Vacon Driven14 Final
19
A majestic barge Lifting high - fast and safely Vacon Russia a magazine for VACON stakeholders 2/2011 14
Transcript of Vacon Driven14 Final
A majestic barge
Lifting high - fast and safely
Vacon Russia
a magazine for VACON stakeholders 2/201114
Seizethe opportunity!
The solar energy business is growing rapidly particu-larly in Europe*, and it offers great opportunities for companies that are ready and willing to seize the day. Vacon is determined to be one of these. Solar energy will boost our future growth.
One characteristic of the solar energy business is that the leading countries in the sector are changing, de-pending for example on the size of government sub-sidies for new installations and on how financially at-tractive the business is. As a result, solar energy is no longer only a local business, cross-border sales are increasing and turn-key providers and system integra-tors with high global reach are entering the field.
Another distinctive feature is that in most cases the customer does not represent an industrial segment but is an investor, who wants to make a wise and secure in-vestment. This is a totally new challenge for Vacon. In-vestors are concerned about issues such as long-term warranty, service and maintenance, and reputation.
Vacon has learned a great deal since entering the so-lar energy business in 2010, and we keep on learning and investing in this field. Vacon has a dedicated solar energy team, a high-quality inverter and an innovative Multimaster system, so we hold the opportunities in our hands. So, seize the day – whatever your business and wherever you are!
Matti VekkeliRegional General Manager
EMEA, India and Latin America
* In Europe, 13 GW of new solar applications
were installed in 2010, giving a total installed
base of approximately 28 GW. The leading
European solar energy countries include
Germany, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Czech
Republic, Bulgaria and Greece. One of Vacon’s
first major solar inverter installations is
generating electricity at a glassware factory in
Italy. Read more about the case on p. 20-23.
In this issue
4 our business Vacon AC drives saved 35 TWh of energy in 2010
5 vacon’s 2nd quarter
6 vacon news
8 Vacon inaugurates new factory in China
10 Innovative air compressor puts the squeeze on the competition
12 Lifting high – fast and safely
16 Vacon AC drives in one of the world’s largest district cooling systems
18 clean tech
Cyber sabotage – a new concern*20 Tapping energy from the sun in Italy
24 A majestic barge
26 Drive retrofit for synchronous motor
30 Wind – a jack-up barge for servicing wind turbines at sea
32 people in focus Spirit of Yury Gagarin
34 Rotating extreme antennas *
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Turning extreme antennas at Radio ArcalaSome 40 kilometres east of the City of Oulu lies the small
village of Arkala. Visitors to this village in Northern Finland
suddenly come across an unbelievable sight - a forest of high
- extremely high - towers. Welcome to Radio Arcala!
More on p. 34-35.
2 33
dear reader dr
8
20
30
Driven. Volume 14. 2/2011. A magazine for Vacon stakeholders.
Editorial Board: Sebastian Linko (Editor-In-Chief), Kaija Olli (Managing Editor), Catarina Fant, Heikki Hiltunen.
English language editor: Andrew Fisher (Impress Ltd).
Design by satukala graphic design.
Photos by Vacon unless otherwise stated.
Cover photo by iStockphoto.com/JJRD.
Printed by FRAM. Published by Vacon Plc, Finland. ISSN 1795-7664
If you no longer wish to receive Driven magazine, please email us at [email protected]
revenues by region
EMEA Americas APAC
80
60
40
20
0
Vacon results Positive developmentThe company’s profitability continued to develop posi-tively in the second quarter. The growth in operating profit was boosted by the clear improvement in rev-enues. The company has continued its investments in growth by recruiting new personnel.
Growth was strongest in the Asia and Pacific region, but the markets in Europe and North America also developed as expected. Germany remains the engine of growth in Europe.
Demand for AC drives was evenly divided among all the main industrial sectors. One factor worth noting is that the demand for AC drives in the marine industry showed clear signs of picking up in all main market areas. There are still strong seasonal fluctuations in demand for products for the generation of renewable energy.
The shortage of components that slowed down de-liveries in 2010 and in the beginning of 2011 has eased and the availability of the components used by Vacon in its products is at the moment reasonably good.
