Kohei Minato and the Japan Magnetic Fan Company
CategoriesThis article is from the latest Future Energy eNews of April 5, 2004, sent out by Tom Valone of the Integrity Research Institute.
The article on Kohei Minato's magnetic motor is one of several in the newsletter:
1. China's Voracious Energy Needs - How and where will China get the energy to maintain its economic growth?
2. Zero Point Energy Pursued by Two Aerospace Companies and DOD Agency - Aviation Week & Space Tech reviews the latest research efforts in ZPE
3. Wind Farms vs. British Air Force - Wind may lose out
4. Global Warming clarification - Study authors dispute NY Times viewpoint
5. Electric Vehicles get the Plug Pulled - Clean energy transportation no more
6. Cold Fusion gets a Second Look by the USDOE - It took 15 years before they
now consider it legitimate science7. Minato's Magnetic Motor - Uses magnetism innovatively and 20% of the electricity normally required. Article uses the words "over unity" and is published on Japan.com
I have chosen Minato as it is one of the first instances, if not THE first, where new energy principles are actually being put to work in a functioning and commercially available piece of machinery. This is something many people who are following these developments have been waiting to see for several years now. Let's hope it is the beginning of a whole wave of similar developments.
The Techno Maestro's Amazing Machine: Kohei Minato and the Japan Magnetic Fan Company
by John Dodd, Japan.com, excerpts from japan.com/technology/
A maverick inventor's breakthrough electric motor uses permanent magnets to make power -- and has investors salivating
When we first got the call from an excited colleague that he'd just seen the most amazing invention -- a magnetic motor that consumed almost no electricity -- we were so skeptical that we declined an invitation to go see it. If the technology was so good, we thought, how come they didn't have any customers yet?
We forgot about the invitation and the company until several months later, when our friend called again.
"OK," he said. "They've just sold 40,000 units to a major convenience store chain. Now will you see it?"
In Japan, no one pays for 40,000 convenience store cooling fans without being reasonably sure that they are going to work.
Nobue then takes us through the functions and operations of each of the machines, starting off with a simple explanation of the laws of magnetism and repulsion. She demonstrates the "Minato Wheel" by kicking a magnet-lined rotor into action with a magnetic wand.
Looking carefully at the rotor, we see that it has over 16 magnets embedded on a slant -- apparently to make Minato's machines work, the positioning and angle of the magnets is critical. After she kicks the wheel into life, it keeps spinning, proving at least that the design doesn't suffer from magnetic lockup.
She then moves us to the next device, a weighty machine connected to a tiny battery. Apparently the load on the machine is a 35kg rotor, which could easily be used in a washing machine. After she flicks the switch, the huge rotor spins at over 1,500 rpms effortlessly and silently. Meters show the power in and power out. Suddenly, a power source of 16 watt or so is driving a device that should be drawing at least 200 to 300 watts.
Nobue explains to us that this and all the other devices only use electrical power for the two electromagnetic stators at either side of each rotor, which are used to kick the rotor past its lockup point then on to the next arc of magnets. Apparently the angle and spacing of the magnets is such that once the rotor is moving, repulsion between the stators and the rotor poles keeps the rotor moving smoothly in a counterclockwise direction. Either way, it's impressive.
Next we move to a unit with its motor connected to a generator. What we see is striking. The meters showed an input to the stator electromagnets of approximately 1.8 volts and 150mA input, and from the generator, 9.144 volts and 192mA output. 1.8 x 0.15 x 2 = 540mW input and 9.144 x 0.192 = 1.755W out.
But according to the laws of physics, you can't get more out of a device than you put into it. We mention this to Kohei Minato while looking under the workbench to make sure there aren't any hidden wires.
Minato assures us that he hasn't transcended the laws of physics. The force supplying the unexplained extra power out is generated by the magnetic strength of the permanent magnets embedded in the rotor. "I'm simply harnessing one of the four fundamental forces of nature," he says.
Although we learned in school that magnets were always bipolar and so magnetically induced motion would always end in a locked state of equilibrium, Minato explains that he has fine-tuned the positioning of the magnets and the timing of pulses to the stators to the point where the repulsion between the rotor and the stator (the fixed outer magnetic ring) is transitory. This creates further motion -- rather than a lockup. (See the sidebar on page 41 for a full explanation).
