Product category:
Industrial Drives/Controls
News Release from: Parker Hannifin - SSD | Subject: Series 605 sensorless vector drives
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 01 March 2001
Sensorless vector drives control dock
gates
The Manchester Ship Canal Company has reduced maintenance costs and improved efficiency of dock gates by switching from a two speed motor control arrangement to Eurotherm variable speed control
The Manchester Ship Canal Company has reduced maintenance costs and improved efficiency and accuracy of operation of its dock gates at Queen Elizabeth II Oil Dock on Merseyside, by switching from a two speed motor control arrangement to variable speed control using Eurotherm Drives' high performance sensorless vector inverters The two lock gates forming the entrance to the dock are operated in sequence, allowing shipping to negotiate safely the passage from dock to river or vice versa
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 12 Sep 2000 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Choice of fieldbus options for AC drives
Eurotherm Drives has extended its range of add-on expansion modules for its 690+ AC drive range to offer a wider range of fieldbus options and systems capabilities.
Fibre optic control makes drive system productive
East Lancs Paper Mill has reported a significant increase in production speed on its PM5 paper machine, following the implementation of a Eurotherm Drives fibre optic LINK-based drive system
The lock gates are pulled open and shut from two winch houses located at either end of the lock.
The winches are driven by hydraulic variable flow pumps which are controlled by movable swash plates.
The existing control for the swash plates was via a fixed speed motor, with associated electrical switchgear.
Recognising that the time had come to update the control system, Manchester Ship Canal installed a variable speed solution at Queen Elizabeth Dock built around Series 605 sensorless vector drives from Eurotherm Drives, under a choice of manual or PLC control.
The 605's ultra high performance sensorless vector algorithm provides high torques at low speed, whilst allowing accelerations and decelerations to be precisely controlled - exactly matching the demands of operating the lock gate machinery.
With the speed no longer fixed, the acceleration and deceleration of the gates can be optimised for efficiency, whilst accurate control of the swash plates is achieved using limit switches, thus greatly reducing the possibility of damage to the gates or the hauling machinery.
At the same time, the new solution has enabled all the old switchgear to be removed from the motor controls, so removing a drain on both time and resources, whilst giving the opportunity of replacing the two speed motor with a compact and cost effective standard one.
Available in powers from 0.75 to 15kW, series 605 drives combine sensorless vector power with a unique 'function block programming' control scheme which provides flexibility in demanding applications, whilst ensuring that many others can often be satisfied straight from the box.
• Parker Hannifin - SSD: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Engineeringtalk email newsletter
• Engineeringtalk Home Page
