Motors & Drives Information

1. What is evaporative cooling?

Nature's most efficient means of cooling is through the evaporation of water. Evaporative cooling works on the principle of heat absorption by moisture evaporation. The evaporative cooler draws exterior air into special pads soaked with water, where the air is cooled by evaporation, and then circulated.

2. What choices of evaporative cooling do I have?

The range of commercial and industrial evaporative coolers available today is extensive, varying from commercial mobile coolers to large and fully ducted systems designed for commercial use.

3. Are evaporative coolers more suitable for specific climates?

Evaporative cooling is especially suited for areas where the air is hot and the humidity is low. However, in areas of higher humidity, there are many proven cost effective uses for evaporative cooling that make this the best choice. For example, industrial plants, commercial kitchens, laundry facilities, dry cleaners, greenhouses, places which utilize spot cooling (loading docks, warehouses, factories, construction sites, athletic events, workshops, garages, kennels), and areas using confinement farming (poultry ranches and hog/dairy farms).

4. What advantages does evaporative cooling have compared to a refrigerated cooling system?

Evaporative cooling will provide a substantial energy savings over refrigerated air units. The simplicity of the design allows low maintenance requirements. The evaporative cooler will provide fresh, filtered air. The outside air that has been cooled will blow the stale, inside air, out. With the substantial savings of energy and the constant changes in the air, the industrial/commercial evaporative cooler is ideally suited for area cooling or spot cooling of factories, laundries, churches, schools, agricultural/business areas, restaurants, and more.

5. What size evaporative cooler do I need?

Evaporative coolers are size-based on cubic feet per minute (CFM) of airflow. For sizing information on industrial/commercial coolers, the formulas are located in the specification charts of the cooler considered. When sizing an industrial or commercial cooler it is important to be job specific to include unusual heat loads and static pressures of the system design.

Even More Detailed Answers! Read on...

6. How do swamp/evaporative coolers work?

Swamp coolers are efficient and effective machines of cooling. As a direct replacement for air conditioning in dry climates, these coolers are an example of how we can work with nature. Being considerably less expensive than air conditioning, it almost seems that one is getting something for nothing when using a swamp cooler.

The way a swamp cooler operates is very simple. There is a low horsepower motor which pumps the water from the floor of the cooler to the top of the cooler, where it proceeds to fall down the sides and along porous filter pads. A second motor drives a fan which pulls air from the outside, through the cooler, and then pushes this out into the hot room. The significant cooling action results from the water evaporating as the air passes through it. Incidentally, the water level is kept constant with the help of a floating sphere, functioning similarly to the one in a toilet bowl. The hot air enters the cooler, where two small motors power nothing more than a fan and a pump in order to send cool air into the hot room.

The way the air is cooled in a swamp cooler is similar to the way evaporating sweat cools the human body. When a substance is perceived at a certain energy heat level, measured in temperature, there is really a distribution of varying levels of temperature throughout the molecules of the substance. This assortment of temperatures average out to the measured value. Most of the molecules can be around the average, and the farther from the average, the less of them there are. For example, water at room temperature has most of its molecules at approximately that temperature, but it also contains molecules that are near the boiling point of water and also near its freezing point. However small in quantity they are, these are an important presence. Because at the boiling point of water, there are molecules that are gases and those that are liquids. The liquid molecules will absorb energy in the form of heat to become gases and escape the confines of their old forms. As the molecules from the higher temperatures evaporate, the remaining liquids average less heat, but there will still be water at the higher temperatures because the remaining molecules redistribute themselves along the bell curve, enabling the next molecules to evaporate. Heat is siphoned off this way from the water, and more importantly, heat is extracted from the air as the liquid water at the boiling point grabs the needed energy for its freedom into gas.

Air conditioning on the other hand, became popular because of the ability to cool the air, not depending on the surrounding humidity. Even on humid days, room and central air conditioners can lower the temperature to a thermostatically-controlled temperature. Air conditioners also use as much as four times the electricity than a swamp cooler and are more expensive to install and maintain. Air conditioners can require ozone-damaging refrigerants, not to mention, circulating the same air over and over again. Fairly popular in desert areas, swamp coolers will work well in California's more humid climates for a majority of the time. Sacramento, for example, averages about 30% humidity on a typical, hot summer afternoon, while this is still dry enough for evaporative cooling to work effectively.

