing with classical system design. This design efficiency plus installation of latest generation of the Ecogate MASTER system represents projected energy savings 80% over the current classically designed systems. Saved energy creates so called pollution offset, meaning that production of the NOx gases is reduced. This is important because Czech Republic has ratified "Kyoto protocol" requiring decrease in NOx gases emissions.

By Monday April 11, Oto Hofman is expecting to sign another sale contract with Sapeli, Jihlava, Czech Republic. This company is already using five Ecogate MASTER systems and is very satisfied with system performance and energy savings, so they'd like to add another MASTER system for their newly acquired woodworking machinery.

Spálenský - Dřevěné Listy s.r.o. Kamýk nad Vltavou 32 262 63 Česká Republika Tel.: 318 677 181 www.spalensky.cz   (one 125 HP system, one 40 HP system)

SAPELI spol. s r.o. Pavovska 15a 586 01 Jihlava Czech Republic, EU Tel.: +420 56 757 25 11 Fax: +420 56 721 19 15 www.sapeli.cz (5 systems are already installed; new 30HP system will be added)

April: greenBOX Pro 1x22, 2x10 Model - Firmware and Software Update

New firmware and PC software for greenBOX models will be available by May 1st, 2005. We are currently testing this version of the greenBOX PRO firmware 1.05 & new version of the "Ecogate greenBOX PRO Setup & Monitoring" software, version 1.2.1.38. What's new: the diameters of the gates are now included in setup, so greenBOX PRO can now make a more exact decision about the number of open gates (better system balancing). New firmware can be downloaded to any greenBOX PRO via Windows PC with serial channel by using Ecogate Setup and Monitoring software. Firmware and software upgrade will be available for existing users at a cost of the CD, User Guide and shipment (approx. $35).

April: Ecogate on Demand System Will Be Presented At 27th Industrial Energy Technology Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, May 10 - 13, 2005

If you'd like to know more about real use and performance of industrial ventilation systems based on measurements in hundreds of factories in the USA and Europe, visit the lecture about Ecogate on Demand System that will be presented at 27th Industrial Energy Technology Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, May 10 - 13, 2005 (for details visit http://tmpwebesl.tamu.edu/education/ietc_2005/index.html ). Industrial Energy Technology Conference is organized by the Energy Systems Laboratory, Texas Engineering Experiment Station, and The Texas A&M University. The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources joins the ESL as hosts of the 27th National IETC. For the first time the IETC is being held in New Orleans, Louisiana at the Astor Crowne Plaza Hotel, right on the corner of Bourbon Street and Canal on the edge of the famous French Quarter.

"Innovative Energy Efficient Industrial Ventilation," will be presented by Ales Litomisky, of Ecogate, Inc. by May 12, 2005 in Session 10 (Equipment Issues).

March: Ecogate on Demand System Will Be Presented At 28th World Energy Engineering Congress (WEEC) In Austin, Texas, September 14 -16 2005

The Ecogate is proud that Ales Litomisky's paper about energy saving Ecogate System was selected to be presented at the WORLD ENERGY ENGINEERING CONGRESS (WEEC) in Austin, Texas September 14 - 16, 2005 (for details visit World Energy Congress at http://www.energycongress.com/ ). The WEEC is the most important energy event of national scope for end users and energy professionals in all areas of the energy field. It is a comprehensive forum where participants can fully assess the "big picture" - and see exactly how the economic and market forces, new technologies, regulatory developments and industry trends all merge to shape your critical decisions on your organization's energy and economic future. The WEEC features a large, multi-track conference agenda, a full line-up of seminars on a variety of current topics and a comprehensive exposition of the market's most promising new technologies.

September 14-16, 2005 Austin Convention Center 500 E. Cesar Chavez Street Austin, Texas

Ecogate,Inc., produces on-demand industrial ventilation system with energy saving up to 80% over current technology. The Ecogate System can be used in woodworking, metalworking, food processing, pharmaceutical, chemical, and other industries. If you are interested in our technology, visit us at the World Energy Congress conference; we look forward to seeing you in Austin!

March: Kolbe & Kolbe MV Report (Measurement & Verification Report)

Focus on Energy ( www.focusonenergy.com ), a public-private partnership offering energy information and services to energy utility customers throughout Wisconsin has published an independent audit about electricity savings achieved by installing two Ecogate Master Systems at Kolbe& Kolbe in 2004. The findings are very encouraging.  $125,000 has been saved in electricity cost for1.6 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year; natural gas use has decreased by 70,000 therms per year. The reduced gas consumption was thanks to the closed gates at non-working machinery; consequently, a much lower volume of heated air was exchanged.

Detailed energy audit of Ecogate System and a press release are available (PDF files).

February: Oakland Museum, CA MASTER system installed

In January 2005, an Ecogate MASTER system was installed in the woodworking shop of Oakland Museum of California ( http://www.museumca.org ). For the first time, a new model of Power MASTER, designed for smaller fan size 10 -50 HP was used. (See the description in the previous edition of Ecogate news). Large electricity savings (up to 80 per cent) are now available even for smaller shops. Nevertheless, good return on investment is only to expect where the cost of electricity is high and the operating hours are long (ideally two or three shifts and higher cost of electricity).

