Product category:
Brewing, Drink and Dairy Processing News
News Release from: Siemens Flender | Subject: Brewery
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 26 April 2007
Helical bevel geared motors save energy
in brewery
Gearboxes used in the food and drink industry, for example on conveyors, are helical worm units: upgrading to Flender helical bevel geared motors provides significant efficiency improvements
A large proportion of gearboxes in the UK food and drink industry are helical worm units, with average efficiencies of around 75% Retro-installing Flender helical bevel geared motors, with their typical efficiencies of 96%, provides efficiency improvements of up to 28%, according to Siemens Automation and Drives
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 14 Jan 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Flender gear units for Finnish steel ladles
Several large Flender FZG and Motox units have been specified for two steel industry hoist applications in Finland
New series of Flender geared motors
This new series combines Flender Motox geared motors with new 1LA7/1LG4/1LG6 Siemens IEC motors, including energy-saving and explosion-proof versions for critical processing environments
This was the background to the significant energy savings made at a large Midlands brewery, thanks to the installation of Flender Motox helical bevel geared motors.
The brewery conveyor drive featured non-Flender helical worm drives, each using 1.5kW at 82rpm, with an overall drive efficiency of just 59%.
Actual monitored power consumption was 1.1kW.
Further reading
Flender maintenance helps Corus improve efficiency
Corus Engineering Steels in Rotherham reduced downtime and increased productivity after appointing the Siemens Flender service team to maintain its range of specialist geared units
Caledonian paper selects Flender couplings
When UPM Caledonian Paper needed to upgrade a coating machine at its Irvine works, it selected a total of 53 Flender Arpex couplings in varying sizes and lengths
When a Flender helical bevel drive with an energy efficient (eff1) motor was fitted, providing 1.5kW at 82rpm, the drive efficiency improved to 81% and the actual monitored power consumption dropped to .48kW.
New helical bevel units were fitted following this result with motors achieving .55kW consumption.
The overall savings were calculated assuming an energy charge of 6p per kilowatt hour, and equated to GBP562 per annum per unit; GBP657 per annum per unit assuming energy charges of 7p per kilowatt hour.
For a plant with more than one geared motor on site, this saving can be multiplied accordingly.
At the brewery project 42 high efficiency Flender Motox units were installed on the packaging conveyor line within a period of 12 weeks.
Calculating typical energy charges at 6p per kilowatt hour, this equated to almost GBP24,000 in savings per annum, a significant sum, and representing a payback period of well under two years.
Benefits of the Flender units included the following:.
* Standardisation, through utilisation of standard IEC frame eff1 motor.
* Reduced cost, as IEC motor is considerably less expensive than a dedicated motor.
* Reduced downtime through immediate availability and motor being a 'dry fit' to the gearbox.
* Increased productivity, as motor can be replaced with gearbox in situ.
* Cost reduction - inventory reduced and ability to claim ECA on 1.1kW and above.
High efficiency helical bevel gear units therefore mean lower long-term energy costs with easier maintenance through the dry fit motor adaptor, and eff1 rated motors bring further significant savings in energy costs.
Units can be supplied with same-day build from Siemens Automation and Drives at Bradford.
This is an excellent example of where involving Siemens at an early stage on 'best practice' can identify considerable savings within a typical food and beverage plant.
• Siemens Flender: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Processingtalk email newsletter
• Processingtalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
