Moritz Hamacher

Identifying Energy Efficiency Potentials by Applying Flexible Measuring Systems

This paper presents a flexible measuring system to identify energy efficiency potentials in the context of the ISO 50001 standard. On the basis of five essential requirements the flexible measuring system was structured into 4 modules which can be separately extended or modified. As the flexibility was in focus of the development this system it is able to measure the energy consumption on a very detailed level of the components of a machine. In addition it can also acquire measurement data of different other sensor signals like temperatures, flow rates etc. To evaluate the usability of the system in order to identify energy efficiency measures a use case was conducted. Results of the measurement data as well as possible energy savings of the investigated machinery are discussed at the end of this paper.

Analyzing the active power of variable frequency drives in manufacturing plants

In multi-axis machining centers the individual operating loads of axis and spindle drives are often unknown. Especially in serial production, drive systems are oversized including electric motors, frequency inverters and shaft drives. But also in special plant engineering, where multiple drive systems are connected to one intermediate circuit, the individual operating loads cannot be assessed. Subsequently, performance, operating points and energy efficiency are suboptimal. Economic disadvantages, such as the necessity of higher investments and increased operational costs, are associated. Therefore an approach to active power measurement behind the frequency inverter to separate the power consumption profiles of spindle and axis drives is necessary. In this paper two systems for an active power measurement for variable frequency drives are discussed. One of them has been developed by the authors themselves with the advantage of lower cost compared to commercially available systems. The systems were analyzed for performance, accuracy, installation effort and costs. The investigated active power measurement systems provide basic data for an optimal dimensioning of drive systems for industrial equipment manufacturers.

Methodology to Increase Energy Efficiency in Discrete Manufacturing

The utilisation phase of machinery in discrete manufacturing operations is characterized by changing economical and technical requirements like capacity, performance and as emerging requirement reduced energy consumption. Established industry practices as well as upcoming standards mainly focus on improving the energy efficiency by developing new machinery. Especially existing factories and the machinery in use offers energy saving potentials to be identified and to be capitalized by implementing energy saving retrofit measures. By doing so, the use of existing manufacturing machinery leads to a sustainable use of manufacturing equipment. The discussed research work therefore includes an approach to interpret in-process measurement data and to derive electric energy savings potentials. Based on this assessment, improvement measures like dimensioning, reduction of baseline energy-consumption by updating the PLC and minimisation of peak loads by energy management is engineered. Finally the financial impact of the obtained energy savings is quantified by evaluating the developed methodology during several use cases.

Optimizing production plants with variable frequency drives

In multi-axis machining centers the individual operating loads of axis and spindle drives are often unknown. Especially in serial production, drive systems are oversized including electric motors, frequency inverters and shaft drives. But also in special plant engineering, where multiple drive systems are connected to one intermediate circuit, the individual operating loads cannot be assessed. Subsequently, performance, operating points and energy efficiency are suboptimal. Economic disadvantages, such as the necessity of higher investments and increased operational costs, are associated. Therefore an approach to active power measurement behind the frequency inverter to separate the power consumption profiles of spindle and axis drives is necessary. In this paper two systems for an active power measurement for variable frequency drives are discussed. One of them has been developed by the authors themselves with the advantage of lower cost compared to commercially available systems. The systems were analyzed for performance, accuracy, installation effort and costs. The investigated active power measurement systems provide basic data for an optimal dimensioning of drive systems for industrial equipment manufacturers.