February: Paid by Electricity Savings Program; $21 mil. Incentives Available in California

We can now offer to factories the new Paid-by-Electricity-Savings financing program, which will enable your customers to start saving money without the need to pay for the Ecogate System out of their pocket.

The principle is as follows: the Ecogate System automatically closes gates at non-working machinery and continually optimizes the fan performance by using variable speed drive. This way, substantial electricity savings are achieved. The Paid-by-Electricity-Savings program is designed to use the cost of this saved electricity to pay for the Ecogate system in monthly payments. After the Ecogate system is paid for, operating expenses will be reduced by the cost of this saved electricity. Thus, customer can get the Ecogate system at no cost from factory's pocket and, after a few months, substantially reduce expenses on dust collecting.

In addition, Edison and other Californian power companies (and power companies in other states too) offer incentives to those who install energy efficient technology. In the past, many of our customers qualified for these incentives and received cash (8 cents for every saved kWh for one year). For 2005, there are $21 million in incentives designated for industrial projects saving electricity in California. However, many are interested in these incentives, so it is obvious that they will last only several months ( http://www.sce.com/RebatesandSavings/ ).

If you  are interested in getting the up-to-date technology and saving money for electricity, recommend them Paid by Electricity Savings offer. At the same time we can update duct system if necessary.

February: New Project - Mark Richey

Ecogate got a new order for MASTER system 250 HP from Mark Richey Woodworking and Design Inc.  ( www.markrichey.com ). Mark Richey is relocating the production into a new larger hall. For this installation, an incentive for energy efficient systems from Massachusetts Electric, member of National Grid USA Service Company was granted ( http://www.nationalgridus.com/ .  Check energy incentives at http://www.nationalgridus.com/masselectric/business/energyeff/energyeff.asp ).  Cash incentive will help Mark Richey to get the up-to-date Ecogate technology, and, at the same time, using this up-to-date technology will enable installation of a smaller, not-so-expensive dust collecting system. This way, the annual electricity savings of 265,000 kWh and the $32,000 reduction of electricity payment are estimated.

Mark Richey Woodworking and Design Inc.
  106 Western Ave
 Essex, MA 01929
 www.markrichey.com
 Ph   978-768-3356
 Fax 978 -768-1100

February: New Version of Ecogate Estimation wizard

 We are finishing a new version of Ecogate Estimation wizard, within 1-2 weeks it should be available to all our dealers (for free). The new version will include the support of all new products: the new product line of small Power MASTER models, the option of ordering large Power MASTER models without  accessories (bypass, input breaker, filters), the external "semaphore" warning light for greenBOX MASTER,  the Transport on Demand*.

 In addition, the wizard automatically calculates the "pollution offset" (see the following paragraph), and, for the first time, it creates a chart of estimated "positive cash flow" gained by the installation of Ecogate system for any given customer. Furthermore, the wizard enables calculation for the "Paid by Electricity Savings" program.

Wizard also support new rule which allows to connect two gates of any size to one greenBOX channel, this possibility can help to use smaller, less expensive greenBOX model on many projects and thus reduce system cost for customers. 

The example of "Positive Cash Flow" chart - generated automatically by the updated version of wizard for any given customer.

*Transport on Demand controls all necessary motors of the dust collector (transport fan or screw, air-lock, cleaning arm, cleaning air compressor) starting them "on demand" in proper sequences and delays. Because these motors switch on (and off) exactly on time when necessary, not only electricity is being saved but also the wear of all mechanical and electrical parts of the dust collector is reduced.

*External "Semaphore" warning light for greenBOX MASTER is used as the system status indicator: GREEN light means all systems go; ORANGE light means a minor error has occurred (for example a gate isn't working properly); RED light means major system error has occurred (such as variable speed drive malfunction). This warning light is a great help for shift managers who can check from any place of the production hall the working status of Ecogate system.

February: Kyoto Pact Takes Effect Without U.S.

 The environment-friendly effect of using Ecogate technology means that every saved kWh stands for 2.47 Lb CO 2 gasses that are NOT released into the atmosphere. For example, the electricity savings of 1.6 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year at Kolbe & Kolbe represent 3.952 million Lb CO 2 gases that will NOT be produced every year. This effect is called "pollution offset".

Nearly eight years after it was negotiated, the Kyoto Protocol to curtail greenhouse gases believed to cause global warming goes into effect today without the participation of the country that produces roughly a fourth of the world's heat-trapping exhaust: the United States. Carbon dioxide (CO 2) is one of the main gases that result from burning oil and coal and contribute to a rise in global temperatures. Meanwhile, European leaders are already pressing to move beyond Kyoto and for the U.S. to resume a role in the discussions. French President Jacques Chirac called for wealthy nations to go much further than the treaty's relatively modest reductions and slash emissions to a quarter of current levels by 2050. His remarks followed a speech by British Prime Minister Tony Blair last month that also called for stronger measures.

