PROJECT SUMMARY
Omni Smartpump
B. C. MacDonald
99-12
Omni Instruments and Decision Point Software propose to research the application of brushless, rare earth magnet motors for small sized irrigation projects. We intend to customize and integrate 2 HP AC and DC motors with irrigation pumps and pressure sensors. We expect to see significant energy savings as well as better irrigation control.
Irrigation is the largest consumer of electricity in California. Flexible use, energy efficient drip system motors would save money for farmers, reducing one of their operational costs. They would replace less efficient, single speed motors in the existing irrigation marketplace. Special features of our Omni SmartPump motor/pump allow a steady pressure design optimized for this market. A low voltage DC version is perfect for solar power; a high voltage AC version would compete in the traditional marketplace.
Combining existing pump heads with state of the art motor design and control will provide important energy research information in a mainstream application. Successful results from this project will lead to further exploration and increased application efficiencies for larger scale irrigation motors.