A streamlined motor and drive concept
Our key design aim was to achieve far more than simply bolting a drive on to a motor. So right from the start, the VSM was engineered as a streamlined concept, with an advanced drive module purpose-designed for optimal performance with a permanent magnet (PM) motor. PM technology is ideal for a VSM as it delivers high power density and high efficiency over the entire speed range. It also ensures a competitive route to an optimized total cost of ownership (TCO).
The result is a sleek, compact design, housed in a robust cast-iron frame, with the axial drive mounted on the end of the motor. This saves space and makes the VSM platform ideal for applications like both vertical and horizontal pumps, compressors and fans.
The LV Titanium platform offers several advantages during commisioning and installation. First of all, compact size and light weight makes it easier to handle and install the motor. Second, plug-and-play functionality means that the VSM significantly reduces the need for commissioning, as its motor and drive are commissioned and optimized to work together before leaving the factory.
Furthermore, there is no requirement for the special cabling associated with separate drives, as the VSM is connected in the same way as a standalone DOL motor. This makes installation fast and easy, with no need for cabinets or electrical rooms.
The advantages of IE5 Ultra-Premium efficiency include rapid payback
The VSM already goes beyond current legislation by offering IE5 Ultra-Premium efficiency, a significant improvement over the IE4 required currently by the EU’s Ecodesign Directive. When specifying a motor it is vital to look beyond the upfront investment and to consider the motor’s TCO. Over a long lifetime – typically 25 years – the cost of the motor is far outweighed by the cost of the electricity to power it. For a VSM, the upfront cost will be around 2% of its TCO, maintenance accounts for 1% and the remaining 97% is spent on electricity.
An IE5 motor has 40% lower energy losses than the IE3 products that are in common use. Therefore, investing in IE5 rather than IE3 motors can have a very short payback time due to the energy savings. The highest system efficiency of IES5 is achieved according to IEC 61800-9-2 for the combined motor and drive package.
The savings on energy costs and carbon intensity that customers can achieve by switching to a VSM is illustrated by a typical 15 kW centrifugal pumping application.
Compared with a conventional, standalone fixed-speed IE3 DOL motor, the savings on the electricity bill over a 15-year lifetime, running 6000 hours a year at 80% power, will be well over Euro 121,000, with an anticipated ROI of just a few months. This is based on a typical energy cost for Europe of Euro 0.21/kWh. At the same time, there is a lifetime avoidance of 174,000 kg in CO2 emissions – that is equivalent to the emissions produced when driving 40 typical gasoline powered passenger vehicles for a year – based on the average European carbon intensity factor of 0.3 kg CO2/kWh.
The savings quoted here are for just one motor. Yet typical industrial facilities will have tens or even hundreds of this size of motor, and a large plant such as a paper mill can have thousands. So the global potential to cut costs and reduce emissions is enormous.