Selection of drives for machines at the Waste Disposal Plant

Optimisation of drives under industrial conditions

Industry
Municipal Utilities

Challenge

The task involved the selection of new drives for machinery at a municipal waste disposal plant. The customer provided the nameplates of the currently installed drives to serve as a starting point for the selection of suitable replacements. After a detailed analysis of the data submitted, it was concluded that selection on the basis of nameplate specifications alone wouldn’t be sufficient, due to the lack of relevant information on the machines’ actual operating conditions, such as dynamic loads, operating characteristics or the impact of environmental conditions on drive performance.

Analysis and approach

After an initial verification of the data, a site inspection at the plant combined with a facility inventory was proposed in order to obtain detailed information on the operating conditions of the equipment. The process included the following steps:

Measurement of machine performance, including load, torque, operating speeds and energy characteristics of equipment.
Identification of actual technical requirements in terms of torque, speed and stability of operation under difficult operating conditions.
Assessment of the operating environment (presence of contaminants, variable loads) affecting the selection of suitable drives.

Based on the technical data collected, the available drive solutions were analysed, taking into account both the performance requirements and the long-term reliability of equipment operation in harsh industrial environments.

Solution

The utilisation of an inventory approach allowed the drive parameters to be accurately matched to the machines’ actual operating conditions. Selected solutions included:

1. Optimal selection of motor power and torque in order to ensure adequate motive force under varying workloads.
2. Adaptation of the speed of the motors to the specific process requirements, thereby ensuring the appropriate process speed depending on the operational phase (e.g. loading, conveying, blowing).
3. Selection of materials resistant to operating conditions, taking into account, among other things, resistance to contamination, high humidity and temperatures, which can affect the drives’ durability and efficiency.

Dobór napędów do maszyn w warunkach przemysłowych

Optymalizacja napędów do maszyn w Zakładzie Unieszkodliwiania Odpadów

Following the implementation of the solution, the following benefits were achieved:

Increased operational efficiency due to precisely matched drive parameters, enabling optimisation of machine operation and better adaptation to changing load conditions.

Increased reliability of equipment operation – the selection of drives suitable for the environmental and operating conditions has ensured the long-term reliability of machines in demanding industrial environments.

Improved technical efficiency of the plant, which has increased the efficiency of waste disposal processes, reducing the risk of downtime and breakdowns.

Summary

The conduct of a detailed analysis of the machines’ operating conditions and utilisation of the inventory approach enabled a precise selection of drives that provided both the required performance and reliability in the harsh conditions of a waste disposal facility. In the future, the use of this approach may provide a model for optimising other industrial processes under similar conditions.

Selection of drives for machines at the Waste Disposal Plant

Challenge

Analysis and approach

Solution

Following the implementation of the solution, the following benefits were achieved:

Summary

See also

Optimisation of geared motor drives

Expert assessment and refurbishment of Flender gear units for a company in the energy sector

Using a Digital Twin in the Modernisation of the Warehouse of a Pharmaceutical Company