ABB Ltd has won an award for its innovative use of variable speed drives for refrigerators in the food and drink industry.
The Food and Drink Innovation Network Clegg Food Projects Award for New Process & Environmental Awareness was presented to ABB at a gala dinner at the National Space Centre, Leicester, hosted by BBC TV’s Working Lunch presenter Declan Curry.
Receiving the award, Ron Macdonald, UK food & beverage market manager, drives, ABB Ltd. The Award is a milestone for a lot of people. It is the culmination of a lot of hard work by ABB engineers; our partners who are applying the drive to their compressors used in the refrigeration industry; and our customers for having the vision and confidence to trial these innovative applications.
This is the third award that ABB’s variable speed drives have won in 2008 and shows the impact we are having on reducing the carbon footprint of industry, while helping to significantly reduce energy bills.
The award is significant because over 60% of industrial electrical energy is used to power electric motors, the majority of which are used on fans, pumps and compressors. These devices, in turn, are used on refrigeration equipment. The motors driving these applications are normally run at a constant speed even though the load is varying.
Using variable speed drives (VSDs), the speed of the motor can be slowed down, thereby reducing the amount of energy consumed. A VSD can be retrofitted to many existing systems. The mechanical controls are simply locked fully open and the VSD directly controls the speed of the electric motor.
Since cold storages and fridge plants typically run 24 hours, most refrigeration drive applications are potential VSD candidates. Any refrigeration system with a wide variation in operating hours or with a heat load that is less than the peak load can benefit from a VSD.
ABB’s innovation is to apply existing technology to the food industry by developing ‘bolt on’ variable speed drive motors for refrigerators. These keep units running at regular speeds, and prevent peaks of energy use when something freshly made is put inside a fridge, reducing energy use and costs and cutting carbon footprints.
Another benefit is to significantly increase the life of the equipment. Instead of running at full speed continually, the lower speed reduces stresses, increases the equipment life and extends service intervals, cutting maintenance costs.