Hitachi cuts energy costs

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April 2008 Motion Control & Drives

Companies are becoming increasingly aware of energy costs and have undertaken initiatives to reduce energy usage and attendant costs, as well as to protect the environment. This is according to Mike Cronin, owner and managing director of Elquip Solutions, the Hitachi Drives agency in South Africa.

“One case study that immediately caught our eye because of the pervasive South African energy crisis at present, was a project undertaken at the end of 2007 by Hitachi for Stryker Orthopaedics, a manufacturer of orthopaedic implants, bone cements and bone substitute materials at its facility in Limerick, Ireland,” says Cronin. “Stryker’s plant has eight extraction fans working hard to ensure complete extraction of dust particles. Initial calculations suggested that significant energy savings could be made if system tuning to meet exact demand could be achieved.”

The L300P series drives from Hitachi were recommended because of their track record in energy-saving applications and applicability to fan drive applications. With the Hitachi drives it was also possible to set a maximum total output, so that penalty charges from the electricity supplier could be avoided.

“What is so encouraging for anyone considering this type of modification to an existing system is that within days of completing the installation, energy meters strategically located around the system were confirming that considerable savings were being made. And importantly, no detrimental effect on machine performance or other production compromises were identified,” explains Cronin.

There was also an unexpected bonus in store for the company. The process optimisation resulted in less external air being drawn in allowing larger amounts of preheated air to be recycled. This has resulted in a 30% saving on gas, R700 000 per annum, over and above the R950 000 saved annually on the electricity required for the dust extraction system.

Cronin concludes: “It is projects like this that demonstrate that energy efficiency is not only environmentally responsible, but it is also very good business practice. As the costs of energy increase, more and more businesses will start to realise the value of having a system that maximises this mission-critical resource.”

For more information contact Mike Cronin, Elquip solutions, +27 (0)11 826 7117, [email protected], www.elquip.co.za

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