The energy saving Integra

May 2009 PLCs, DCSs & Controllers

Somar’s Integra digital motor controller was subjected to rigorous testing at a local steel manufacturing company to determine the effectiveness of its energy saving capabilities in a standard application. The results of the tests showed that in the application the Integra provided a minimum savings of 18% in electricity consumption, in addition to any savings that may accrue in terms of maintenance costs and tariff protection.

The chosen application was a hot metal saw cutting hot channel irons to customer requirements. Each cut consisted of three channel irons laid side by side on a roller table bed. The cutting time was three seconds and the minimum waiting time between cuts was 12. The saw consisted of a circular metal cutting saw blade belt driven by a 75 kW two-pole motor.

The test rig was equipped with a 150 kW 400 V Integra unit that could be used on any motor below 150 kW. The existing starter was a standard star/delta.

Integra was connected by means of two-metre cables between the switch fuse unit and the main contactor. The starting signal for Integra was taken from a potential free auxiliary contact on the main contactor. Integra would only start after the star contactor had timed out as the unit is equipped with an integral soft start function.

On start-up the current peaked at around 350 A. This was already a vast improvement on the 800 A without the Integra unit which also provides a programmable soft-start feature. This meant far less strain was being applied to the motor windings and drive system as well as providing tariff protection. When the saw was running and not cutting, the current observed was a steady 50 A. When the saw was actually cutting, the current remained at around 100 A.

By using Integra, a total of 186 kW hours per day was saved, resulting in an ROI of less than two years.

For more information contact Mike Andrews, OEN Enterprises, +27 (0)11 675 4447, [email protected], www.oenenterprises.co.za

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