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.