Advantages of Using Frequency-Controlled Electric Drives in Elevators
Ensuring high stopping accuracy, noiselessness, increased comfort during the cab's movement, extending the service life of mechanical equipment, and reducing electricity costs by up to 60% have become possible due to the implementation of frequency-controlled electric drives in the elevator industry.
Annually, elevator equipment consumes more than a billion kilowatt-hours of energy, highlighting the importance of energy savings in this sector. The most important task today is the introduction of progressive energy-saving technologies when modernizing elevators.
Advantages of Frequency Converters
The use of frequency converters allows for complete control of the rotation speed of mechanisms, providing a number of advantages:
- Simplification of the system: Reduced need for reducers, variators, and other regulators, leading to increased reliability and reduced operational costs.
- Reduced load: Smooth starting of the motor reduces the load on the motor and mechanisms, prolonging their service life.
- Reduction of vibrations: Decrease in cyclic-dynamic loads on bearings, seals, and other components, significantly increasing their lifespan.
Advantages of Implementing Frequency-Controlled Drives in Elevator Systems
The introduction of frequency-controlled drives allows for:
- Increased comfort: Smooth transitions between modes enhance comfort during the cab's movement.
- Reduced costs: Lower dynamic loads decrease expenses for major repairs.
- Energy savings: Reducing the rotating masses of the winch allows for saving electrical energy, thus avoiding unnecessary losses during starting and braking modes.
Economic Efficiency of Using Frequency Converters
Thanks to energy savings, the following economic efficiency indicators are achieved (for an 11 kW motor installed in a business center):
- Daily energy savings amount to 16.3 kWh, annual savings — 5930 kWh.
- Energy consumption:
- Frequency-controlled drives: 12 kWh per day, 4380 kWh per year.
- Non-controlled drives: 28.5 kWh per day, 10402 kWh per year.
- Average machine running time of the elevator: 6.8 kWh per day, 2482 kWh per year.
- Average number of starts per day: 108.
Thus, the annual energy savings for each elevator with a frequency-controlled electric drive exceeds 6000 kWh, indicating a high potential for energy savings in the elevator industry.