Inverter Drive Saves Rolling Mill GBP 16,000/year
Since installing an inverter drive package at a rolling mill producing copper and copper alloy strip products, a saving of GBP 16,000/year has been realized.
Since installing an inverter drive package at a rolling mill producing copper and copper alloy strip products, a saving of GBP 16,000/year has been realized.
B Mason and Sons, a producer of rolled copper and copper alloy strip products, has realized savings of GBP 16,000/year since it had installed inverter drive on a furnace fan motor.
Located in Birmingham, UK, the mill said it realized he savings on one 250kW motor now fitted with a Siemens MicroMaster inverter, part of an inverter drive package from Deritend Engineering Services.
The refurbishment of the 250kW motor, and supply and installation of LV equipment, cost GBP 17,000.
It provided a 12.5 month payback for B Mason.
Subsequent energy savings will offset any future rise in the company's energy costs.
B Mason is the UK's largest manufacturer of precision rolled copper and copper alloy strip, and a major global supplier.
In an energy audit in its strip plant by Deritend, the audit quickly identified one major area, fume extraction, where substantial energy savings could be made.
B Mason has a number of furnaces, all of which use the same extraction and filtration plant.
The plant is run from a 250kW motor, which, until recently, was operated at full speed on a 7 day/week.
This continuous operation was really unnecessary as all furnaces were not always working simultaneously.
Deritend applied an energy meter to the 250kW motor and calculated that by reducing the supply frequency by 10% or 5Hz, substantial savings on the motor operation of around 20% could be achieved.
A decision was taken by Ray Ullah, B Mason's Maintenance Engineering manager, to uprate the system to inverter control based on the calculated savings and projected payback data supplied by Deritend.
Following project cost approval, the 250kW motor was removed and refurbished; the motor was rewound specifically to optimise it and protect it for inverter operation - including the fitting of an insulated bearing.
In addition, the motor windings were cleaned re-insulated and fully tested.
At the same time Deritend personnel - working offsite so as not to interfere with production - installed the Siemens inverter and new contactors into an additional control panel and provided new cabling.
Deritend completed all the work, including motor refurbishment, and panel assembly, during B Mason's nine day shutdown to minimize disruption.
B Mason installed the panel and Deritend then commissioned the drive.
After the installation, an energy meter fitted to the 250kW motor to take monthly readings revealed that the substantial savings calculated by Deritend were actually being realized.
Previous to the installation of the inverter system, the yearly running cost of the 250kW motor was GBP 79,680.
With the inverter system in place, and the supply frequency reduced by 10%, this yearly figure has been reduced to GBP 63,360 - saving of 20.48% in energy costs.
This saving is substantial enough to give B Mason a payback period of 12.5 months for the inverter based system.
"It has performed exactly as promised, and we are really pleased," said Ullah.
"Deritend told us that we could expect energy savings of around 20 percent, and that's just what we got.
They also handled the project really well in the pressurized nine day period of our shutdown.
Then they suggested other ways that we could save energy by using different drive belts and the like.
All in all a very successful project, and one that not only benefits us as a company, but also the environment, as it helps us to reduce our carbon footprint." * About the Deritend Group - the Deritend Group Limited provides UK industry with the widest range of maintenance and management services designed to optimize business activities, improve efficiency and reduce costs.
The Group operates in eight areas of competence: customized asset management, electro-mechanical, maintenance, energy management, product sales, pre-formed windings, induction services and automation and control.
These services are brought to customers through a network of national service centers.
Staffed by trained professionals, the centers are on hand 24h/day on a seven days/week basis to respond to customer needs and provide effective maintenance solutions.
Author:Admin Source:Internet View: Create:09/01/14