The future of electrification is already here
What drives us?
To avoid a climate disaster the world’s energy system must switch from fossil fuels to electric energy alternatives.
Electrical machines (motors and generators) are key components in the world’s electric energy system. This is evident by the fact that electric generators are used to produce 95 % of all the world’s electricity and electric motors consume about 40 % of this electricity.
Unfortunately for the world, one needs a lot of critical and expensive raw materials to build these motors and generators. This means a lot of polluting/environment destroying mining operations and material processing operations. Just to supply the world with a piece of technology needed to rid ourselves from fossil fuels.
A contributing reason for this unfortune is the fact that most developments in the field of electric machines has taken the shape of incremental “low risk” improvements of core concepts that were developed more than 100 years ago. We are absolutely not saying that the motors and generators of yesteryear are bad, but we dare say they are not good enough for all future applications.
At Hagnesia we are at the very core driven by an entrepreneurial spirit and a sense of responsibility for our shared earth. Relying on these driving forces we fight tooth and nail, every day, to bring to market a new motor and generator technology that will achieve two things:
- A reduction in the costs, and hence increase the speed of, the energy transition away from fossil fuels to a more electrified energy and transport system.
- A reduction in environmentally damaging mining and material processing operations associated with this transition.
How we do it
Hagnesia’s novel thin disk structure
Compact, Modular, Scalable
Conventional generator
Limited airgap area
Its all about the airgap
If we were to give a crash course in electric motor design we would start by saying it is all about the airgap. This since it is in the airgap that the useful force (i.e. torque) of a motor or generator is produced.
There is an upper limit to this force that is determined by physical laws and core material properties. There is not much to do about that. What can be done though, is to decrease the amount of materials and volume needed to achieve a given airgap area inside a motor or generator.
The patented Hagnesia technology allows us to stack multiple airgaps in a very compact and modular structure, thus increasing the accumulated size of the airgap for a given motor or generator size. This gives a radical increase in torque per unit of weight or volume when compared to both conventional radial flux machines and state of the art axial flux machines.
Our team and expertise
Founded in 2018 as a research spin-off, Hagnesia is a Swedish technology developer dedicated to completing the journey of taking its novel technology from idea into a new market leading industry.
The team has strong academic background as well as extensive industrial experience in all fields relevant for realizing this ambition. It includes experts in electromagnetism, mechanical engineering, machine design, manufacturing, numerical analysis, power electronics, etc. as well as sales, business development and management.
With a prototype workshop and laboratory located in the Gothenburg region in Sweden, we develop, manufacture, assemble and test all parts of our motors and generators inhouse.
Milestones
2018
The PTF technology is invented and patented by Anders Hagnestål. The company Hagnesia AB is founded.
2020
The electromagnetic principle for the PTF-technology demonstrated in a laboratory (TRL3). 3D FEM analysis in time domain verifies performance and scalability.
2022-2024 (ongoing)
A prototype workshop is established.
A scale 1:100 wind power generator (20 kW) is built and tested at Chalmers. (TRL4)
A scale 1:10 maritime propulsion motor is (400 kW) built and tested together with an industrial partner.
2023-2027 (ongoing)
Consortium of EU-partners received EU-grant to build a scale 1:5 wind prototype (2MW) and test it in nacelle test bench.
Customer financed project to build prototypes and establishing production capabilities for 500 kW motors for maritime applications.