7. Why does evaporation lower temperature?

The process of evaporation happens all the time. Our bodies, for example, perspire in hot weather. Through evaporation, sweat dries and causes our body temperature to drop. Whenever dry air passes over water, some of the water will be absorbed by the air. That is why evaporative cooling naturally occurs near waterfalls, rivers, lakes and oceans. The hotter and drier the air, the more water that can be absorbed. This happens because the temperature and the vapor pressure of the water and the air attempt to equalize. Liquid water molecules become gas in the dry air, a process that uses energy to change its physical state. Heat moves from the higher temperature of the air to the lower temperature of the water, resulting in cooler air. Eventually the air becomes saturated, unable to hold anymore water, and evaporation ceases.

Data Recovery is the process of rescuing the data from the spoiled or inaccessible storage media when the media reaches a situation where it cannot be accessed in the normal manner. The data often can be rescued from the storage media formats such as Floppy Disks, Hard Disks, Tape Drives, CDs, DVDs and RAID Drives. The data is lost either due to the Physical damage to the storage disk or the logical damage to the file system in the disk that prevents it from being accessible by the operating system.

Physical Damage

Physical damage is the corruption of the physical parts of the storage media. There are a variety of possibilities like the improper working of a Hard disk due to the mechanical failures such as head crashes, failed motors or insufficient power supply. CD Rom drives can have their layers scratched off, the tape drives can simply break when kept inside a bag while traveling are a few to name and there can be many more reasons. Physical hard drive damage always leads to some kind of Logical damage as well as there are some clusters destroyed which are inaccessible. The logical damage must be recovered before any files are salvaged from the media.

The physical damages cannot be repaired by the user himself as it can cause further damage to the media and moreover the users generally are not trained to handle such extreme processes like opening a hard disk in a normal room can further damage the disk as it leads to dust settlement on the surface of the disk. To overcome these difficulties the Data Recovery Companies are consulted where clean room facilities at 100 percent are maintained to protect the media when the repairs are being carried out. This helps in rebuilding the logical damage before the data is being rescued. However the data recovery success rate is below 100 percent in case of a physical damage but most of the files are recovered. This kind of recovery can also be carried out for other media such as Tape drives, memory cards etc.

Logical Damage

The Logical damages occur more commonly when compared to that of the Physical damage. This is primarily caused due improper maintenance where the file system structures are prevented from being completely written to the storage medium. This results in the inconsistency in the state of file system and can cause variety of problems such as system crashes, operating system checking for the boot file for more than one time or there can also be an actual data loss. These inconsistencies up to a limited stage can be repaired and there are various programs that are accompanied with the operating software and can be used to overcome the problem. For instance there is chkdsk with Microsoft Windows and fsck with Linux and also some software available to overcome these errors when the operating system is unable to correct these errors.

While most of the logical damage can be recovered by the operating system or a good data recovery software. This usually happen when during a recovery process two files claims to share the same allocation unit and in such case, data loss for one of the files is essentially guaranteed. This can be lowered by use of journaling file systems, such as NTFS 5.0. These file systems can always be rolled back to a consistent state, which means the data that will be lost will be likely the one in the drives cache during the system failure. However, regular system maintenance should still be followed to avoid any kind of data loss. This not only protects from the data being lost but also from the file system being infected by the virus. However, one incompatibility still remains where the disk controller reports that the file system reports of structures being saved to the disk when it has not actually occurred. This can often happen during a power loss where the data is stored in cache. This problem can be solved by using a system that is equipped with a battery backup or an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) so that the waiting data can be written when the power is restored or at least to give enough time to the system to shut down properly.

For more information on most typical data recovery cases and various data recovery software available click on the respective links.

If you are serious about purchasing a quality treadmill, and not some toy that will break down in a short period of time, then there are a number of considerations to think about. One of the most important is the quality of the motor.

A treadmill motor is one of the most significant components to consider when buying a treadmill. It is what drives the treadbelt that you walk or run on. Depending on the quality and power, it can make the difference between a smooth running machine and a loud noise-maker that struggle to run. In most cases the larger and heavier the motor the better. But that is not always the case. The quality of the motor can make a big difference, even if it is smaller. In other words not all treadmill motors are equal.

When comparing treadmill motors you want to go by the horsepower of the continuous duty, not peak horsepower. Peak horsepower is the maximum horsepower a treadmill can reach. Continuous-duty horsepower is a measure of sustained power during regular use. The continuous motor power is what is consistently delivered during heavy usage over an extended period of time.

