Energy Efficiency simply means using less energy to perform the same action, eliminating energy waste. It has become the buzzword and area of focus for environmentalist, politician, and energy alike companies as it became the key driver for sustainable development in many economies across the world.

Industries accounts for one-third of the global final energy demand so any improvement in energy efficiency has great potential to contribute to the bottom line.  By investing in energy efficiency, industrial operators gain benefits of enhanced competitiveness and profitability, reduced resource use and pollution, improved production, product quality and working environment, and reduced operational and maintenance costs. These result in improved productivity and contribute to wider political objectives such as combatting climate change and promoting economic development. In this way, companies that practice energy efficiency gain a positive perception for their brands.

Customer Challenges:

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), industries consume about 42% of all electricity generated, and motor-driven applications account for 70% of it. More than 90% of industrial motors cannot adjust their power consumption, which are running at full speeds regardless of the actual output it needs. For instance, flow-generating equipment like fans, pumps and compressors are often used without speed control. Instead, flow is traditionally controlled by throttling or using a valve or damper. When flow is controlled without regulating the motor speed, it runs continuously at full speed and wastes significant energy over most of its operating time, and this indirectly increases the electricity consumption and the utility bill.

Traditional starting methods for motor which cause a current surge during start up, not only contribute further to energy consumption but also will also cause power line disturbance because of excessive power flowing through. This can damage or shorten the lifespan of the components on the system such as motors and indirectly increase the cost of maintenance and replacement.

The main challenge that growing economies face is that they don’t often have the resources to spare to develop energy efficient solutions. The truth is, seen from a purely economic perspective, some companies perceive energy efficiency measures as an increased risk. This is because of a need to change processes or replace process equipment.

XD Solutions: Variable Speed Drives

The constant increase in energy prices have substantially heightened interest among business owners who want to save energy and money. Alternative energy sources or new energy saving technologies has been put in discussion but surprisingly, little attention is given to the existing technical solution that could provide huge saving if they were applied more widely.

Variable speed drives provide effective speed control of AC motors by manipulating frequency. Controlling the speed of a motor provides users with improved process control, and large energy savings. According to the Affinity Laws, lower motor speed equals less energy consumption. For example, a motor running at 80% speed requires 51% of the electricity of a motor running at 100% speed.

Other than controlling the motor speed, variable speed drive starts the motor at zero voltage and ramp it up slowly and minimize the power needed to set the mechanism in operation which in turn reduce wear and tear on the motor. Various built-in safety and protection function in the variable speed drive act as a protector to the motor as well because it helps to trigger and alert users when there is a fault in the system for instance, overcurrent or overload in the motor. This will help to protect the motor from damage and prolong the lifespan.

Benefits

Reducing energy consumption and lowering the utility bill is one of the primary benefits of specifying a variable speed drive. However, there are more benefits to this device in commercial and industrial settings.

During start-up, motors demand as much as 8 times their normal current. This surge increases the amount of heat the motor must endure and it adds strain on the motor winding. Variable speed drive starts the motor at zero voltage and ramp it up slowly. This minimizes the surge required to start the motor and in turn extend the motor lifespan.

Variable speed drives can also help in design efficiencies. In some cases, specifying a variable frequency drive (VFD) can eliminate the need for certain drivetrain components. For example, users can use a VFD to slow a driven belt, rather than specifying gearing reductions to accomplish the same task. If the planned system is currently relying upon gearing to reduce the speed of a belt driven by a motor, a VFD could replace that gearbox and afford users with even more precise control.

When a sudden surge of power is drawn to activate a motor, that excess must flow through the power lines feeding the system. and the other components in the system get starved, which can cause them to trip offline due to inadequate voltage. This can damage computers, various sensors and proximity switches over time. With ramp start function in variable speed drive, it reduces and eliminates the power line disturbance.

When the lifespan of a motor is extended, the components on the powerline can continue to function for a longer time due to stable current flow and the protective function on the mechanical fault, which indirectly helps to reduce the maintenance cost of mechanical wear and tear. Specifying a variable speed drive can make a system more expensive to configure up front. However, the savings made from maintenance costs over time typically makes up for the higher initial cost.

More advance micro drive for simple application. Takes smooth performance to the next level with the wide power range and functionality of ACS150. Available in both single and three phase supplies. The drives are easy to select and provide a range of built-in features as a standard including PID control, brake chopper, fixed keypad and speed control potentiometer.

ACS355 drives are designed to maximize your machine’s availability with drives that are easy to install and setup. The drive is highly modular and supports a variety of fieldbus protocols thus providing flexible connectivity. In addition to a broad range of built-in options such as different I/O and communications, a wide selection of external accessories are also available. ABB machinery drives are designed to meet the requirements of an extensive range of machinery applications. The drives are ideal for food and beverage, material handling, lifting, textile, printing, rubber and plastics, and woodworking applications.

The ACS580 is an all-compatible ABB general purpose drive, offered in a range of wall-mounted drives, drive modules and cabinet-built drives. It makes complicated processes simple and controls processes productively and efficiently. ACS580 drives include all the essential components for typical light. Lighting industry applications, with a scalable offering of 0.75 kW to 500 kW. The drive is ready to control compressors, conveyors, mixers, pumps and fans, as well as many other variable and constant torque applications.

The AC880 is an all-compatible ABB industrial drive, offered in a range of wall-mounted drives, drive modules and cabinet-built drives. ACS880 single drives are standalone drives. They are customized to meet the particular needs of specific industries, such as oil and gas, mining, metals, chemicals, cement, power plants, material handling, pulp and paper, sawmills, marine, water and wastewater, food and beverage, and automotive. They can control a wide range of applications, including cranes, extruders, winches, winders, conveyors, mixers, compressors, centrifuges, test benches, elevators, extruders, pumps and fans.