What are the maintenance requirements of the VDC?
The VDC product requires minimal maintenance. Because the flywheel utilizes a full levitation system with no mechanical bearing, there is nothing in the flywheel module that needs to be maintained. The VDC also utilizes a “medical grade” vacuum pump to maintain a high vacuum level in the flywheel chamber. Because all materials located in a vacuum environment “out-gas” vapor molecules over time, these vapor molecules must be captured and removed in order to keep the vacuum at the appropriate level in the flywheel chamber. The VDC gathers these vapor molecules in the mineral oil of the vacuum pump. Typically this mineral oil will need to be replaced after about 1 year of operation as the mineral oil has absorbed these contaminants. Replacing the mineral oil “regenerates” the vacuum. The VDC vacuum regeneration procedure takes about 10 minutes to perform and the unit does not have to be taken off-line, thus is available to function if called upon. Because the “out-gassing” rate decreases
