The installation of SEW-Eurodrive frequency inverters has resulted in the Volkswagen Autoeuropa vehicle manufacturing plant in Portugal achieving a 28% reduction in energy consumed by large fans that dry car paint on the production line. This has resulted in annual cost savings of R450 000 and a reduction of 250 tons in CO2 emissions.
The VW Autoeuropa plant manufactures 100 000 vehicles each year. As part of its commitment to environmental sustainability, VW commissioned SEW-Eurodrive to install Movitrac LTP-B frequency inverters at the plant. The plant has 17 fans. Although they perform this task reliably, they consume critically high levels of electricity.
The operational speed of the fans was the main focal point. “We first had to establish how far the speed could be reduced without having a negative impact on the drying process. As a result, we aimed to maximise the energy savings without making any compromises regarding the quality of the painting process,” says Reis Neves, SEW-Eurodrive Portugal technical manager.
The first step was to install new air filters. Neves explains that this enabled the speed to be reduced further, without negatively affecting the fans’ thermal capacity. A total of 17 Movitrac LTP-B frequency inverters were installed in the fans. “This was done during the summer shutdown in order to minimise the impact on production,” adds Neves.
SEW-Eurodrive prepared two energy audits, one before and one after the new frequency inverters were installed, and presented the report and the predicted energy savings to VW and the Portuguese government, which subsidised the new installation.
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