Vacon estimates that the AC drive market will grow 6-10% in 2011. Investments in improving energy effi-ciency and in the production of renewable energy will support strong growth in all market areas. Demand for Vacon’s products is expected to rise in all key industrial sectors. Growth is expected to be greatest in the Asia and Pacific region. The general outlook for economic growth in Europe and North America now includes more uncertainty factors.
Vacon estimates that revenues in 2011 will increase 10 – 20% and the operating profit margin will rise from 2010. Earnings per share are expected to improve con-siderably from 2010.
Contacts
Vesa Laisi, President and CEO, phone +358 40 8371 510,
e-mail: [email protected]
Eriikka Söderström, CFO and Vice President,
Finance & Control, phone +358 40 8371 445,
e-mail: [email protected]
2010 financial reporting Vacon is publishing its third interim
report in 2011 on 25 October 2011.
more about vacon at vacon.com
our business ob
more about vacon at vacon.com
revenues by sales channel
Q2/2010 Q2/2011
Developments in the global
AC drive market remained
positive in the second
quarter of 2011.
“Our second quarter
revenues were an all
time high,” says Vesa
Laisi, President and CEO.
Revenues grew 33.6% year-on-
year, totalling EUR 107.2 million.
About 35 TWh of electrical energy was saved last year with the help of Vacon AC drives. This roughly corresponds to the amount of energy produced by six 700 MW nuclear power reactors in a year.
Producing this amount of energy us-ing current electricity production meth-ods would have caused about 17 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. This corresponds to the annual carbon emissions from 4.5 million cars.
“These figures show that every AC drive counts: the energy savings given by AC drives do result in reduc-tions of carbon dioxide emissions,” says Hans Carlsson, Product Marketing Director, OEM Drives, Vacon.
An AC drive adjusts the speed of an electric motor according to the actual needs of the process, which typically reduces energy consumption by 20–50%. An investment
40302010
0
Q2/2010 Q2/2011
Direct sales Distributor OEM Brand label System int
MEUR
MEUR
Hans
Carlsson
Product
Marketing
Director,
OEM Drives,
Vacon.
in an AC drive is small compared to the cost of the energy that an electric motor consumes, so the energy savings result-ing from an AC drive controlling a motor quickly make the investment profitable. Studies have shown that the payback time for AC drives is continuously getting shorter. In pump and fan applications, for example, the payback time can be even less than one year.
“Vacon has been supplying AC drives since 1995, and they are used to control
electric motors and in renewable energy generation. Competing or substitute technical solutions do not exist for AC drives and are not within sight,” says Vesa
Laisi, President and CEO.
“Competing or
substitute technical
solutions do not
exist for AC drives.”
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*TWh = terawatt hour.
1 TWh = 1,000 GWh = 1,000,000 MWh =
1,000,000 000 kWh.
4 554
q2vacon quarter
q2Vacon AC drives saved 35 TWh* of energy in 2010The AC drives made by globally operating Vacon helped save an estimated
35 TWh of energy in 2010. The energy savings helped reduce carbon dioxide
emissions by about 17 million tonnes, which in turn mitigates climate change.
more about vacon at vacon.com
Harvesting energy from sun
Vacon drives selected for the Shard - the tallest building in the EU
Variable speed drives sup-plied by Vacon UK are to be used extensively in the HVAC systems of the Shard at London Bridge, UK. Scheduled to be completed by May 2012, this will be not only the tallest building in the European Union but also one of the world’s most
prestigious addresses. The HVAC installation will incorporate more than 220 drives selected from the Vacon 100 HVAC IP54 range, which has been optimized specifically for HVAC applications and includes models with ratings from 1.1 kW to 132 kW.
The drives will play an essential role in ensur-ing comfort for the occupants of the 1,016 foot (310 metre) high building, which is clad entirely in glass. The Shard will incorporate more than half a million square feet of office space, the first-class Shangri-La hotel that includes a spa, three floors of restaurants, thirteen floors of
New office in Abu Dhabi Vacon has opened an office in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. To promote the Vacon brand and the Vacon Middle East and Africa branch, Va-con organized a theme week at the Abu Dhabi of-fice in May.
