Variable speed drives (VSDs)
© yanik88, image #140215688, 2017, source: Fotolia.com
Information
Impacts:
Energy
Sector:
Cross-cutting
Investment cost:
High cost
Cost savings:
Annual: £13739 (€ 14975.51)
Investment cost:
£7,000 (€ 7,630) for VSD purchase and installation. The scale of the project is based on pump size. Risks associated with this installation are minimal. Once installed, maintenance is minimal. Staff time may be required for programming of VSD.
Cost:
High cost
Resource savings: Energy:
Annual: Greater control of pumps and reduced energy consumption (proportional to a cube of the power reduction). 152653 kWh. 28157 kg CO2e
VSDs prove that speed really is relative after all
Variable speed drives (VSDs) – also known as drive frequency converters, adjustable speed drives, or inverters – are an increasingly popular measurement and control system in industry.
VSDs can adjust electricity supply to an AC induction motor, automatically and accurately changing its speed and torque output to match real-time demand on the machine.
Result
Installing VSDs could save energy, cut costs and increase profit margins. Using a VSD to slow down a fan or pump motor, for instance, from 100 % to 80 % could save as much as 50 % on energy use. These savings are dependent on the specific use of the VSD.
- EAUC-Scotland and Resource Efficient Scotland (RES), Energy Efficiency Technologies Catalogue, http://www.sustainabilityexchange.ac.uk/energy_efficiency_technologies_…
- Carbon Trust, Variable Speed Drives, https://www.carbontrust.com/media/13063/ctg070_variable_speed_drives.pdf