DRIVES, CONTROLS & MOTORS FEATURE
VFDs: the key to saving energy, costs and downtime?
From manufacturing to water pumping, agriculture to mining, most industries throughout the world have an application involving an electric motor – and most of these processes or applications will benefit from accurate speed control. Here, a spokesperson from Invetek Drives examines how variable frequency drives (VFD) not only enable the process to be significantly improved, but substantial energy savings to be achieved
V
FDs are basically an electronic device that controls the speed of AC induction motors.
A motor controller if you will. For processes that use an electric motor, speed control can be very beneficial. Not only will it help to improve the process but, in many cases, particularly with pumps and fans, there are considerable energy savings to be had. As an example, instead of having a pump
operating at constant maximum flow, the rate can be altered depending on demand. This reduces water usage, cuts energy wastage, and can also reduce wear and tear and associated costs or downtime. In most cases VFDs can be easily retrofitted,
either replacing an existing drive or as a completely new motor control. The installation and commissioning of a drive is also generally straightforward. Furthermore, some VFDs – such as Invertek Drives’ Optidrive range – come with default settings and parameters for most applications, making the process quick and easy.
SPECIFYING THE RIGHT DRIVE Is the application for industrial, pump or fan use? A low power VFD will be classed for general use. However, larger, and more specialised drives will be used for industrial applications or pump and fan processes.
Is the drive being used in a general
environment, harsh conditions, or outside? Here, the type of enclosure will be important – do you need an IP20, IP55 or IP66 / NEMA 4X rated enclosure? If you are working at high temperature or altitude, or need particular features or functions, it’s important to talk to your supplier to help select the right drive.
COMMISSIONING Once installed, commissioning the VFD should be straightforward. For example, Invertek’s Optidrive E3 has 14 parameters for basic set up in most applications, and contactor style connections for simple wiring. Most drives have a digital keypad control and display to make application parameter selections straightforward. In some cases, as with the Optidrive VFDs, a
range of tools are available for easy set up and commissioning, such as Bluetooth and NFC compatibility, allowing smartphone access through a dedicated app or PC software. These can also help with ongoing monitoring of the drive without a site visit.
SUITABLE APPLICATIONS As mentioned previously, VFDs are used in a wide range of applications. So let’s take a look at a few examples.
Water pumping:
At one major shopping centre, water was being pumped throughout the four-storey building daily using, on average, three of the four 15kW pumps located in the building’s car park, irrelevant of actual demand. Four Optidrive Eco
VFDs were installed and commissioned in the system for
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each pump. With the use of Invertek’s Optiflow technology, each of the four pumps can be controlled independently depending on demand, ensuring only the optimum number of pumps are in operation. When demand falls, some pumps can be put to sleep or their speed reduced. At the shopping centre, just two pumps are now required on average. The result? The shopping centre is achieving
at least 30% savings in water and energy costs thanks to the VFDs. Furthermore, the monthly water and associated energy costs amounted to over £350,000, the single largest cost facing the retail site. Conveyor control: A food manufacturer
was updating its pizza production facility and needed to ensure a specified amount of cheese was sprinkled on to its pizzas for consistency and cost. To meet the requirements, VFDs were installed to control the conveyor, ensuring the correct amount of cheese was added to the pizzas. In addition, the speed of the conveyor could be controlled depending on the different type of pizza, or size, and the amount of cheese needed. Ventilation: Carbon Dioxide caused by vehicle
exhausts and other emissions in multi-storey car parks can lead to poor and potentially dangerous levels of toxicity without good ventilation, so maintaining safe levels of air quality is crucial for the safety of those using them. Additionally, should a fire break out, the smoke and fumes need to be drawn quickly from each floor. A new ventilation system was needed at
one city centre multi-storey car park. Here, Invertek’s Optidrive E3 VFDs are now being used to control the four fans operating in the building. The drives changed the speed of the fans according to different times of the day, resulting in reduced energy costs. Added to this, the built-in fire mode also means they can turn fans to maximum rotation, overriding any other settings.
Invertek Drives
www.invertekdrives.com
DESIGN SOLUTIONS | JUNE 2021 29
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