At the opening ceremony for the new Abu Dhabi office, the office was shown to 35 channel part-ners. More than 120 key customers and partners visited the office during the theme week, which included several marketing events. H.E. Ambassa-dor of Finland to the UAE Matti Lassila with his wife Satu Mäki-Lassila and EMEA Regional General Man-ager Matti Vekkeli witnessed the opening ceremony with Vacon’s Dubai team.
The roof of Vacon’s Vaasa factory in Finland
is now partly covered by arrays of solar pan-
els. The panels were installed during spring
2011 and were taken into full use in July 2011.
The solar panels have a peak capacity of 55 kW
and the solar power is fed to the factory grid by
four stand-alone Vacon 8000 Solar inverters.
In September 2010, Vacon signed a voluntary Energy Efficiency Agreement introduced by Finland’s Minis-try of Employment and the Economy. The company is looking for energy savings of 20% in its Vaasa factory
operations by 2016. This solar power plant is one of the steps being taken towards increased energy effi-ciency at Vacon.
The solar power plant has many other benefits, be-sides generating energy from a renewable source. It is a good place to see Vacon 8000 Solar solutions in ac-tion and for conducting special tests.
The Vacon 8000 Solar inverter plays an important role in converting the photovoltaic energy captured by the solar panels to AC power and then feeding it into the national (or local) grid.
The Vacon 8000 Solar meets all the requirements of the commercial, industrial and utility sectors. For more information on Vacon’s solutions for the solar energy
segment, please see www.vacon.com > Renewable
energy > Solar Power
luxury residences, and a public viewing gallery on the 72nd floor.
Key features of the Vacon 100 HVAC drives chosen for this demanding high-profile project include high efficiency, versatility, ease of use and full compli-ance with the latest IEC/EN 61000-3-12 standard for harmonics and EN61800-3 C2 for EMC. In addition the drives have integral support for the BacNet/IP com-munication protocol as standard, which makes them
easy to integrate fully with the automated logic building management systems (BMS) for the control of all the fans and pumps and also the life safety fan application.
The drives also have outstanding environ-mental credentials. Unlike most ostensibly similar units, they use no electrolytic ca-pacitors, which are now classed as hazard-ous waste in the EU. Instead they use thin film capacitors, which are environmentally friendly and inherently more reliable. In addition, all recyclable parts are appropri-ately marked to ensure easy and efficient recycling when the drives are ultimately taken out of service.
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Vacon signs three-year supply agreement with Bristol CompressorsInternational Inc.(Virginia, USA) The supply agreement covers the design and manufacture of AC drives that will be used to control Bristol Compressors’ Benchmark VStar variable speed compressors.
“This partnership with Bristol Compressors allows Vacon to strengthen its foothold in North America in the high-volume residential HVAC marketplace, which is an exciting growth opportu-nity for Vacon,” says Tom Doring, President, Vacon North America. “This new compressor represents a major technical leap forward in efficiency and sound reduction, and we are excited to be part of the overall solution.”
The custom designed AC drive was developed in the USA by Vacon’s Chambersburg, PA facility where it will also be manufactured.
Photo courtesy of The Shard
6 7
vnvacon news
6
d
Photos Vacon China
Built to meet the company’s growth targets, the new
factory occupies a total area of 24,000 square metres.
The new plant also has an R&D laboratory and the after-
sales service centre for the Asia-Pacific region.
new factory
in
Vacon inaugurates
the increasing demands from our customers and will further strengthen our company and its competitive-ness.”
Mr Rajamäki, “Blue skies and a white building – may they symbolize the Vacon brand here in China as elsewhere, and remind each of us that our aim is to improve energy-efficiency and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.”
Vacon established its subsidiary in China in 2003. The company focuses on providing quality AC drive solutions for the local market and is helping Chinese enterprises and society as a whole to become highly efficient in the utilization of energy and control of CO2 emissions.
On 12-13 May 2011, Vacon Suzhou held an Asia-
Pacific Partner Conference at the newly completed
Vacon Suzhou plant. Almost all the Vacon partners
in the region – in total around 160 people – took
part in the event, which was the fifth Partner Meet-
ing held by Vacon in the Asia-Pacific region. After
entering the APAC market, Vacon has achieved
significant growth and success, not only in terms
of market share but also in the number and size
of its partners.
