Page 39 - EngineerIt August 2021

AUTOMATION AND CONTROL

“With Danfoss drives’ built-in sensor technology, organisations can maximise efficiency
while minimising waste, no matter the area of food production,” adds Fortuin. “And the first step
towards increased productivity is predictive maintenance and condition-based monitoring.”
Through access to real-time data and condition-based monitoring, your drives can
provide in-depth insight into equipment, monitoring health and predicting when faults will
occur, making it possible to schedule planned maintenance at the most opportune times,
and reducing downtime. This, in turn, allows for operational optimisation and deriving the
greatest value from ingredients.

In addition to predictive and condition-based monitoring, Danfoss drive solutions cater for
the following applications:
• Position and synchronisation: To optimise performance, many applications in the food Ferdie Fortuin
and beverage industry, such as conveyors, palletisers and packaging machines, need
precise positioning and synchronisation. To date, these operations have been performed
using servo drives. However, servo equipment is expensive, difficult to commission In addition to saving energy, fans
and requires additional cabling. The Danfoss Drives integrated motion controller (IMC) benefit from dedicated drive features
is functionality configurable in the software of the VLT® AutomationDrive FC 302 such as the ‘skip resonance’ function.
that enables an AC drive to perform high-precision positioning and synchronisation This improves comfort levels by
operations without the need for additional modules or hardware. avoiding frequencies that create noise
• Pumps: By reducing the average speed of the pump motor from 100 to 80 percent, and damage. Reliable fan control
organisations can save 50 percent on energy consumed. Reducing the average speed can maintain specific air pressure
by half increases the savings to 80 percent. As well as delivering these energy savings and ensures a consistently hygienic
to an operation, implementing pump control with Danfoss drives can also dramatically environment for food and beverage
reduce water consumption. Functionality such as the cascade controller distributes operations. Condenser fan control
running hours evenly across all pumps, keeping wear and tear on individual pumps to a gives a range of advantages, including
minimum and ensuring they continue to operate reliably. By optimising the combustion reduced charge of refrigerant, less
efficiency of boilers, electricity and fuel consumption can be curtailed; also, the hydraulic build-up of dirt on the condenser and
performance of water-handling processes and the flow rate in feed water can be the ability to run a floating setpoint for
significantly improved by using AC drives. energy savings.
• Compressors: Danfoss drives enhance the control of compressors, reducing energy
consumption and providing constant pressure regulation. Speed control is advantageous Danfoss intelligent drives also provide
when an air compressor is running for long periods at part-load, and fewer starts and remote monitoring capabilities, keeping
stops reduce mechanical wear. Hygiene requirements demand drives with robust plants running efficiently, securely and
enclosures that are able to withstand daily high pressure wash-downs. Danfoss has a accurately from anywhere.
number of VLT® drives of varying sizes with IP66/UL Type 4X protection that can fulfil this Danfoss is driving change across
need. Cascade configuration enables optimal interaction between compressor and drive every food category, including
under partial load. The base load is handled by a single compressor controlled by a VLT® confectionary and snacks, meat,
refrigeration drive. When consumption rises, the drive starts up additional compressors bread and cereal products, dairy and
one at a time. As a result, the compressors work largely at their optimum efficiency point, eggs, vegetables, fish and seafood,
and the drive constantly maintains maximum energy efficiency throughout the system. convenience foods, fruit and nuts,
• Conveyers: Conveyor applications need to perform reliably to ensure maximised uptime baby food, spreads and sweeteners,
and the lowest cost of ownership. Danfoss solutions provide optimised motor control spices and sauces, oils, fats and pet
and, for example, improve quality and product consistency, and reduce waste. Highly food. As a business supporting critical
sensitive products, such as still bottled water and alcohol-free beer or new materials for infrastructure, we recognise that
packaging and bottles, raise the hygiene requirements in production plants. Danfoss is businesses within the food and beverage
unique in offering EHEDG and IPA certified solutions and products for use in hygiene- industry are exposed to additional risk
critical sub-systems. The VLT® FlexConcept® is currently the only solution on the market as they keep operations running under
that provides EHEDG-certified components specifically intended for use in hygiene- today’s challenging circumstances,
critical sub systems. The system simplifies project planning, installation, commissioning which include labour shortages, food
and maintenance, especially for conveyor systems. System variants might be reduced security and panic-buying.
by up to 70 percent, so users benefit from improved flexibility with a minimum number “Now more than ever, doing our part
of modules, including motors and drives which offer a unified operating concept and to help turn food production into a more
standardised functionality, regardless of whether the system is implemented with a intelligent process, keeping production
centralised or decentralised structure, in dry, wet or aseptic areas. lines up and running and unleashing
• Fans: As energy becomes increasingly expensive, variable speed control of electrical the potential of food plants, are our
motors has proven to be one of the most effective cost-reducing measures available. priorities”. n

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