Winter is fast approaching, and the rising energy process is slowly taking a toll and is felt within every industry. With that in mind investing in energy-efficient solutions will have an impact on your production cost, helping you reduce costs imminently but in the long run.
Here we will explore why and how you can reduce the amount of energy used this winter and going forward with our selected range of applications within the industrial automation and control sector.
Over 70% of all industrial electrical energy goes into powering up electrical motors.
Inverters are just one way that will help you in your search for energy-saving applications. Inverters, also known as Variable Speed Drives (VSD), Variable Frequency Drives (VFD), or AC Drives, offer speed or torque control of your electric motors. Sitting between the electrical supply and motor, these drives regulate the power and frequency needed for your motor to run.
Most motors are designed to rotate at a set speed based on the number of magnetic poles built into them and the supply voltage and frequency applied. They cannot alter their speed. Variable speed drives not only control the speed of electric motors, but they offer better process control, gentle starts and stops and can even help improve power factor.
Often processes vary in demand over the day so having the ability to turn down the speed of the motor during low demand is extremely beneficial. But there is so much more to gain than just a smooth operating system. When you reduce the speed of an electric motor, especially on a pump or fan, you reduce the amount of energy that is used. Whilst you might think such a difference would be minuscule, the savings in both energy and costs can be substantial!
Reducing the speed of the motor using an inverter drive can help you save up to 50% in electricity (units consumed). If the load is a constant torque load, the power will be proportional to the speed. A constant torque load is one where the load doesn’t change too much with speed. However, in these applications process control is often more important than energy saving.
Inverters can be implemented within factory automation applications or for smoothly controlling the operation of pumps, dampers, fans, AC, and the like, another major use of inverters is the efficient conversion of electrical energy, which is key to achieving energy savings in industrial equipment.
Significant energy savings can be especially achieved when using an inverter drive with fans or pumps.
To get the best out of your drive, don’t just turn the speed down a little and hope the process won’t be affected. Other products will complement the drive and ensure your application is really energy efficient; Sensors that connect back to the drive can help maintain the flow rate, temperature, or pressure automatically; Timers can help your motor/fan run all the time, selecting a slower speed at night and weekend.
Applications for inverters
Commercial Premises: In offices and public buildings, inverters optimize energy consumption by precisely controlling electric motors in HVAC systems, including fans, chillers, pumps, and cooling towers.
Industrial and Manufacturing: For industrial and manufacturing facilities, inverter technology delivers substantial energy reductions for conveyors, compressors, cooling towers, mixers, pumps, fans, chillers, and extruders.
Warehousing and Logistics: In warehousing and logistics operations, inverters effectively reduce energy usage in large HVAC systems.
Heavy Industries: Quarries, metals, and mining operations can leverage inverters to control crushers, pumps, extract fans, conveyors, hydraulic power packs, and compressors, resulting in lower energy consumption and improved process control.
Water Management: Water companies benefit from inverters by reducing energy consumption and enhancing process control for various pump applications. 1
OMRON M1 Inverter
A Game-changer for Industrial Automation
Omron's inverter drives provide an energy-efficient operation of facilities and machines with fine speed control by adjusting the frequency of the AC power supplied to the motor. This allows the motor to operate at the optimal speed for the application, which can save energy and improve efficiency.
Overall, Omron's inverter drives offer several benefits that can help applications improve the efficiency, safety, and reliability of their operations.
If you are a high-energy user and want to have more information on how inverters can help your energy consumption, please contact your local branch manager.