During the conference, Vacon’s sales managers
from the major segments in the APAC region re-
viewed the current state of business and develop-
ments on the market. Dozens of technical presen-
tations covering 19 topics were given to introduce
Vacon’s latest products, technologies and applica-
tions.
Close cooperation between the local partners is
crucial for Vacon’s further growth in the region in
the future, so some of the partners were invited to
speak about their local markets and their experi-
ences of working with Vacon. In recognition of their
outstanding performance, Vacon made special
awards to Xi’an Xiling Electrical Appliance Co.,
ltd, Motherwell Automation, C&A Electric Co., Ltd,
United Voyage Enterprise, Suzhou Industrial Park
Chiho Automation Technology Co., Ltd and Taiyuan
Helihuihua Industrial Electrical Co., Ltd.
As a key development area in the global economy
today, the Asia Pacific market will play an increas-
ingly important role in future developments at Va-
con, and Vacon will further increase its local pres-
ence through cooperation with its partners.
Vacon APAC Partner Conference in Suzhou
VACON INAUgURATED ITS new factory in Suzhou on 11 May 2011. Present at the ceremony were Consul Gen-eral of Finland in Shanghai Matti Heimonen, Vice Chair-man of Suzhou Industrial Park Administrative Commit-tee Sun Yanyan, members of Vacon’s Board of Directors and management team, and Vacon partners from the Asia-Pacific region.
At the ceremony, Jan Inborr, Chairman of Vacon’s Board of Directors, and Pertti Rajamäki, Managing Di-rector of Vacon’s subsidiary in China, outlined Vacon’s future prospects.
“This investment significantly increases Vacon’s manufacturing capacity in China,” said Mr Inborr. “The new plant will significantly improve our ability to meet
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in detail
China
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Located in Barrie, Ontario, Canada, one hour north of Toronto,
DV Systems Inc. has been manufacturing high-quality air
compressors for over 50 years. In 2009, DV Systems started the
process of developing more advanced compressor technology: a
low-cost rotary screw compressor with a low amp start and high
performance, designed for commercial applications.
Story by Vacon Canada
Photos courtesy of DV Systems Inc. and iStockphoto.com/fmissing
SMALL COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS typically do not have access to a three-phase power supply, and this limits their choice of compressor to conventional fixed speed, single-phase, 7.5 HP (5.6 kW) piston compres-sors. However these are not designed to operate contin-uously, are less efficient and much noisier than screw compressors, and they have a shorter life expectancy due to the large number of moving parts. DV Systems came to the conclusion that a screw compressor with a variable speed drive would give opti-mum performance, and they found what they needed in the Vacon X Series of AC drives.
Compressor package with modular enclosure for harsh environmentsVacon, Inc. in Chambersburg, Pennsyl-vania, USA, had already developed a ver-sion of their rugged Vacon X Series drive specifically for use on single-phase sup-plies, with motor ratings up to 30 amps. The NEMA 4 (IP66) enclosure rating of the drive gave Iraj Filsoofi, DV Systems Engineer Manager, and his team maximum flexibility, since they could incorporate the drive inside the com-pressor enclosure, creating a clean finished compres-sor package with modular enclosure. Enclosure was required to maintain a stable operating temperature, and it also reduces audible noise and enhances the ap-pearance of the unit. The NEMA 4 inverter enables the unit to operate in harsh environments without the risk of damaging the drive and its related components.
Easy to set-up and operateFurther cost reduction was achieved by integrating the compressor controller directly into the Vacon X Series memory rather than using an additional control mod-
ule. Todd Snider from the Vacon R&D team, located at the factory in Chambersburg, was instrumental in de-veloping this solution, which required a re-map of the Vacon X Series user display to allow set-points and displays in compressor verbiage. Pressure and tem-perature sensors are terminated in the variable speed drive, and the required intake valve and cooling system commands are also integrated. This makes it very easy to set-up and operate the compressor, ensuring it re-
ceives a good reception on the market. The software even includes ‘service re-minders’, based on hours of operation, and a provision for automatic starting of the compressor, using the ‘real time clock’ built in the drive, as well as cus-tomized fault indicators for easy diag-nosis. Simple navigation on the control-ler allows the end user to make basic changes to the pressure and speed to optimize the performance and to match the required application.