Since peak horsepower is usually significantly higher than a motor's continuous capability, continuous horsepower better helps you determine which treadmill will accommodate your intended exercise use. Generally speaking, the larger the motor the more powerful it can operate at a continuous rate

Continuous duty is the standard in comparing horsepower. Unfortunately there is no official standard rating and often treadmill manufacturers will exaggerate the actual continuous duty horsepower. Regardless, the continuous duty horsepower rating will give you some guideline, but it is not an absolute.

An indication of the quality of the motor will often be reflected by the extent of the warranty. A 90 day warranty will suggest lack of quality. A warranty of 5 years or more tells you that the motor is built to last, or otherwise the company would go broke having to replace them. In fact, there are a number of treadmill manufacturers that offer lifetime warranties on the motor.

We suggest the following continuous duty horsepower when selecting a treadmill. If you are over 200 lbs you may want to add a .5 hp to the motor level:

Walking - 2.0+ Continuous Duty HP

Jogging - 2.5+ Continuous Duty HP

Running - 3.0+ Continuous Duty HP

Be especially careful when you purchase a treadmill under $1,000. Below that price you will have manufacturers skimp on the quality of components in order to keep the price down. When you purchase from a reputable manufacturer the chances of the motor breaking down are slim. When you buy an inferior treadmill the chances of the motor burning out increases substantially.

A 170 year old electrical technology, called variable switched reluctance (VSR) motors was resurrected in the 1980s with the advent of electronic controllers. The Texas based Le Tiurneau.inc has developed a wheeled front end loader for mining work which use large horsepower VSR motors for its wheel drives. Basically, a VSR motor comprises a rotor and a stator with a coil winding in the stator. The rotor, which consists of a laminated permeable material with teeth, is a passive device with no coil winding or permanent magnets.

The stator typically consists of slots containing a series of coil winding, the energization of which is electronically switched to generate a moving field. When one stator coil is set on, a magnetic flux path is generated around the coil and the rotor. The rotor experiences a torque and is moved in the line with the energized coils, minimizing the flux path. with the approximate switching and energization of the stator coils, the rotor can be encouraged to rotate at any desired torque and speed.

VSR Motors offers the following advantages: Since there are no brushes ringing, there is no requirement of commutator maintenance. the motor is more robust since there are no coils or moving parts. A VSR motor can maintain higher torque and efficiency over broader speed ranges than is possible with other advanced variable speed systems. In addition, as the commutation can be accurately controlled with respect to the rotor angle, the motor will operate at its predicted high efficiency. With VSR technology it is possible to design a low cost motor with over 90% system efficiency and variable speed.

VSR motors can be programmed to precisely match the loads the serve, and their simple rugged construction has no expensive magnets or squirrel cages like the induction motor. VSR motors are smaller than DC motors. VSR motor is inherently resistant to overload and immune to single point failure. They have a high level of fault tolerance and are immune to switching faults. According t a spokesman of Le Tourneau, While the initial cost of SR motor and control is a little more expensive than standard DC system, in the failure, there may be little or no difference in the manufacturing costs due to decreasing prices of electronic components. VSR motors are not without their drawbacks, however. The most significant downside is the acoustic noise and the large vibration caused by the motor's high pulsating magnetic flux. Another limitation is torque ripple. But while these drawbacks have an effect in small horsepower VSR motors, they are of no significance in large horsepower traction motors.

Audi luxury unit of Volkswagen and recipient of high-quality VW auto components such as VW pressure plates---is planning to increase its US sales by introducing a fleet of new models that hopefully will surpass the brand’s competitors in the luxury car segment in the US market. But first Audi needs to promote its brand to the American buyers. It has to make the US buyers see the significance of the brand.

To accomplish this, Audi is planning to conduct some new advertising campaign that will kick off Monday. There will also be some changes made like for instance its tagline “Never Follow” is to be replaced by “Truth in Engineering” with the objective of showing just what Audis has to offer. The ad will show how engineering can provide better driving experience especially in terms of safety, quality and performance.

One of the reasons that Audi is facing slow sale in the US is the fact that it has never had a comprehensive brand marketing scheme in the first place and instead chose to rely on its products to do the advertising. This simply shows that Audi has great confidence in the quality of its vehicles however what the automaker doesn’t know that even the most successful luxury marques in the US needs advertising to strengthen its brand identity.

Even Toyota Motor Corporation - now world’s largest automaker - has based its product success on the marketing strategy it has implemented in the US. Advertising helps promote and build brand identity which is very important for car manufacturers to obtain the attention that they need for their products. BMW has been able to create the identity as the “ultimate driving machine” so thus Mercedes which is identified as the ultimate in the car luxury segment. Unfortunately for Audi, according to Johan de Nysschen, executive vice-president of Audi AG’s US office, “We seem to be faceless”.

