Product category:
Industrial Drives/Controls
News Release from: ABB Automation Tech (Drives and Motors) | Subject: 45kW ABB standard drive
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 14 December 2005
Variable speed drive saves dough at
bakery
Northern Foods is saving nearly £2500 annually on its compressed air system since installing an ABB variable speed drive at its Riverside Bakery in Nottingham.
Northern Foods is saving nearly £2500 annually on its compressed air system since installing an ABB variable speed drive at its Riverside Bakery in Nottingham The 45kW drive was supplied by Inverter Drives Systems (IDS), an ABB Drives Alliance member
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 8 Feb 2000 at 8.00am (UK)
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Compressed air is used in many of the bakery's processes.
As part of the company's efforts to cut energy costs, Northern Foods investigated its compressed air system and asked IDS to carry out an energy appraisal and make recommendations.
James Whieldon, Maintenance Analyst for Northern Foods, said: "Our monitoring and targeting software gives us profiles of the compressors and indicated that there were definite opportunities to improve the amount of energy they were using".
IDS confirmed the energy use figures recorded by Northern Foods and recommended the use of a 45kW ABB standard drive.
There are three compressors in total, two 30kW fixed-speed assist compressors and a 45kW duty compressor.
The drive was fitted on this compressor, which is in operation all the time.
One of the fixed speed 30kW compressors is used to top up the pressure when demand increases, while the other is on standby in case one of the others goes down.
Zac Dorn of IDS said: "There are always two out of three compressors running so we had to ensure that the fixed-speed assist compressor only came online when the duty compressor with variable speed drive could provide no more air, that is when it is running at full-speed".
This was achieved by installing a pressure sensor to provide accurate system pressure feedback for the drive's built-in PID controller.
Whieldon said: "The drive is now operational and we calculate the actual payback time of the project is 1.5 years, achieving an annual saving of £2450".
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