Project Description
When a local farmer had noise issues with the huge aeration fans that keep his grain cool and dry, he decided it was time to optimise the system that powers the fans to reduce the noise levels.
The brief
The twin axial aeration fans in question are each powered by two 18.5kW electric motors and started by star-delta control which is used to ease the start-up current. This older system was a little outdated and would need to be partially removed to make way for the new setup.
An initial site survey was required to determine what was needed to make the fans run at a quieter level and to achieve energy savings. The Farmer wanted more control over the speed of the fans which would hopefully reduce the noise at peak times of the day and to make energy savings by running the fans at lower volumes. After the survey, it was decided that two ACH580 37KW variable speed drives would be best suited to control the speed of the motors that power the fans. This would need a particularly unique set-up as one drive would control the speed of two fans.
Work involved
Upon arriving onsite, the first job for the Gibbons Engineer was to remove redundant wiring and components from the original control panel. As the panel was not to be replaced, the original button controls and lights were left in place and utilised with the new wiring inside. Modifications meant that the VSDs could be connected and controlled from the existing panel.
Once the variable speed drives had been mounted on the wall and connected to the control panel, they were tested onsite by the Gibbons engineer. The Motors can now be programmed to run at various speeds, bringing noise levels down in the process. The farmer will also benefit from energy savings generated by the VSDs as the fans will be able to run at a lower volume when needed.
Since the original panel had been modified and upgraded, the old electrical drawings were made obsolete. New digital drawings will be supplied to the Estate along with a full service report.
