Digitalization and automation technologies will be integral part of the efficient management of the whole industrial sector. ABB top player has been a pioneer in this field for decades and it has recently launched a series of digital services connected with the Internet of Things (IoT) for the efficiency of motors, generators and drives.
The concept? Collecting data from processes and equipment to identify possible improvements, so decreasing the company’s energy costs and, consequently, emissions.
Removing the gearbox from the equipment set-up and replacing its functions with a modern, fit-for-purpose alternative coupled directly to the paper machine has proven to be practical and efficient. A gearbox suffers from energy losses during mechanical movements, which means higher energy consumption. When the drive is directly attached to the production machine using the permanent magnet technology, energy consumption is reduced.
The main advantage of this direct drive access is that it is gearless. When there are no gears, the motor speeds are lower. This way, a much longer service life can also be expected from the bearings. In ABB motors these last up to 200,000 hours or approximately 23 years in operation. The system is reliable right from the start and remains this way throughout its lifecycle, reducing electricity consumption and reaching high horsepower at low voltage.
Actually, a gearless direct drive motor system, such as those available from ABB, bring benefits and savings to the user, particularly when it becomes a ‘connected drive’ through digital solutions. These direct drive systems are based on a permanent magnet motor and connect directly to the production equipment
without a gearbox. ABB has developed and delivered this technology to a multitude of pulp and paper mills around the world and several advantages have been identified from seeing direct drive systems in action.