The following is a brief description of the projects under development at Pell Innovations. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.

Optimal Design Software

At Pell Innovations we develop and employ custom problem solving software utilizing robust genetic algorithms to determine optimal solutions to a variety of multiobjective problems. Currently we use the competetive edge offered by these techniques to offer optimization services to both businesses and individuals in addition to the development of our own in-house projects.

Savonius Rotors

Contrary to mainstream belief, not all wind turbines consist of the traditional propeller, mounted horizontally, and perched atop a tower with fins to help position it into the wind. A Savonius or vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) is a competitive alternative. The most simple example of a Savonius type VAWT is a weatherman's anemometer. It is a drag type device and has a tip velocity roughly equal to the wind speed. This allows for quieter operation, less vibration, and it is not harmful to birds. Furthermore it benefits from lower manufacturing cost, serves as its own tower, and rotates about a vertical axis to always face the wind without the need for fins. The newer helical type Savonius rotors are considered by many to be works of art. The adoption of the propeller type windmill over the Savonius is primarily due to total peak efficiency. A propeller type windmill is said to achieve a peak efficiency of 45%, while the savonius manages 30%. Through the use of multi-objective genetic algorithms, we seek to optimize the shape of the Savonius rotor in order to achieve peak efficiencies in excess of 45%. In addition to generating power from the wind, such an improvement to Savonius type rotors may prove to be useful for micro-hydropower applications.

Tesla Turbines

Nikola Tesla, the inventor of polyphase AC power, radio, and numerous other inventions that set the 20th century in motion, also had an interest in what he termed as "prime movers". Tesla designed his most famous prime mover, the Tesla Turbine, with the intent generating power from moving fluids as efficiently as possible. The Tesla Turbine is a bladeless disk turbine that operates on the principle of adhesion and viscosity to transmit the power of a flowing fluid into mechanical shaft power via a set of thin disks evenly spaced along a shaft. It is self starting and reversible, which means that if you power the shaft it works equally well as a pump. Although first patented his invention in 1913, Tesla had insurmountable difficulties when it came to the introduction of a commercially viable version. Others trying to duplicate Tesla's work found that although the rotor efficiency was excellent (>95%), total turbine efficiency was low due to inlet and outlet losses. Thus, almost a century later, the Tesla Turbine has yet to enjoy widespread acceptance; only the petroleum industry uses a form of Tesla Pump, while a few individuals and clubs dedicated time and energy in research and education. Needless to say, the theory behind the turbine is supurb. Its simple construction allows for reduced manufacturing costs and quiet operation, while the simple geometries involved readily allow for the use of advanced high temperature ceramic components. Using our skills in multiobjective optimization, we seek to find the correct combination of design parameters that will unleash the potential of the Tesla Turbine.

The WorXpace Office System

Looking for a creative office environment? Bored with the monotony of cubicles? The WorXpace Office System consists of Personal WorX-stations that provide a fun, creative atmosphere for designers and engineers. Based on an employee's work requirements, one modular system allows for the creation of up to 5 unique office stations of different size. Privacy shields may be raised or lowered to allow for easy collaboration and idea sharing between workers, while permanent endwalls provide space for shelves or other personal items. The natural orientations developed from groups of different WorX-stations allows for different design teams to be easily sectioned off. Furthermore, if there is a need for floorwide meetings, its not necessary to find another room; everyone lowers their privacy shields. The entire workforce can then interact, share ideas, and collaborate right from their personal WorkX-station. The WorXpace Office System is modular, saves total space while maximizing an individuals workspace, has minimal components, and breaks up the office environment in an unconventional manner.
Interested in purchasing a WorXpace Office System? Please feel free to contact us for more information.

The Pi-Cycle Project

We are using optimal design methods for the field of sustainable transportation,in an effort to reduce the nation's over reliance on the automobile. By using the term sustainable, we refer to a vehicle utilizing minimal economic and environmental resources for construction, one that has zero reliance on fossil fuels, is energy efficient during operation, one that does not require extensive land use for roadway infrastructure, while meeting the typical speed and duty requirements of the modern lifestyle. Current work has led to the generation of design software to aid us in determining realistic vehicle performance, while final design and prototyping of sustainable vehicles will require the use of our automated custom optimization tools as mentioned above, thus yielding a truly optimal vehicle structure suited to an individual's needs. The need for sustainable transportation is high; America's love affair with the automobile is proving to have drastic effects on human health, wildlife habitat, environmental quality and the economy. According to the publication, The Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices (Three Rivers Press, 1999) the "personal use of cars and light trucks is the single most damaging consumer behavior." 91% of all personal travel is in the form of passenger vehicle use and at present there are more than 200 million passenger cars and light trucks on American roads, with a combined mileage nearing 2 trillion miles each year. This excessive use contributes to nearly 50% of the nation's air pollution, and serves as a major source of water contamination through chemical runoff from gasoline, fuel additives, and other automotive fluids. In terms of economic demands, 47% of government funds allocated to the road and highway sector were for increased vehicle capacity, whereas the remaining 53% of the federal funds are required to maintain the current roadways. On a local scale, increased economic burden is passed on to the consumer by increased taxation, by healthcare costs due to excessive pollution and reduced physical activity, and by the automobile's high cost of ownership.

Project Revbow

A revolutionary archery concept that provides archer's with increased speed, stability, and a more forgiving shooting experience. Prototypes of this simplified concept are currently being tested to determine the extent to which they surpass the modern compound bow. The Revbow, along with having greater performance will also aim to regain the simplicity of traditional archery.