Sales rising steadily“This product has been very successful since it was launched in the spring of 2010,” says Mr Filsoofi of DV Systems. “It has been very well received by our customers because of the unique design for a single-phase screw compressor application, its great per-formance and reliability, which set us apart from our competition. Vacon engineers were a tremendous help in developing software that meets our requirements for compressor operation.”
Sales of this innovative compressor design are in-creasing steadily and the close cooperation between Vacon and DV Systems has led to Vacon NX products being adopted for DV Systems larger models of rotary screw compressors.
< DV Systems (formerly Devair) in-
dustrial piston compressors and ro-
tary screw air compressors are manu-
factured in Barrie, Ontario, Canada.
Shown here is the B10 HP “Huron”
rotary screw compressor.
“Vacon engineers were
a tremendous help in
developing software
that meets our
requirements for
compressor operation.”
air compressor
10
Innovative
puts the squeeze on the competition
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10 1110 11
Story by Dick Kant
Photos courtesy of Raxtar
Safety and reliability are key issues in
vertical access systems, especially when
operating at great heights. RAXTAR*
designs and manufactures high quality
construction hoists for passengers and
materials, industrial lifts and transport
platforms. Vacon AC drives are needed for
motor control.
cccover case
Lifting high– fast and safely
“The choice of Vacon is based
on the reliability and quality of
Vacon’s solutions.”
RAXTAR − BASED NEAR the city of Eindhoven in the south of the Netherlands − manufactures vertical ac-cess solutions that are based on decades of experience and meet the highest quality and safety standards. Compared to conventional hoists, RAXTAR’s customers save significantly on maintenance costs thanks to the robustness of the hoists and their flexible design based on open standards.
RAXTAR’s passenger and ma-terial hoists operate at the heart of the logistics on construction pro-jects. RAXTAR construction hoists guarantee the supply of materials and personnel around the clock, at the right time and in the right place (and height).
Adjusting the speed according to the load of the hoistRAXTAR’s hoists and lifts use Va-con AC drives for motor control. “The choice of Vacon is based on
the reliability and quality of Vacon’s solutions. Reliabil-ity and quality are the key values for our products and solutions,” says Pascal Matheeuwsen, CEO of RAXTAR.
The first contact between Vacon and RAXTAR was at the end of November 2007 when RAXTAR was ur-gently looking for a new drives solution for their hoists. Vacon proposed a Vacon NXS unit (205 A/110 kW) for testing. Dick Kant, Sales Support Engineer at Vacon Benelux**, recalls: “RAXTAR asked us to conduct joint tests with them to see if the performance of the Vacon AC drives met their requirements for the passenger hoists. The total weight load of the hoist is about 5,500 kg (12,125 lbs), and it has a net load of 2,700 kg (5,952 lbs). The hoist was lifted by two motors, a gearbox in open loop with a total power of 76 kW and a Vacon NXS drive of 90 kW. After some slight modifications we succeeded in running the hoist with-out problems.”
*Raxtar solutions excel in operational reliability for the lowest total cost of ownership in the market.
The modularity and flexibility of their solutions significantly increase their customers’ utilization rates.
**Vacon Benelux BV, Vacon’s subsidiary located in Gorinchem, The Netherlands, was founded in 1998.
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However, RAXTAR had a challenge for Vacon: they wanted the hoist to run always at the highest possible speed. “Our team at Vacon Benelux designed a soft-ware application that determines the load of the hoist and adjusts the speed according to the load, so the hoist runs at the highest possible speed when needed,” Mr Kant continues.
Major projects from New York City to MilanOne of the biggest challenges and most successful cooperation pro-jects between RAXTAR and Vacon is the reconstruction of one of the world’s most famous buildings, the One World Trade Center (formerly called Freedom Tower) at ground zero in New York City, USA. The cus-tomer demanded hoists that could carry 3,200 kg (7,055 lbs) up to 300 m (984 ft). This required a hoist with
cccover case
In Mr Matheeuwsen’s view RAXTAR and Vacon have many things in common: “As well as sharing a com-mon vision on quality, the relationship between Vacon and RAXTAR is based on a cultural fit. Day-to-day co-operation between Vacon and RAXTAR personnel guar-antees the highest level of service, relating to both the reliability and flexibility that we need to provide for our customers globally.”
