FEATURE EFFICIENT PRODUCTS Electric motors:
The key to energy efficiency?
T
he drive to lower emissions is finally connecting motor purchasing facts:
• Electric motor users are often not the people who purchase the motor.
• Motor purchasers often focus on cost of acquisition not operating costs.
• Cheaper motors tend to be less efficient. • In applications with high utilisations, the cost of the motor is less than 5% of the total cost of ownership. This, however, is not new news. Back
in 2011, the IEA report ‘Walking the Torque’ clearly laid out the issues in terms of not just motors but whole drive systems where efficiency is not optimised. There are even examples where a synchronous motor has been used to drive constant speed pumps or fans, with control achieved through some sort of throttle or valve. De Almeda concluded that if all
elements of these drive systems could be converted to the optimal efficiency, then there would be an overall 10% reduction in electricity consumption. This is massive, as electric motors are estimated to use 45% of electricity generated. However, most of these motors are used in industrial applications. The IEA Report recommended that
governments should set minimum standards in terms of motor efficiency. Whilst many motor manufacturers have responded by developing a more efficient range, many motor purchase decisions are made on motor price not operating cost. Given energy cost will be 95% of the cost of ownership, this has never made sense. Climate change, however, is driving the
need for change, and currently many Governments are linking innovation
grants to the green agenda. The UK’s Industrial Energy Efficiency
Accelerator program (funded by BEIS and managed by the Carbon Trust) is trying to address these issues by funding projects that focus on energy efficiency. One example is the Caiman project –
and for this Magnomatics is applying its efficient motor to a refuse shredder manufactured by Donasonic. The motor will be made by Wolong Laurence Scoot.
A NEW PROJECT The project will see the installation of a shredder using a novel direct-drive magnetically geared motor at Ellgia’s Scunthorpe waste management site. The site produces over 80,000 tonnes of refuse derived fuel and solid recovered fuel – an important fuel source for industry and electricity co-generation – per year, and the new shredder will be used for the production of solid recovered fuel. The project will demonstrate the
energy savings available from this novel motor technology compared with currently used IE3 motors equipped with gearboxes and pulleys. The application selected allows for
demonstration of the magnetically geared motor in harsh operating conditions where the motor will experience high torque, speed fluctuation and vibration in service. Additional benefits of the technology are the predicted reduced maintenance times due to the removal of gearbox components, and the improved ability to deal with high torques caused by abnormal loads by having the drive pole slip harmlessly should anything become lodged in the rotor. The shredder will be installed
alongside an existing processing line, allowing for comparisons to be made against a traditional processing route, and giving the additional ability for various feed materials to be trialled. Energy savings of approximately
16% utilising the novel motor technology compared with currently used IE3 motors equipped with
gearboxes and pulleys are expected to
Source: De Almeida et al. 2009; A+B International, 2009
16 AUTUMN 2020 | ENERGY MANAGEMENT
be delivered by the project. This efficiency uplift results in a saving of over 61,000 tonnes of CO2
after five years for a UK market penetration of 40%. / ENERGYMANAGEMENT
Working in isolation will not yield commercially exploitable results quickly. IEEA funding will provide the partners with the necessary financial support to enter into this project by diminishing some of the financial risk. It allows all parties to collaborate with each other and draw on their own expertise in a commercially constructive manner. It will allow the effectiveness of the technology and its carbon/energy saving advantages to be demonstrated in the real-world with a consortium that includes both a vendor and a buyer for the shredders, enabling a route to market that would not otherwise be accessible due to the financial constraints of the partners. The development of yet another
key energy saving magnetic drive technology would further cement Magnomatics’ position as a world leader in this technology so they can continue to attract business from international ‘blue-chip’ OEMs, and develop significant UK based non- recurring engineering revenues.
Magnomatics
www.magnomatics.com
Source: IEA statistics, 2006; A+B International, 2009 (motors)
With new Government innovation
grants targeting green innovation as we drive out of lockdown, there has never been a better time to look at efficient electric motors, writes David Latimer, MD, Magnomatics
Chart shows energy use by sector
Source: IEA
estimates
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