Applications
Salient Features
Warranty
Frequently Asked Questions

EnviroStart Motor Energy Controller


Save upto 40% power and enhance productivity on all A.C. Induction Motors

Much of industry is driven by AC induction motors, which are the world’s most common form of electromechanical engineering, consuming typically 70% of all electricity generated—this high energy consumption incurs an extremely high financial cost.

EnviroStart Motor Energy Controller (MEC) are designed and manufactured in the UK to save electricity used by all A.C. induction motors. A motor that is oversized or that operates under low load much of the time or fluctuating loads wastes a large amount of energy. These motor controllers intelligently monitor and control the power drawn by a motor to precisely match the power required and drawn once every cycle i.e. fifty times every second. They draw and feed just the exact amount of power the motor requires. MECs come with a built-in soft start and soft stop feature that eliminates the spikes through power lines, thus enhancing the life of panel components.

In addition, the life of motor windings are enhanced, heat, noise and vibration are also reduced substantially thereby improving the shop floor environment.

Motors often consume electricity at more than ten times their capital cost each year. However, by giving you control over your energy consumption, EnviroStart will, depending on the load level of the motor, save between 10% and 40% of your electricity costs without any loss of power or detriment to your motor or change of operation.

Applications

• Injection Molding (Pharmaceutical, Automotive, Industrial, Agricultural)
• Air Compressors (Industrial, Hospitals, Food Processing, Agricultural Feed Manufacturing)
• Refrigeration Systems (Retail, Hotel and Catering, Hospitals, Industrial, Food Storage)
• Escalators (Retail Environments, Hotels, Transport Hubs, Offices, Colleges)
• Air Handling (Offices, Industrial, Retail, Hotels, Chemical Manufacturing, Hospitals)
• Fluid Pumps (Industrial, Hotel and Leisure, Hospitals, Offices Blocks)
• Grinders, Crushers and Mills (Quarries, Mining, Mills, Agricultural Supply, Abattoirs)
• General Industrial Drives (Conveyors, Mixers, Band and Strip Saws, Metal Rolling Mills, Presses)

Salient features of the EnviroStart Motor Energy Controller are as follows

Power Saving

Induction motors have distinct inefficiencies in that they cannot effectively adjust the amount of electricity they consume for the work they do, and when they operate under less than full load, substantial power is wasted.



MECs correct this inefficiency. The units, designed to be simply fitted to single or three phase motors, will give soft start, energy control, soft stop, improved reliability and increased productivity. In addition, the systems have been developed with knowledge of the climatic problems associated with operations in a tropical or sub-tropical environment so offer rugged protection against high humidity and wide ranging temperatures.

Soft Start-Stop

During start-up, all AC induction motors develop substantially more torque than they require. This excess power, in the form of mechanical stress, is transferred to the transmission systems and results in excessive wear creating early failure of gears, belts and chains, which can result in production losses and can be expensive to put right, in addition to being potentially extremely dangerous.

Up to ten times full motor load current is drawn during uncontrolled rapid motor acceleration. At this time voltage dips, brownouts, overheating, contactor wear and system failure can result.

Many sites use Star-Delta starters but this only provides a partial solution to the problem as high current peaks are still experienced during the transition period when the motor briefly slows down when switching from Star to Delta.



By providing a controlled release of power, (torque) to the motor during start up, MECs provide smooth, step-less acceleration and deceleration when required. MECs deliver an economical and extremely reliable solution to all starting problems and are fully configurable for all applications.

They delivers increased life to motors and peripherals and reduces high-shock load, backlash, V-belt stress, noise and vibration; thereby reducing damage to motor and load bearings and motor windings.

Power Factor Correction

Most three phase electrical loads draw not only active power (kW, the part that does useful work), from the supply, but also reactive power (kVAr, essential, but ‘Wattless’ power); examples of these loads would be induction motors, A.C. and D.C. motor drives, switch-mode power supplies etc.

EnviroStart Motor Energy Controllers power factor correction provides effective reactive power compensation for all industrial, commercial and large retail environments where excess charges are being applied and or where current availability is limited and the cost of a replacement transformer or increased supply is prohibitive.

To make a very crude example of an induction motor, the active power is what comes out of the shaft and does work, whilst the reactive power is what is used by the coils of the stator to create the magnetic field. This magnetic field is essential for the operation of the motor, but does no actual work, only permitting the transfer of power from the stator to the rotor.

When a load draws reactive power from the supply, its power factor is said to be lagging, when the reactive power is exported to the supply, its power factor is said to be leading. This is a reference to the phase of the load current with respect to the supply voltage. This is the ‘Displacement Power Factor’ or DPF, more commonly known as just the ‘Power Factor’ and only takes into consideration the frequency components of voltage and current.

EnviroStart Motor Energy Controllers supply a proportion of the reactive power demand of this load locally. This leads to a greater proportion of active current being drawn from the supply and higher productivity of the motor.

Besides the financial benefits of power factor correction, physical benefits of such an installation include:

• ‘Spare’ supply capacity which may be used to connect additional load without the necessity of network reinforcement
• Reduced losses and hence reduced heating in transformers, cables and switchgear, increasing reliability, useful service life, and   reducing servicing costs
• Reduction in reactive power demand from the supply improves voltage regulation, as to a first approximation, the voltage   drop in a supply network is proportional to the reactive power supplied by that network
• An increase in Power Quality, as the presence of a large capacitor bank gives significant attenuation of mains borne voltage   spikes, and can also reduce the effects of short duration dips or notches in the supply voltage
• Reduction in distribution system losses means that fewer kWh are required from the electricity generators, resulting in lower   carbon dioxide emissions
• MEC systems are available as both "standard" systems and also as "detuned" systems with additional inductive reactive filters   to limit harmonic currents within a circuit. For a full understanding of these systems please contact an Ecopower   representative to arrange a site survey to best advise you as to how you can benefit from effective power factor correction.

Warranty


Twenty four months from the date of installation

  Frequently Asked Questions
 
For further information visit
www.envirostart.com
 
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