The Future Is in AC Drive Systems

The energy efficiency of electric motors is of the utmost importance for today’s environmental climate. As such, manufacturers are under increasingly stringent regulations surrounding the reduction of their carbon footprint. This sentiment is echoed in a paper by Orlowska-Kowalska and Dybkowski (2016), stating that trends in the electric motor market will become increasingly centred on energy efficiency, electric power quality, and environmental impact.

Governmental regulations surrounding this uptake in efficiency are already being put into place today, especially within the EU – with instated rulings prohibiting the sale of electric motors that fall within the lowest efficiency bracket (Class IE1), and that IE2 motors be accompanied with an AC drive for operation.

A comprehensive detailing dedicated to electric motor efficiency classes has been defined by the IEC.

Standards such as these play a pivotal role in the market trends seen today; the growth of DC drives remain stagnant while AC drives demonstrate a linear uptake in market penetration.

These benchmarks allow us to keep a close ear on the pulse of the industry, especially with the forward view directives laid out by the IEC - stating that the minimum legal requirements for all AC drives from July 2021 be classed as IE2.

While the benefits of variable speed drives in industrial applications are well known, as higher efficiency, and reduced overhead costs and downtime become more pertinent in today’s socioeconomic climate it can lead us to a conclusion that almost all industrial machines will come equipped with AC motor drives in the near future.

Stay Ahead of the Curve

Our partnership with Danfoss gives you the confidence you need when deciding on an AC drive; as a key player in the market, Danfoss drives are strategically manufactured to maintain their operability in compliance with the latest IEC 61800-9 standards by conforming to IE2 efficiency.

Whatever your AC motor needs are, be it water, HVAC, or even space saving applications, the Danfoss VLT series that we supply will be sure to sure to impress. Get in touch with a representative at Bauer GMC to learn more about the range of products we have available.

References

Orlowska-Kowalska, T. and Dybkowski, M. (2016) ‘Industrial Drive Systems . Current State and Development Trends’, Power Electronics and Drives, 1(1), pp. 5–25. doi: 10.5277/PED160101.