More than two thirds of the energy consumed in industrial applications goes into the operation of electric drive technology. Since an electric motor's energy consumption makes up about 98% of its total cost of ownership, investment in efficient drive technology is more than worthwhile. Adding to that, there are binding standards for plant manufacturers and operators such as the IEC 60034-30 which will make compliance with the IE2 energy efficiency class mandatory for a large number of electric motors as of June 16, 2011. More information on the new efficiency classes and details about international regulations are available at www.nord.com/IE2.
Energy saving potential does not stop at optimizing the consumption of individual motors. Prudent efficiency measures should also consider the complete drive system together with the application process.
Regenerative Braking: While conventional frequency inverter applications discharge the braking energy as heat, more efficient and eco-friendly drives reuse this excess energy via intermediate circuits or regenerative braking and thus reduce the power drawn from the mains supply.
Intelligent Control During Partial Load Operation: Intelligent control is another way to save energy. For asynchronous motors, frequency inverters generally maintain the magnetic flux level required for yielding the full torque over the whole speed range, thus causing unnecessary losses during partial load operation.
IE2 Motors for Energy Saving Drive Solutions: New Standard-Compliant Units Offer Additional Benefits
More active material in the stator and higher quality sheet metal used in IE2 motors help reduce losses. Increasing copper filling and reducing the size of the coil cores not only results in increased efficiency, but also in a reduction of waste heat and a prolonged service life for the drive technology. In addition, greater power reserves allow for the use of smaller motors for many applications.
