Driving down costs

Sittingbourne-based Medway Galvanising Company is set to save more than £10,000 a year in electrical energy costs while also cutting CO2 by 60t a year following installation of an ABB standard drive on the fan of its fume extraction system.

The installation involves an ABB standard drive and a high efficiency 37kW ABB motor that mostly runs at half speed, or 25Hz. A limit switch detects when a crane carrying components to be dipped is over the zinc bath, signalling the drive to ramp up the motor to full speed to achieve maximum extraction.

Maximum speed is needed for between 10 and 20min.

Mid Kent Electrical, an ABB Drives Alliance member, installed an energy monitor on the application to determine energy use. An ABB variable-speed drive was then fitted and monitoring repeated. This showed that with the VSD in place the company would achieve a reduction of 105MWh/year at a cost of £9800.