With energy efficiency essential in most industries, Atlas Copco has introduced a new range of energy-efficient screw blowers, and has selected WEG’s W22 three-phase motors to power the range.
Designed to produce large volumes of air at relatively low pressures, blowers consume a significant amount of energy in industrial processes. In wastewater treatment, for example, they are used to deliver air to the aerobic bacteria that play a central role in breaking down contaminants. Air blowers consume up to 70% of the energy used in wastewater treatment, which in turn accounts for around 3% of total energy consumption in industrialised countries.
As a solution, the new ZS blower has a range of improvements that reduce energy consumption by more than 30% compared to traditional designs, the company explains. The units feature a screw compression element which greatly increases the efficiency of the blower and maintains better efficiency across a wider range of operating speeds. Atlas Copco has also made a number of other design refinements, including careful management of airflows through the blower and the selection of highly efficient power and transmission components.
The WEG W22 three-phase motors meet demands such as reduced energy consumption, increased productivity, extended lifetime and lower maintenance. The frame and cooling system of the motor have been optimised to deliver better airflow to its internal components – for example, improving operating efficiency even in tough environmental conditions. Special bearing seals also extend the lifetime of the motor in aggressive environments by protecting it against the ingress of water and dust.
Not only did the motors meet the efficiency requirements demanded, but they met the company’s requirement for a component life of 40,000 hours, with re-greasing intervals of 4,000 hours. In addition, the motors had to be able to deliver this level of reliability even in extremely tough environments, including 24/7 running in plants located in tropical regions where ambient temperatures can be as high as 46°C.
The W22 range is available in both IE2 and IE3 energy efficiency ratings as standard, and combined with a matched CFW11 inverter drive these are able to deliver huge energy savings from what is essentially a standard product. The W22X series is available in Ex-n, Ex-e and Ex-d configurations for hazardous areas.
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