Countries where Kyoto protocol has become valid now, such as Japan, could benefit greatly from implementing Ecogate technology.

February: Joseph Hall, Energy Management Consultant

 Joe Hall has offered his consultation services to potential Ecogate customers. Joe, who is a long-time propagator and believer in Ecogate system, visited us in Glendale last week and was interested in what's new, (new version of MASTER system, Ecogate  DataMining). Joe Hall is the president of a section of Association of Energy Engineers and is very experienced in issues of incentives for energy efficient systems. If you seek information or consultation about incentives in your state, you can contact Joe Hall:

  Joseph Hall, C.E.M., C.E.P

J B Associates, Energy Management Consultants

300 W. Main St. , Hopkinton, MA 01748

508-435-0460

January:

A. New small Power MASTER models are available for fans size up to 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 HP

All these Power MASTER units are delivered in same enclosure 36 x 36 x 12 inch. Enclosure can be installed on the wall. Cooling fan in mounted in right side, input filter on the left side. Pricing info will be available in new price list due January 2005. The first small Power MASTER unit is delivered to Oakland museum woodworking shop project.

Model	Motor current (Amps)	Approx. fan motor size (HP)
EG1012A	12	10
EG1017A	17	15
EG1025A	25	20
EG1030A	30	25
EG1040A	40	30
Wide	36	inch
Height	36	inch
Deep	12	inch

B. Standard Power MASTER model options to reduce price

From beginning of the year 2005 will be possible to order all Power MASTER units with or without these options:

1. Input breaker
2. Input filters
3. Bypass contactors

If these options are not installed, then price is lower, return on investment shorter.

Explanation:

1. If input breaker is already installed on existing system within 50 ft of Power MASTER, then we can according NEC eliminate input breaker. Check with local electrician if input breaker is within 50 ft of Power MASTER.
2. Input filters are used to reduce distortion of power supply by non-linear load of variable speed drive. Only few utility companies are enforcing use of these filters, on most installations these filters can be eliminated. Note: same non-linear load is caused by any computer, copy machine, monitors, fluorescent lighting etc. and these units are usually not equipped by filters. Check with utility company if filters for variable speed drive are required.
3. Bypass contactors are used for manual operation in case of any variable speed drive failure. Because failures of variable speed drive are relatively rare, this option can be not used. Jumper cables can be delivered instead, so in casa of failure jumper cables can be installed within half a hour.

We are currently working on new wizards that will support these options. Pricing info will be available in new price list due by end of year.

C. greenBOX PRO 2x11 model, firmware update

  The greenBOX PRO can be now delivered as a  2x10 (two systems, each max. 10 workstations). The price is same like 1x22 model. Because internal connection is different, existing model cannot be changed to 2x10 model, you should specify this at a time of order. First 2x10 PRO system is already installed at Kasalova Pila, Europe.

New firmware for greenBOX models are available, this firmware supports possibility to switch "safety function" on or off. Safety function is opening all gates during the system stop to protect ducting, but system start is much longer. Some customers prefer to switch this function off to make system start faster. New firmware can be downloaded to any greenBOX PRO via Windows PC with serial channel by using Ecogate Setup and Monitoring software.

D. greenBOX MASTER new firmware 4.13

Several important improvements are made in new greenBOX MASTER version:

1. Workstation name is now displayed in every page where you operate workstation for easy orientation.
2. During initial setup all measurements are recorded at press of button to CompactFlash card plus you can manually enter air velocity. Table with measurements is available any time via modem download for future reference. Formerly it was necessary to write down measurements on paper.
3. It is possible to COPY and PASTE settings of channel (gate) from one channel to other channels to save time during the system setup.
4. Evaluation of negative pressure limit is changed: negative pressure must be out of limit for more than 8 sec. (formerly 5 sec.) to eliminate false alarms caused by short peaks.
5. Automatic "initially open gates" settings is now possible, you just can specify how many percent of gates should be selected as a minimum, and system will then select gates automatically (two DIFFERENT STRATEGIES ARE AVAILABLE).
6. Cleaning mode: it is now possible to specify automatic cleaning at "fixed minutes" values at every hour. This is useful feature for factories with multiple Ecogate MASTER system to eliminate that several systems will start cleaning at a same time. If cleaning is not running at a same time than electric demand is smaller and invoice too.
7. New settings of variable speed drive is now more robust to voltage drops in 460 V power supply. By default, Omron drive will stop immediately when voltage drops (longer than 15 ms) and an error message is displayed. With new settings drive will continue in operation.
8. US and European presets for variable speed drive are available. In Europe voltage, frequency are different than in USA, appropriate settings is now available via one press of button.

The greenBOX MASTER units with firmware 4.00 or later (systems delivered from the beginning of year 2004) can be upgraded to new firmware via CompactFlash card.