Product category:
Smaller-Sized PLCs
News Release from: Mitsubishi Electric Automation Systems | Subject: FR-F700
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 20 April 2006
Inverter drives scores for HVac in
Finland
Inverter drives integrates into LON network as part of major renovation of heating and ventilating in key building in the Finnish city of Tampere.
When the Finnish city of Tampere undertook a major renovation of one of its key buildings, only one model of drive was considered for fan control in the heating and ventilating system - the FR-F700 inverter drive from Mitsubishi Electric - one of the few drives with LON communications While the FR-F700 inverter drives can produce claimed savings of up to 57% compared with conventional drives, this was not the motivation for its selection in this HVac contract
Jyrki Viitakoski of UTU Power Electronics, Mitsubishi's local distributor, said: "The Tampere local authority has standardised on the Lonworks platform for the harmonisation of key building systems - security, lighting and so on - and wanted to integrate the HVac system, right down to individual drive level".
"Now, using FR-F700 with LON, there is central monitoring of all key parameters, with plenty of advance warning of any problems, improving the quality and reliability of air handling in the building".
The Nekala 2 building, built originally in 1968, comprises 15,000m2 over two floors.
Housing some 80 people, responsible for various local authority functions, the building incorporates a depot, with garages as well as offices, a kitchen and lunchroom and a sauna.
The project involved the conversion of workshops to provide additional office space, involving a revamp of the HVac system as well as building and fitting out of the new space.
The upgrade of the HVac system was undertaken by contractor Tampereen Ilmastointiyhtyma, with other automation work carried out by TAC Finland.
All other electrical work, including the installation of the three F740 drives and motors (one at 2.2kW, two at 1.5kW), was carried out by Tampere's electrical contracting department.
Using the Lonworks network, the drives, running in speed control, receive run and speed command from the TAC PLC, and feed back data - speed, current, alarms and other data.
The FR-F700 features both excitation control, for improved motor efficiency during constant speed operation and acceleration periods, and torque patterns, which accurately match the power delivered to that required at any instant.
The speed of optimisation is effectively instant, so the drive is always giving maximum performance and efficiency to the load; previous generations of technology could only effectively optimise for energy efficiency under steady load or speed conditions.
Its ease of commissioning, its removable terminal block, on-board EMC filter, predictive maintenance monitor and tripless reliability, as well as its ability to optimise energy usage, have made the drive a popular choice for pump and fan drive applications.
With its LON connectivity, the drive can be simply added to existing networks, such as at this Tampere local authority building, integrating into the single smart building system.
Lonworks allows the integration of key building subsystems from multiple manufacturers, simplifying total building control and monitoring.
As new areas of a building are upgraded, or entire new buildings are added to a complex, users can pick products and services from any vendor they choose without fear of being locked into one supplier.
Devices within this Tampere building all communicate across a single Lonworks network, which was in place before this upgrade.
"The city of Tampere uses a lot of Mitsubishi drives", said Viitakoski, "and they were delighted that these latest drives could be integrated into the LON network - it was a key reason for their selection".
"It means that data from the drives can be used directly to determine maintenance needs and intervals, making it much more efficient for the client". Request a free brochure from Mitsubishi Electric Automation Systems ...
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