Balraj Banger, CEO Pioneer HVAC Systems Inc, has a degree in mechanical engineering from Thapar University Patiala. By now he has worked as Automotive Design / Power Plant / Product / Tooling / Project Engineer and currently serving the HVAC industry. He is best described as a go-getter and one who can think-on-the go. His desire is to create things of value and achieve perfection in them. In this endeavour, he has been able to create unique products far ahead of their time. While in university, he received two job offers due to the creative work that he had done from as far back as in 1988, when he was in grade 10. Among the most notable examples of this innovative work was a then-unique bicycle having shock absorbers on both wheels.
However, there were big challenges that he faced. Being a high school student, living in society where not much is appreciated except getting good grades in studies and also, with no resources available for creative work, it was tough going. However, with focus and dedication ultimately this major project was completed.
During his graduation in mechanical engineering, a job offer was received during campus recruitment itself. This was in the design department of one of the most reputed automotive company in India.
While most things were working out well on the professional path, there was a big setback. In a magazine, he came across a press release (around 1996). This was from TI Investment of India (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tube_Investments_of_India_Limited). The company makes bicycles in India and it was reported that they had developed India’s first bicycle with a shock absorber on the front wheels only.
It was a massive disappointment as he had already made this cycle 7 years before TI did and that too having a Dual suspension. Based upon the claim made by the company, He wrote to Limca Book of Records (similar to Guinness Book in India), and his bicycle was declared first of its kind in India. It was listed in the 1997 edition of the book on page # 317 as India’s First Dual Suspension Bicycle.
During this project other team members were Anil Banger, Harinder Angurala, Rupinder Singh Turna and Mohan.
Balraj Banger also took up independent projects, among them were:
1. Electronic theft-proof systems for cars (1993)
It was a system developed to sound an alarm when unauthorized attempt was made to open the doors a car. It was developed by using numeric lock used in suitcases.
2. Braking System for Rickshaw (1993)
Rickshaws were a very common mode of transportation even late into the last century. One day he witnessed an accident that happened due to the poor braking system. He thereafter, developed an efficient braking system, which was designed in a manner to make accidents rare due to brakes.
3. Wartsila Tools (2002)
While working as power plant engineer with Wartsila (https://www.wartsila.com/), he developed two tools that reduced maintenance time by as much as 70%. To overcome the communication problem inside the engine room he also developed a sign language for the power plant employees.
4. India’s first Automatic side turn indicators for two wheeler (2003)
Two wheelers are very important mode of transportation globally. Most of the times drivers forget to switch off the side turn indicators causing accidents that are sometimes fatal. So, he developed automatic side-turn indicators. They were also declared first of their kind in India by Limca Book of Records and this was in its entry in 2007 edition (Page # 255). Same feature was launched by Bajaj Auto, a leading manufacturer of two wheelers in India, in its Pulsar motorcycle.
5. Energy saving air cooler (2003)
Back in India, in the summers, water coolers are used to cool the air in homes. Air is passed through water to cool it. There was scope for energy saving and Balraj built a prototype. Energy was saved in this system through a unique method. That was by installing a timer for the fan motor and water supply motor. He also worked on a mobile version of fan cooler but had to abandon the project due to safety reasons as house hold electrical wiring was not done as per electrical codes.
In Canada, around 2010 some companies that launched water saving By-pass Humidifiers used on furnaces, were similar to those developed by Balraj in 2003.
6. Bangerware (2008)
While working as Tool Designer / Product Engineer at ABerger Precision Ltd, he was assigned the task to find out the tooling cost. As there was no tool available to find the accurate value and if there was some data, it was available after the production was completed. So it was hard for the management to make decisions for continuous improvement. To overcome this problem he designed a computer application “Bangerware” (developed by Mr. Adnan Jamil), which was able to deliver not only accurate tooling cost “LIVE” (When the production was going on) but also providing vital feedback for continuous improvement.