This is also the very reason why despite the remarkable quality of Audi cars it is still lagging behind its competitors in terms of sales. Last year, 2006, Audi sold more than 90,000 vehicles in the US which is a first for the company. Similarly for the first four months of this year, the luxury unit of Volkswagen has also record an increase of 15 percent increase in sales. Despite such increase that the brand is experiencing it still doesn’t come near to what its competitors has achieved – the likes of Lexus has sold more than 322,000 vehicles last year while BMW brand has been able to sell more than 274,000 cars and SUVs.

For many years, the Audi executives have considered the US market as if it was one of those German provinces and have relied solely on its product lineup to produce sales for the brand. And now they have found out that the US market is in fact a unique market on its own.

The luxury unit of Volkswagen has learned its lessons and is now trying to set things right. Audi is now currently developing its identity in providing the best driving experience. According to Scott Keogh, Audi marketing executive who was hired last year after ten-year tenure in Mercedes-Benz, “You see this every few years where luxury brands change their message. We are putting our foot in the ground and saying this is who we are."

One of the commercial released by Audi gives emphasis on the A4 sedan and displays the vehicle as being parked on a neighborhood street in between two of its competitors. The commercial states that the Audi is “for people who can park themselves” stressing the remarkable driving experience that comes with the vehicle. The ad also indirectly pokes at the Lexus that possess a self-park system on its new LS sedan.

To produce the new commercials for Audi Mr. Keogh hired the Venables, Bell & Partners based in San Francisco. Mr. Keogh said that it’s about time that Audi stopped being the understated brand in the US. Audi needs to break out and to make some noise. The new marketing campaign is aimed at helping the brand to achieve such. The new ad will be launched at the introduction of the TT sports car, the S5 coupe, and the R8 sports car. And for next year it will have a redesigned version of the high-volume A4 and the small SUV called the Q5.

To further develop brand identity Audi will also be conducting more events that aim to generate brand awareness for the various Audi models. Volkswagen’s luxury unit has opened a new brand showroom in midtown Manhattan called the “Audi Forum”. To attract attention, Audi has invited New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and had him driven an Audi R8. Later that evening Audi has hosted a party at the showroom that features Woody Allen’s jazz band together with comedian Stephen Colbert and singer Wyclef Jean.

Audi is considered outspent by competitors like Mercedes-Benz and BMW, according to Mr. Keogh that’s why it is not surprising that it will get a treatment similar to that of unknown personality. The marketing team of Audi has developed a grassroots marketing scheme that would rely primarily on word of mouth and viral marketing backed by traditional media campaign.

There were already tow commercials released that focuses on the new TT sports car and are 15seconds long. The ads open up with a question “Do you have a moment?” and then flashes a stream of images in less than a second making as what Audi claims as “the world’s fastest commercial” which relates to the high-performance of the TT. The ads were also designed for consumers with digital video recorders in which they can view the commercial in slow motion.

Regular inspection of a vehicles cooling system is a task which can be performed by anyone, even those not experts in the field of automotive. This inspection is very important especially during spring season when cars easily experience overheating due to poorly maintained cooling system.

Unfortunately most owners deal with their cooling system problem when it is already severe.

Car owners are advised to make sure there is enough coolant or antifreeze in the system. Inspecting the level of coolant or antifreeze is made easy with many recent model cars having semi-transparent plastic coolant reservoirs.

Auto mobile experts say a vehicle must also have 50:50 antifreeze or coolant and water mixture.

The span of the coolant mixture is as important as ratio of the mixture. This is because the coolant contains corrosion inhibitors which are vital to the engines life.

Rust, scale and acid formation are results of failure to keep fresh coolant in the system. Eventually, this can also result to over heating and engine damage. Replacing the coolant can help prevent this.

Thirty thousand miles or 24 months is the typical coolant replacement interval for many vehicles. But some newer more refined cars with extended-life coolant can go 100,000 miles or more.

Before, automotive repair shops suggests opening the radiator petcock valve and removing the lower radiator hose to drain the fluid into a catch pan for later reclamation. However, in this era with advanced technology, this procedure gives rise to a few problems. First is that the old fluid is being trapped in hoses, in the heater core and in the engine block. In rare cases, majority of the fluid is held only to be mixed with the fresh coolant. This contamination severely diminishes the new coolant or antifreezes efficiency, quality and corrosion inhibitor longevity.

