The easiest way to cut energy costs is simply to use less of it. New developments in the evolution of the synchronous reluctance motor are allowing more applications to benefit from IE5 efficiency levels, as ABB’s UK Sales Manager, Richard Gee, explains.

Electric motors account for around 60% of the electricity demand in UK industry. Many of these motors will be in operation for long periods of time. As such, they represent an area where even fractional improvements can make a big difference in terms of energy and carbon emissions, as well as reducing costs. Energy costs comprise by far the biggest proportion of the total cost of owning a motor, dwarfing the initial purchase cost – even for brand-new state-of-the-art motors. Moreover, with energy costs spiralling in recent years, payback periods that used to be measured in years have now been reduced to a matter of months, particularly when you upgrade to the latest generation of motor technologies.

Synchronous reluctance motors, or SynRM, are nothing new. The first switched reluctance motor was invented in 1838. In the 1920s, the synchronous reluctance motor was invented. These use a specially designed cageless rotor to eliminate rotor losses. A magnetic field is generated inside the motor, which is then guided through low reluctance paths. The field is rotated, which in turn pulls the rotor around to generate torque. It wasn’t until the emergence of variable speed drives in the 1970s that the synchronous reluctance motor really came into its own. Today, new developments in motor and drive technology have seen the introduction of SynRM packages that achieve IE5 efficiency levels and beyond. 

The latest generation of synchronous reluctance (SynRM) motors and VSD packages can achieve significant savings without compromising on performance and reliability. IE5 motors have 40% lower energy losses compared to conventional IE3 motors. Synchronous reluctance motors are also highly reliable, magnet-free and easy to maintain. Because they produce less heat, their operation puts less strain on components, and they also run more quietly.

The high power output of the liquid-cooled IE5 SynRM offers increased design flexibility. It can enable a machine to be upgraded to deliver a higher power output within the same footprint, or it can allow for a more compact installation footprint while still providing the same output. 

New developments in SynRM are helping to push efficiency levels even further towards their theoretical limits while also opening up new applications to the benefits of IE5 efficiency. For instance, ABB’s IE5 SynRM Liquid-cooled motor combines the benefits of ultra-premium energy efficiency with highly effective liquid cooling. The new design sets a new benchmark for high power output and reliability in a compact footprint. 

A major advantage of an IE5 SynRM Liquid-cooled motor is it is much more efficient than traditional liquid-cooled induction motors currently available. Liquid is a more effective cooling medium than air, making SynRM Liquid-cooled motors a good match for demanding applications that require high power density or where space for the provision of air-cooling is limited. Furthermore, they do not release heat into the local environment.

Energy efficiency is crucial to optimising the total cost of ownership (TCO) of an electric motor because the cost of the energy to run it throughout its life accounts for around 97% of a motor’s TCO, with the purchase cost accounting for about two percent.

 https://bit.ly/SynRMlc