Page 8 - Industrial Technology EXTRA - 22nd June 2020

VARIABLE SPEED DRIVES...

Drives enable down-sizing

ABB variable speed drives cut air supply unit assembly costs and size

ir Handlers (Northern) blocked filters or air duct
has reduced the cost of blockages. This was achieved by
assembling a fresh air transferring the wiring directly into
Asupply unit and halved the VSD’s I/O, ensuring that any
the overall footprint size of their warnings are now shown directly
units by installing ABB HVAC on the keypad. The VSD also
drives, ACH580. The variable features adaptive programming
speed drives’ (VSDs) integrated software.
control functions remove the need This software increases the
for external components, which intelligence of the unit by replacing
saves space and reduces basic information such as “filter
installation time. blocked” or “filters dirty” with
The drives also improve the proactive prompts such as “check
reliability and energy efficiency of bag filter” or “check panel filter”.
Air Handlers’ equipment by “The warning is now in terminology
providing the correct air flow via suitable for the application and
regulated fan motor speed. VSDs provides practical guidance on
adapt their speed to the actual what to do,” says Scott Birchall,
requirements of a motor at any ABB’s Key Account Manager for
given time. In this way, up to 50 HVAC drives. “This makes it easier
percent energy is expected to be saved. for operators not familiar with the fresh air supply
“ABB explained that many of the control units to react safely.”
functions performed by our hardware, such as An existing timer was also replaced with the
timers and lamps, could be performed by the drive. VSD’s real-time clock, which now switches the unit
We needed to fully utilize what we already had,” on and off according to a pre-programmed
said Mark Higgitt, Commercial Director at Air schedule. ABB also rewired a frost thermostat into
Handlers (Northern). The UK-based company the VSD. If the external temperature falls below a
makes heating, ventilating and air conditioning predetermined level, the VSD’s PID function sends
equipment for the building services industry. “Our signals to slow down the fan motor, close the
customers benefit through faster installation times damper and open the heating valve. The VSD will
and fewer components mean fewer potential points only speed up the motor once a safe temperature is
of failure,” says Higgitt. reached, thereby protecting the motor from frost
ABB optimized the engineering of the units damage.
removing a warning lamp, used to signal dirty or www.abb.com

June 2020 • INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY EXTRA! • p8