7. Real Time Programmable Digital Inverter (2010)
As in Ontario (Canada) “Time of use billing system” for electricity is prevalent. To reduce the energy cost for the consumer and to reduce the peak hour grid load, Balraj developed a prototype of “Real Time Programmable Digital Inverter” which was capable of storing electricity during off peak hours and delivering during peak hours for which he brought the parts from India. He received US Provisional Patent for it in May 2010.
However, before it could be taken to the next level, Tesla launched the same concept as Tesla Wall in May 2015. Globe and Mail did a story for it https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/tesla-powerwall-in-home-battery-pack-coming-to-canada/article24244093/
8. Drinking Water Fountain (2012)
Water fountains installed at public places, malls and airports lead to a lot of wastage. Balraj did a simple modification to the product and this led to drinking water saving of as much as 30% to 40%. He shot off letters to many organizations, magazines, university experts on water conservation and green building organizations and also made a submission to Pearson International Airport authorities.
His aim was to show the world that even if Canada is having abundance of water, we still care to save as much of it as possible. If this fountain is installed at elementary schools, the younger generation can be made aware about the importance of this natural resource.
Plz watch the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iOFb-LaViM&t=303s
9. Raj Volume Damper (2018)
To get greater knowledge about the Residential Air systems, Balraj enrolled himself in HRAI (Heating Refrigeration and Air conditioning Institute of Canada) courses.
There, he discussed with instructor (Mr Tom Cates), who has been in this field for 25 years by now, about the poor design of Volume Dampers used in residential applications.
To be comfortable in a room, the Air distribution system must deliver the designed CFM as per Heat Loss / Heat Gain Analysis for that room.
To achieve this CFM value, the position of the Volume Damper needs to be adjusted and locked as per season. To effectively lock the Volume Damper at the required position, the access to the wing nut is required. But unfortunately these wing nuts get covered under the dry wall. So, effective Air balancing cannot be achieved with the conventional damper. Even if some success is achieved during air balancing, it is hard to keep the damper locked to its position due to the vibrations in the duct work. Not to mention, to perform seasonal air balancing, is next to impossible with a conventional volume damper.
This imbalance of energy, which is 10% to 35% (varies as per site conditions), leads to Hot & Cold spots in the home along with higher utility bills. Due to poor air distribution and subsequent problems, the home owner ends up installing supplemental heating and cooling devices thus adding more to his pocket.
Under Mr. Cates encouragement, Balraj designed a better one. During CMPX 2018, along with his son Sarabjit Banger, discussed the prototype with field experts. Everyone appreciated it. One of the trade persons even said that he do not know why in last 25 years he had never thought about it!
However, Balraj himself was not too impressed with the initial design as it was not being able to deliver 100% of the designed air flow so he redesigned to achieve the target of 100%.
SLD (Self Locking Damper), First of its kind in the current HVAC industry, is designed in such a way that during air balancing, it can be adjusted to any position, and it will get locked by itself, without the access of the nut. The SLD (Self Locking Damper) has the ability to deliver 100% of the designed CFM. Due to its unique design, SLD it is not susceptible to vibrations in the duct work, hence will not make rattling noise.
As effective air balancing can be achieved with SLD (Self Locking Damper), so supplemental sources can be eliminated. It will also put the Carbon produced during burning of the natural gas to the best use and may even reduce it.
Mr. Mansoor Bhatti from IGM Heating and Air conditioning http://igmheatingairconditioning.com/ played a pivotal role in the development of Self Locking Damper (SLD).
The other projects he worked on Torque Converter for bicycles, Improved safety belts for automobiles, Energy saving water geyser and water saving controller for domestic underground water pumps
The objective of all his work was to find the solution to problems which surrounds YOU and for these solutions a laboratory is not a must, your garage is enough! All you need is to be conscious to your problems, do not try to ignore them. There are infinite numbers of solutions for just one problem of yours!