Hoists feeding energy back to the network coming soonToday, RAXTAR and Vacon have an open partnership where the expertise of both companies is used to de-velop new and innovative world-class solutions for the construction and industrial markets.
RAXTAR and Vacon are now developing a hoist that will reduce energy consumption. When the hoist is go-ing down, it will supply energy back into the network instead of feeding it into the brake resistors. For RAX-TAR’s customers this will bring energy savings. The first two hoists were installed on construction sites in The Netherlands in June 2011. BAM Group and Dura Vermeer, two leading Dutch construction companies, are the first to work with this “green” solution.
Modular design of Vacon drivesSince modularity is important for RAXTAR, the top drive unit can also run conventionally with brake resistors, so the hoist can be used in every situation. Vacon’s modular design makes it possible to replace the active front-end unit with brake resistors, so the hoist can also be run on a generator supply.
Frank Kennis, Head of Technology & Innovation at RAXTAR, says: “In order to competitively develop, de-sign and manufacture the kind of solutions RAXTAR offers to the market, we often need to let go of con-ventional thinking. RAXTAR mixes and matches inno-vative technologies to create solutions that answer to − or even exceed − our customers’ demands for safe and reliable vertical access systems. Long-term rela-tionships, in which each party clearly understands this requirement, are crucial for achieving this goal.”
Vacon NXP drives pro-
vide the logistics for the
reconstruction of the
One World Trade Center
for 16 hours a day, six
days a week.
din detail
Hoisting the One World Trade Center
14
three motors and a total power of 110 kW. A total of twelve RAXTAR construction hoists, travelling at a maximum speed of 92 m (302 ft)/min, are equipped with Vacon NXP drives of 132 kW and provide the lo-gistics for this remarkable project for 16 hours a day, six days a week. The 132-kW Vacon NXP drives are pro-
vided with Open Loop Control and an OPT-AF card*.
At the same time, RAXTAR is pro-viding construction hoists for one of the largest construction sites at the moment in Europe, the CityLife project covering an area of 255,000 square metres (2,744,820 sq ft) in the centre of the former trade fair area in Milan, Italy. Seven RAXTAR hoists with a pay- load of 2,700 kg (5,952 lbs) and a travelling speed of 72 m (236 ft)/min guarantee safe access for people and material to different buildings at the site. The customer’s choice of RAXTAR is based on both the quality and flex-ibility of the solutions.
RAXTAR’s construction hoists are used at
the One World Trade Center building project
(formerly called Freedom Tower) in New York
City. Each RAXTAR hoist cabin can lift 3,200 kg
(7,055 lbs) and travels at a maximum speed of
92 m (302 ft)/min. All RAXTAR’s solutions are
either CE marked and certified according to
European Norms and Regulations or comply
with North American Standards.
The total height of the One World Trade
Center in New York City will be 541 m (1,775 ft),
with the highest floor at 417 m (1,368 ft). Up
to a height of approximately 245 m (803 ft) the
RAXTAR hoists are outside the building. From
245 metres up to the top floor, the RAXTAR
hoists will be installed inside the elevator
shaft, where the permanent elevators will be
installed once the building is finished.
The Vacon NXP was the perfect fit for the
tower construction project in New York City.
The total weight of the hoist loaded is about
7,300 kg (16,094 lbs).
2/201114
*Thanks to Vacon’s advanced lift software it is possible to control the
hoist in Open Loop. The AF card was integrated to improve security
and to reduce the number of components.
14 15
The phrase “doing more with less” is used in connection with the European Union’s
energy-efficiency policy and the responsible use of energy. District heating and cooling
meet these goals with flying colours. Stockholm, the beautiful seaside capital of
Sweden, is a forerunner in the field, and Vacon AC drives are an integral part of the city’s
district heating and cooling network, which has been gradually expanded by Fortum.
