Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, August 13, 1995 TAG: 9508140007
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
The company, which is in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, has been awarded a contract for the first phase of "An Automated System for the Design of Common- and Differential-Mode Power Line Filters Satisfying both EMI [electromagnetic interference] and System Stability Requirements."
Whew!
It will be working on the project with the Virginia Power Electronics Center, a leading power electronics researcher, at Virginia Tech.
The Blacksburg company employs four full-time people in addition to several part-time people. It will add a fifth full-time worker.
Its research proposal was one of 30 chosen by NASA. Seventy-nine proposals had been submitted by 67 small high-technology businesses from across the country.
Electromagnetic interference can be irritating, as when someone's heat pump or home computer causes static on a television program or cordless telephone; expensive, as when it messes with the directions being transmitted to a satellite in space; and downright dangerous, if the laptop computer being used by an airline passenger interferes with the craft's navigational equipment.
Each selected proposal will get a fixed-price contract valued up to $100,000, and the businesses will have 12 months to complete it.
Companies that successfully complete the first phase of their projects are eligible to compete for second-phase awards next year. The Phase II award process allows for two-year fixed-price contracts of up to $500,000.
"This program is one of the ways that NASA takes the knowledge gained in air and space exploration and transfers it to the public," said Jack Mansfield, associate administrator of the Office of Space Access & Technology, which sponsors the program.
Electromagnetic interference caused by power processing equipment has always been a concern in aircraft and artificial satellites, explained Dan Sable, Virginia Power Technologies president.
"There have been some recent cases where the EMI generated by a portable computer has upset airline navigational equipment," he said. "EMI is becoming an increasing concern in the home as well."
He said more equipment in homes, such as computers, new high-efficiency heat pumps and battery chargers for electric vehicles, will require higher power and can generate significant interference. It can mess up many home appliances such as television sets, radios and cordless telephones.
"This problem will become much more severe in 1996 as the European Community implements stringent new requirements. Any company wishing to export an electronic product to Europe must first demonstrate that the product meets these requirements. There can be severe penalties for noncompliance," he said.
EMI control is one of the requirements and has been a difficult task for engineers.
"Typically, EMI is reduced by incorporating two types of power line electrical filters, a common-mode filter and a differential-mode filter. At high power levels, these filters can become large, expensive and, in the case of a satellite, can affect the stability of the power source," Sable said.
Virginia Power Technologies plans to develop an innovative low-cost automated system for the design of both kinds of filters, satisfying both EMI and system stability requirements, he said.
"This system will take the guesswork out of EMI filter design and will be marketed to companies designing equipment for either home use or aerospace use," he said. "It will be based on a personal computer which will easily allow system updates, should the EMI requirements change."
The Small Business Technology Transfer program links small businesses with university research institutions. The goal is to perform advanced research for the federal government with both government and commercial applications.
by CNB