Electricity + Control July 2016

ROUND UP

DRIVES, MOTORS + SWITCHGEAR

Save on CAPEX and OPEX with robust, reliable drives

Innovation makes all the difference.The unique back-channel cool- ing design of higher power VLT drives and availability of VACON liquid-cooled drives can result in significantly reduced heat loads in switchrooms, enabling the use of smaller, lower-cost air-conditioning systems. The smaller footprint of compact drives saves additional project costs by reducing the entire switchroom design size. Application-optimised Application focus in design means that VLT and VACON drives are born robust, with coated electronics and factory testing as standard practice to ensure long life on site. They are well suited, for example, to optimising operation of long conveyors in excess of 1-kilometre length. Danfoss control solutions for multiple motors with load sharing contribute value by reducing wear and bottlenecks, and maximising the efficiency of material flow to extend belt life. For downhill conveyors, where continuous regenerative braking operation is typical, a Danfoss Active Front End (AFE) drive or alternatively a regenerative drive panel, using a standard 6-pulse drive with separate regenerative module, is the best solution. All the right features, including long cable compatibility, har- monic and radio frequency interference (RFI) filters, and high tem- perature resistance to avoid derating - just to name a very few - are integrated into ac drives as standard.This approach eliminates the cost of installing additional components and wiring, and avoids extra post-commissioning maintenance overheads. Strategic alliance Other developments since the merger, particularly relevant to the mining industry in South Africa, include Danfoss Drives and the distributor BMG (Bearing Man Group); South Africa recently con- solidating a long-standing partnership, with the official signing of a strategic alliance agreement that bodes well for their stakeholders and customers. “This new development formalises and strengthens the original distribution agreement for Danfoss variable speed drives and the soft starter range, which has been in place since 2007,” says David Dyce, division manager, BMG Electronics. “Through this alliance, BMG is set to ensure efficient enquiry turnaround times and a reliable support service for Danfoss systems.” Enquiries: Roland Sargent. Email sargentr@danfoss.com Stephen Brown. Email browns@danfoss.com

Andrew Cooper, Global Director, Mining. Danfoss Drives

Mining companies demand high levels of asset availability at the lowest operating costs.This is what you get with Danfoss Drives’ expert services and application-optimised ac drives that perform reliably in the harshest of conditions – and deliver the technology of tomorrow, today. Two strong Nordic drive companies are now celebrating more than a year of their successful merger to formDanfoss Drives, with clear benefits to customers. For decades, both Danfoss andVacon have supplied robust, reliable ac drives to the mining industry. Their merger represents a meeting of giants, taking the best of both, leading the way in engineering efficiency and sustainability in motor control for mining and mineral processing. Danfoss Drives offers savings in both capital and operating expenditure via: • World-class ac-drive dedicated engineering • Expert lifecycle support services • On-site support The service and support organisation delivers an extremely comprehensive portfolio of DrivePro service offerings andMyDrive apps and software tools.These services range from design (project planning and application support) to hotline support for startup, repair and troubleshooting, to the sale of spare parts, customer training, periodic upgrades and scheduled maintenance. For complex applications, Danfoss Drives also provides ad- ditional support in non-standard software development and in the analysis of problems related to specific application domains. Typical motor technologies All drives' needs are available under one roof, with the full range of VLT and VACON drives, which offer unique flexibility and adapt- ability to the motor technology and control system of choice. As an independent supplier of ac drives, Danfoss Drives is not locked into predetermined motor and control system bundles, but instead offers universal compatibility, and the ability to customise. Drive down costs No matter how well-optimised the plant design, there is always a way to drive down costs even further. Ac drives are used exten- sively for just that purpose, extending equipment lifetime, optimis- ing processes, reducing maintenance and saving energy costs.

Electricity+Control July ‘16

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