September 2019

41 www.drivesncontrols.com September 2019 In the ETA-Factory project, the efficiency of equipment used to produce hydraulic components was reduced by 40% Lütze Limited. 3 Sandy Hill Park, Sandy Way, Tamworth, Staffordshire, B77 4DU. T 01827 313330 sales.gb@lutze.co.uk www.lutze.co.uk Less machine downtime and more energy efficient. Lütze’s Air Stream system... Recognising the problem Hot spots and/or high-energy costs due to air conditioning, machine downtimes, inconsistent control cabinet climate and cold short-circuits Discover differences Air TEMP thermal simulation with different wiring types and cooling systems Optimise Improved thermal arrangement of the components, component density, component placement Climate stability inside the control cabinet The use of the Air BLOWER, intelligent air guidance thanks to Air BLADES Plan the control cabinet Use of the free Air STREAM online configurator Find a solution Longer lifecycle of the electrical components, power savings thanks to reduced energy requirements of the air conditioning, fewer machine downtimes, higher energy efficiency to fluctuating power supplies, especially in energy-intensive industries such as steel, glass, cement and chemicals production. The main energy used in these industries is usually in the form of heat, and the quality of the products depends critically on the processes used. A key aim of the project has been to determine the potential for achieving flexibility in the use of energy, without affecting production volumes or quality. The second project, called PHI-Factory, examined the potential for flexible management of industrial power supplies, taking into account the growing amount of energy coming from fluctuating sources such as renewables. As well as looking at shifting loads, the project examined measures for improving the quality of electricity grids and integrating decentralised generation and storage into energy management systems. A key aim was to develop technical and organisational techniques that would allow industrial companies to cut energy costs at the same time as supporting the grid. In the most recent development in Germany’s quest for higher efficiencies, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy is providing €100m a year to fund a series of projects taking place over the next five years. In one project, called Delta, lessons learned from the ETA-Factory project in terms of efficiency enhancement, energy interaction, demand flexibility and waste heat utilisation, will be transferred to urban energy systems. In future, neighbourhoods will have to function in an energy-optimised manner and interact with each other to reduce energy use across entire cities. Delta’s aim is to link various types of neighbourhood – from industry and commerce, to education and housing – to network infrastructures in the electricity, heating, gas, communications and transport sectors. These networks should therefore be better utilised and energy sources and sinks more closely linked. The project could lead to simplified planning for future energy supplies, lower infrastructure costs, and a reduced need for new energy production capacities. n Chiller-generated cooling halves the energy consumption of a CNC lathe Machine tools consume considerable amounts of energy, with cooling for their enclosures and spindles accounting for more than 15% of this. The spindles usually need to be cooled using liquid to dissipate the heat generated by their drives. As part of the ETA-Factory project, Bosch Rexroth’s GoGreen team looked at ways of reducing the energy consumed by a CNC lathe that produces components for the hydraulic pumps and motors for mobile machines that it manufactures at its plant in Elchingen, Germany. The lathe represents a total connected load of 75kVA and runs for up to six days a week in three-shift operation. Following the retrofitting of the lathe, its previous compressor cooling system has been replaced by a Rittal Blue e+ chiller whose inverter-controlled DC compressor now generates the cooling medium. A circuit transports this medium to the spindles. To provide efficient control of the climate in the machine tool’s enclosure, the original compressor cooling system was also replaced by a new one from Rittal’s Blue e+ series. The machine tool’s energy consumption was documented in detail both before and after the new cooling systems had been retrofitted. According to Bosch Rexroth’s GoGreen project manager, Leo Pototzky, this monitoring revealed that the new cooling medium chiller is consuming 50% less electrical energy than the old one, while the saving from the enclosure cooling system has exceeded 80%.“This example shows us that a great potential still exists in many sectors,”he remarks. The chillers have touchscreen displays that provide text-based messages, including status updates, to the system operators, allowing them to respond rapidly to any issues. There is also an app that communicates wirelessly with the chillers via NFC (Near Field Communication), making it easier to monitor multi- chiller installations.