1st Quarter 2018Electrical switching & drive systems & components
Energy consultants TEPM, on behalf of Ray & Sons Electrical and Chromoflo, recently called Adroit Technologies to assist in solving an energy-related problem they were experiencing on some large fans. Brad Campbell, sales engineer at Adroit Technologies said, “I was quite nervous initially as the energy saving claims made by Mitsubishi were fairly aggressive, and I felt that both my and the company’s reputations were at stake. These were large drives and it meant a lot to me to ensure that we were successful.”
Chromoflo ordered two 110 kW variable speed drives to be installed on some extraction fans at the factory. The biggest problem they were having was that the incoming power from the city supply was only rated at 800 A, which meant that due to high starting currents, it was difficult to start the factory, let alone when the power was down and a smaller standby generator had to be used.
“The most impressive feature is the percentage reduction in current drawn from the supply, significant power saving with only a small impact on overall performance,” said TEPM’s David Baudains.
These results were without even taking advantage of the patented Optimal Excitation Control (OEC) technology incorporated in most Mitsubishi VSDs. When the drives were then tuned to the motors and run as based on the amount of air the fans were required to deliver for the given process requirements, further savings were realised.
Adcor Fans did an independent verification which found that running the VSDs at 50 Hz yielded a 31% reduction in power for an overall 4% reduction in airflow, while reducing this to 47 Hz whenever possible increased the energy saving to 42% for an overall 5% reduction in airflow.
In terms of return on investment, the annual savings with the plant running eight hours per day, five days per week for 49 weeks of the year, was estimated at R70 000 per annum i.e. a payback of less than one year.
Dave Wibberley, managing director of Adroit Technologies concluded: “Having researched and verified data such as this is extremely valuable to potential users as it is customer-to-customer research and not just vendor marketing speak. We believe Mitsubishi has the best energy saving and quality product on the market. We have shown it time and time again under both harsh environmental and power conditions.”
Beckhoff’s XPlanar boosts productivity in medical device assembly Beckhoff Automation
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
The intelligent transport system, XPlanar from Beckhoff provided the basis for an innovative system concept allowing the specialists at Automation NTH to reduce the space requirement of an assembly machine for medical diagnostic devices by a factor of 10.
Read more...Smart features increase crane safety
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
The newly launched Konecranes S series hoist offers a large bouquet of smart features which not only increase lifting device safety but also deliver a higher level of operator protection.
Read more...Redefining industrial lifting
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
The Konecranes S-series hoist redefines industrial lifting through its integration of a ground-breaking synthetic rope with smart features, a lifting capacity of 20 tons, and the ability to adapt to diverse girder configurations.
Read more...Seven years of uninterrupted service
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
A set of hydraulically operated Corflex pinch valves, installed in 2018 at a major North African gold mine, has delivered in one of the continent’s most demanding slurry-handling applications.
Read more...New generation soft starter ranges Schneider Electric South Africa
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
Schneider Electric has launched its new generation Altivar ATS430 and ATS490 soft starter ranges in Anglophone Africa, the latest innovations in motor control technology.
Read more...Reinventing the wheel
Editor's Choice Electrical switching & drive systems & components
Once a curiosity in the early automotive age, in-wheel motors are now re-emerging with real promise. From electric cars to commercial vehicles and even aircraft, they are on the verge of transforming transportation engineering.
Read more...NORD modular drives for frequently changing motor speeds Bearing Man Group T/A BMG
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
BMG has made a substantial investment over the years to ensure assembly, stockholdings and technical support for the Nord range are in line with stringent international quality, safety and environmental standards.
Read more...PC-based control for sustainable fertiliser production on an industrial scale Beckhoff Automation
Electrical switching & drive systems & components
On a farm in the USA, valuable ammonia is extracted from slurry and processed into ammonium sulphate. NSI Byosis has transformed this complex process into a flexible modular system. This modular approach requires an automation solution with flexible scalability in both hardware and software, which this Dutch company has found in PC-based control from Beckhoff.
Read more...Redefining motion control with Festo’s vision for seamless and intelligent automation Festo
Editor's Choice Electrical switching & drive systems & components
The quest for precision, flexibility and efficiency continues to shape the future of industrial automation, and Festo, as a long-standing leader in automation technology, stands firmly at the forefront of this movement, driving innovation and setting the benchmark for excellence.
Read more...The opportunity and impact of MEPS electric motor regulations WEG Africa
Editor's Choice Electrical switching & drive systems & components
South African companies are gearing up for the new Minimum Energy Performance Standards, part of a global trend towards energy-efficient electric motors.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.
printer friendly version