United States. Infinitum Electric's IEq, a high-efficiency silicon carbide VFD (variable frequency unit), has been recognized as AHR Expo's 2021 Product of the Year. The winning product offers incremental shift improvements in engine control efficiency, size and packaging, enabling OEMs and end users to deploy the technology in a more varied environment.
Each year, the winners of the AHR Expo Innovation Awards from all 10 categories compete to be named AHR Expo Product of the Year. This award is usually announced at the event in a special ceremony to honor the winners. With the 2021 Show cancelled, Show Management and co-sponsors ASHRAE and AHRI have decided to announce the winner of Product of the Year online.
IEq is an alternative solution to replace VFDs based on 30-year insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs). The high-efficiency silicon carbide (SiC) VFD offers a smaller, smarter, cooler, and more efficient motor controller with IoT capabilities built into a single unit.
The introduction of VFD allowed commercial and industrial applications the ability to vary the speeds of fan, pump or compressor applications. This led to a radical improvement in the overall energy consumption of the industry. However, a limiting factor remained: the efficiency of VFDs stagnated at ~88-94%.