Implications
Minato's motors consume just 20 percent or less of the power of conventional motors with the same torque and horse power. They run cool to the touch and produce almost no acoustic or electrical noise. They are significantly safer and cheaper (in terms of power consumed), and they are sounder environmentally.
The implications are enormous. In the US alone, almost 55 percent of the nation's electricity is consumed by electric motors. While most factory operators buy the cheapest motors possible, they are steadily being educated by bodies like NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association) that the costs of running a motor over a typical 20-year lifespan comprise a purchase price of just 3 percent of the total, and electricity costs of 97 percent. It is not unusual for a $2,000 motor to consume $80,000 of electricity (at a price of 6 cents per kilowatt hour).
Since 1992, when efficiency legislation was put into place at the US federal level, motor efficiency has been a high priority -- and motors saving 20 percent or so on electrical bills are considered highly efficient. Minato is about to introduce a motor which saves 80 percent, putting it into an entirely new class: The $80,000 running cost will drop to just $16,000. This is a significant savings when multiplied by the millions of motors used throughout the USA and Japan -- and eventually, throughout the world.
The devices
Minato's invention and its ability to use remarkably less power and run without heat or noise make it perfect for home appliances, personal computers, cellphones (a miniature generator is in the works) and other consumer products.
The magnetic motor will be cheaper than a standard motor to make, as the rotor and stator assemblies can be set into plastic housings, due to the fact that the system creates very little heat. Further, with the motor's energy efficiency, it will be well suited for any application where a motor has limited energy to drive it. While development is still focused on replacing existing devices, Minato says that his motor has sufficient torque to power a vehicle.
With the help of magnetic propulsion, it is feasible to attach a generator to the motor and produce more electric power than was put into the device. Minato says that average efficiency on his motors is about 330 percent.
Mention of Over Unity devices in many scientific circles will draw icy skepticism. But if you can accept the idea that Minato's device is able to create motion and torque through its unique, sustainable permanent magnet propulsion system, then it makes sense that he is able to get more out of the unit than he puts in in terms of elctrical power. Indeed, if the device can produce a surplus of power for longer periods, every household in the land will want one.
"I am not in this for the money," Minato says. "I have done well in my musical career, but I want to make a contribution to society -- helping the backstreet manufacturers here in Japan and elsewhere. I want to reverse the trends caused by major multinationals. There is a place for corporations. But as the oil industry has taught us, energy is one area where a breakthrough invention like this cannot be trusted to large companies."
Minato was once close to making a deal with Enron. But today, he is firmly on a mission to support the small and the independent -- and to go worldwide with them and his amazing machine. "Our plan is to rally smaller companies and pool their talent, and to one day produce the technology across a wide range of fields."
Guest Commentary to Minato article added by Integrity Research Institute (thanks to ZPEnergy.com)Kohei Minato has been working in this field for many years. I have no reason to doubt the facts presented in this story, which appeared March 12, 2004. It is a remarkable and important achievement.
First, it will begin to overcome doubt that such technology is possible. His success brings a degree of credibility. Second, it insures that this type of technology cannot be surpressed. His patents have long been in print in many countries, including the U.S. (See #5,594,289, and #4,751,486*). Third, it will draw attention. He is a consummate showman as well as a brilliant inventor.
Some will object that since the motors are not self-powered, the system is not over unity. Obviously, self-powered devices leave no room for that argument, and are therefore the ultimate proof. However, Minato is not an engineer by training. Self-powering such a device is much more complex an engineering challenge than it seems to those unfamiliar with the complexities involved.
He believes the magnets are the source of the energy in his system. In reality, he is probably tapping Zero Point (Vacuum) Energy and this renewable, inexhaustible, resource prevents demagnetization.
No less a physicist than Werner Heisenberg once stated he believed: “We could utilize magnetism as an energy source”.
Although at first it is likely to be ridiculed by most scientists and engineers, it seems to me likely that in time Minato’s achievement will be widely accepted.
Mark Goldes, mrb@ap.net
Magnetic Power Inc.
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
||||
|
|
|||||
|
|
||||