How They Achieved it

Amtico achieved the savings by installing a 55 kW ABB drive on its main cooling tower pump, and 22 kW and 30 kW ABB drives on its recirculation pumps. Originally the cooling tower pump was started with a star-delta arrangement and ran constantly at 120 bar, when only 80 bar was needed. Installing an AC drive and cutting the motor frequency to 40 Hz delivered energy savings of more than 65 per cent for this pump alone.

As well as the cost savings, the drives are also reducing CO2 emissions to the environment by over 220 tonnes per year.

"This shows the impact variable speed drives can make in the right applications," says James Haigh, general manager drive products, at ABB. "This is one of the most efficient ways to save energy."

Amtico’s drives were supplied by local ABB Drives Alliance partner, Sentridge Control, after its SEAChange energy audit programme showed the potential savings of AC drives.

Cheetham says: "We are in the business of making floor tiles, not saving energy. However, we realise that we have to spend money to save money. Our energy consumption is actually constant, but we are producing over 45 per cent more flooring. We are managing our energy consumption far more wisely that we did in the past."

Amtico is planning to fit a further seven drives on various pumps and fans throughout its plant, following the company’s decision to include ABB drives as part of its overall energy strategy. The estimated annual energy saving would reduce the present electricity bill by 5%, giving a payback period of just over one year.

Kevin Wells, Amtico electrical engineer, says: "Companies like Sentridge Control, who understand exactly what drives can offer and can prove the theory, make the potential of using VSDs much easier. Everyone should investigate this approach it really can save money immediately."

Back to more case studies

Back to Energy Home