The processing of secondary raw materials consumes a great deal of energy. This is particularly evident in the recovery of metals from scrap metal, such as automotive scrap. It is worth noting that almost every element of the process – transport, separation, disassembly of car parts, re-moval of plastics and non-ferrous metals – involves the use of machines driven by powerful electric motors or servomotors.
In modern machines, it is common to connect the drives not directly to the power grid, but to electrical drive technology that regulates the transfer of energy from the grid, such as the PWM frequency converter. It depends on the quality of these inverters and their technical performance whether the actual power consumption matches the theoretical minimum required to ensure the operation of all driven motors. Mitsubishi Electric manufactures advanced and very high quality products for demanding environments. In addition, the company also provides energy recovery solutions with electric drives.
Mitsubishi Electric's devices are designed so that the operating parameters (speed and torque) of these drives can be adjusted over a wide range. In addition, emphasis is placed on minimising the energy consumption of the frequency converters themselves, and attention is paid to electromag-netic compatibility and conducted interference.
The latter characteristic – harmonics and thus also grid stability – is of great importance in an industrial environment. The accumulation of inductive loads and switching operations cause fluctuations in the power grid. The nature of these disturbances is diverse. They range from load peaks to harmonics. The sum of these influencing factors means that sensitive equipment can fail and disturbances in the network symmetries can lead to supply failures. The use of drive technology and solutions from Mitsubishi Electric reduces the risk of such problems.
A modern plant should be controlled based on up-to-date and reliable data. Mitsubishi Electric equipment can provide this data in real time, and EcoAdviser software and other tools make it easy to interpret the data and look for equipment and processes that are consuming unnecessary energy.
Such analysis can take place on the production line, on the shop floor, or at the control level. Operational data can be presented directly to the machine operator, the manager, or (at the enterprise level) to analysts and independent consultants. Either real-time data or data stored in data-bases over any period of time can be analysed. Combining all these capabilities with modern frequency converters brings tangible benefits to companies.
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