Energy savings with variable speed drives

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 282 KB
• Volume: 2010
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0262-1762
• DOI: 10.1016/s0262-1762(10)70194-2

✦ Synopsis

Applications 14

Construction

Energy savings with variable speed drives

A European brick manufacturer sought to uphold its environmental ethos by reducing energy consumption at its plant. An independent audit revealed the fans used in the brick firing process were high energy users. Since introducing variable speed drives and damper controls to the fans, the brickworks has experienced savings in power, carbon and money. B rick manufacturing with its huge kilns is naturally an energy intensive process. However, one such manufacturer, Hanson Brick Products, has managed to reduce its energy consumption by 56%. Hanson achieved this by adopting variable speed drive technology from Schneider Electric in conjunction with its system integrator partner PPT Drives Systems. Moreover, the entire installation of some 14 drives, plus two spares, was amortised within just eight months.