Another thing is that any rust or scale deposits in the radiator, heater core or engine remain after the drain and refill. This results to a blockage. This blockage further diminishes the cooling systems efficiency and increases the chances of excessive heating.

Lastly, the proper disposal of old coolant captures all of the old ones, including that which was flushed from the system with water, and delivering it to a recycling center.

Volkswagen, maker of quality VW fan, offers performance quality cooling system that does not easily breaks down even during very hot weather. Nonetheless, maintenance must also be done to extend its longevity.

If you are serious about purchasing a quality treadmill, and not some toy that will break down in a short period of time, then there are a number of considerations to think about. One of the most important is the quality of the motor.

A treadmill motor is one of the most significant components to consider when buying a treadmill. It is what drives the treadbelt that you walk or run on. Depending on the quality and power, it can make the difference between a smooth running machine and a loud noise-maker that struggle to run. In most cases the larger and heavier the motor the better. But that is not always the case. The quality of the motor can make a big difference, even if it is smaller. In other words not all treadmill motors are equal.

When comparing treadmill motors you want to go by the horsepower of the continuous duty, not peak horsepower. Peak horsepower is the maximum horsepower a treadmill can reach. Continuous-duty horsepower is a measure of sustained power during regular use. The continuous motor power is what is consistently delivered during heavy usage over an extended period of time.

Since peak horsepower is usually significantly higher than a motor's continuous capability, continuous horsepower better helps you determine which treadmill will accommodate your intended exercise use. Generally speaking, the larger the motor the more powerful it can operate at a continuous rate

Continuous duty is the standard in comparing horsepower. Unfortunately there is no official standard rating and often treadmill manufacturers will exaggerate the actual continuous duty horsepower. Regardless, the continuous duty horsepower rating will give you some guideline, but it is not an absolute.

An indication of the quality of the motor will often be reflected by the extent of the warranty. A 90 day warranty will suggest lack of quality. A warranty of 5 years or more tells you that the motor is built to last, or otherwise the company would go broke having to replace them. In fact, there are a number of treadmill manufacturers that offer lifetime warranties on the motor.

We suggest the following continuous duty horsepower when selecting a treadmill. If you are over 200 lbs you may want to add a .5 hp to the motor level:

Walking - 2.0+ Continuous Duty HP

Jogging - 2.5+ Continuous Duty HP

Running - 3.0+ Continuous Duty HP

Be especially careful when you purchase a treadmill under $1,000. Below that price you will have manufacturers skimp on the quality of components in order to keep the price down. When you purchase from a reputable manufacturer the chances of the motor breaking down are slim. When you buy an inferior treadmill the chances of the motor burning out increases substantially.

Harry Vardon is one of the greatest golfers of all time. 6 time British Open Champion, Vardon's (Overlapping Grip) debut of the vertical swing, etc. etc. etc.

BUT there is something that is still a very well kept secret that almost no one understands. The secret to his DISTANCE.

Harry was considered a long ball hitter of his day but also a weakling. He suffered from tuberculosis and had repeated attacks.

In fact, he had to cancel a promotional tournament tour in America sponsoring the newest golf ball from Dunlop due to a bout of tuberculosis, which also forced him to cancel his ticket on the Titanic!

So how could he be a long hitter and suffer from tuberculosis at the same time? The answer is in his bent left elbow.

Yes, I know your Pro has told you many times to keep a straight left elbow. And that is the classic thinking even today.

But is a difference between the problem the Pros are trying to prevent and what Vardon did. Many amateurs will over-swing at the top and let their left elbow bend.

On the start down, they will again straighten out the elbow causing extra movement and swing plane variations. What Vardon did was something else. He HELD the bent left elbow until just before impact with the ball.

John Jacobs, in his book - The 50 Greatest Golf Lessons of the Century (HarperAcademic), described Vardon’s swing LIKE THROWING A FRISBEE!!

Theodore Jorgensen in his book - The Physics of Golf - devotes 1 separate chapter to Vardon’s swing and comes to the conclusion that by using his left elbow as an additional hinge a power increase of up to 50% is theoretically possible.

Another description of Vardon’s bent left elbow is that he made his left arm into a whip with an additional bending point in it. And then threw his left arm down the target line similar to an athlete throwing a discus but in a more vertical plane. How can you try this out?

Think - throw the Frisbee down the target line.

Keep your left elbow bent on the way down to the ball and unfurl it, like throwing a discus, down thru the ball.