Energy efficiency

Energy-efficient drive systems as a factor in reducing CO2 emissions and cutting costs

A more acute awareness of the environment and the rising cost of electricity are the main reasons for the increasing popularity of energy-efficient drive systems in industrial applications. In 2005, the EU Commission issued a framework directive (EuP) designed to ensure more efficient energy usage, thereby reducing the burden on the environment.

In fact, its primary objective is to reduce CO2 emissions as a way of countering the greenhouse effect. In addition, those industrial sectors that rely on machinery being operated around the clock seem to be becoming increasingly aware of how much energy their systems consume.

Baumüller is placing increasing value on energy-efficient drives and the consideration of their lifecycle costs. Its servo motors and converters have for many years been rated as both meeting and exceeding the criteria of the highest efficiency class, EFF1.

Motors

Direct drives are characterized by increased efficiency as there is no need for gears or belts to be interconnected for transmission purposes. As synchronous motors, they are able to combine high torques with low speeds. The significantly reduced running noise renders expensive measures for noise suppression obsolete. Their compact design enables the size of the machinery/footprint to be reduced. Service and maintenance are virtually unnecessary.

In order to help its customers make the most energy-efficient selection when purchasing drives, Baumüller offers various series for all manner of applications and motor types with precise output gradations.

Converters

For 20 years, Baumüller has been developing controllers which, rather than converting energy into heat when the brakes are applied, feed it back into the system. Instead of braking resistors, Baumüller insists on using regenerative systems.

For this purpose, Baumüller uses its b maXX 4100 servo controllers, which are integrated in the DC link. The energy generated is fed back into the DC link so all the controllers have to do is compensate the prevailing energy losses, which are relatively insignificant.

Efficient drive dimensioning

To ensure optimum energy usage, motors have to be precisely dimensioned and operated at the ideal power/space ratio. This avoids the problem of surplus energy and reduces the size of the reserves actually required at the same time.

In order to make this optimization/selection process as easy as possible for engineers, Baumüller has developed sizemaXX, a software program for drive dimensioning.

Lifecycle Costs

Energy costs, often accounting for almost 90% of lifecycle costs, are the primary cost driver on electric drives. A holistic approach to calculating the ideal drive system from the point of view of cost must, therefore, take both procurement and life cycle into account.

Although they cost more to buy than conventional drives, energy-efficient drives will typically reach their break-even point after just a few years and sometimes even months.

Potential for energy efficiency and associated cost savings can only be fully exploited by adopting a holistic approach, which means looking at the system as a whole.