TODAY, 24 METRES BENEATH the lively Stockholm city is a giant cavern filled with 50,000 cubic metres of water. In two years, Fortum built one of the largest chilled water storage tanks in the world, in Hornsberg, near the centre of Stockholm. With demand for cooling increasing significantly in Stockholm, a few years ago Fortum decided to expand the existing district cooling network. The project was completed in 2010, so now a further 100 office buildings in Stockholm can benefit from the city’s cooling systems.
“Fortum started distributing district cooling in 1994, and the network has been growing ever since. The chilled water storage facilities in Hornsberg are the latest project we have finished to boost capacity and lower production costs. Our district cooling systems now have a capacity of 240,000 kW,” says Anders Hill, District Cooling Strategist at Fortum.
Story by Maija Suutarinen
Photos iStockphotoolaser and courtesy of Fortum
AC drives give financial and environmental benefitsA district cooling system gives benefits both for the en-vironment and financially, and these are reinforced by the choice of Vacon AC drives for speed control of the pumps. An AC drive makes it possible to optimize the use of the district cooling system.
A key requirement in the supply of district heating and cooling is the reliable operation of the pumps at the numerous pumping stations within the extensive network. Vacon AC drives provide speed control of the pumps according to actual needs, and this not only gives considerable energy savings but also improves operational reliability.
Vacon drives are used to control the capacity of the pumps that feed the chilled water storage tank during the loading cycle and also to feed the district cooling distribution system when un-loading. “One of the most crucial things when storing the cold water is to keep the warmer water on top of the cooler water. The differ-ence in density is very small. It is important to have accurate control over the flows,” says Mr Hill.
District cooling can be produced in several ways. In Stockholm, the system is mainly based on cold sea-water taken from the Baltic Sea. “The water, with a temperature of about +6 ºC (43 °F), then passes along the 204 kilometres (127 miles) of pipelines in the old tunnels beneath Stockholm, to be piped to customers. Customers have their own cooling distribution systems within their buildings, and the heated return water goes back to the production plant,” says Mr Hill.
District cooling has several positive impacts on the environment. More than 100 tonnes of the refrigerants that break down the ozone layer have been eliminated thanks to district cooling, and it has substantially re-duced carbon dioxide emissions. The electricity saved by the production of district cooling is sufficient to heat 4,000 detached houses.
Compact liquid-cooled Vacon drives with numerous benefitsFor this project Vacon supplied Fortum with liquid-cooled Vacon NXP drives in the power range 315 kW to 450 kW, with a total installed power of 2.8 MW.
The liquid-cooled Vacon NXP solutions provide im-proved operational safety and a longer life cycle in de-manding environments. The drives require no air chan-nels, so they are extremely compact, and since they have no large fans installed, they have a low noise level. Almost all of the heat generated is removed in the cool-ant, providing a high degree of protection easily at all power ratings. The space savings compared solely to the power module of a similarly rated air-cooled drive can be up to 70%.
Flexibility and service were decisive factorsIn selecting the AC drive supplier for the pumping stations, the benefits speaking for the choice of Va-con included technical reliability, the expertise of personnel and their willingness to listen to the cus-tomer’s needs.
“We are very happy with Vacon and its work for us and also with the performance of their equipment,” says Mr Hill.
<< Mr Hill standing between two heat exchangers.
< Welders installing piping on one of the heat exchangers.
District cooling is easy to operate, reliable, economical and
environmentally friendly. It eliminates the peak demand for
electricity in the summer. Although district cooling itself re-
quires electricity to operate, the demand for electricity per unit
of cooling supplied is much lower than with conventional local
cooling production.
“It is important
to have accurate
control over the
flows.”
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16 17
world’s largest
1716
Vacon AC drives in one of the
district cooling systems
Vacon have initiated research collaboration with global computer security provider F-Secure in
response to the spread of an unprecedentedly complex computer virus that precisely targeted
control systems used in Iran’s nuclear programme.
MIKKO HYPPöNEN, chief research officer of F-Secure, describes the Stuxnet virus as the most significant computer malware of the decade. “When Stuxnet was first discovered in July 2010 only antivirus companies were interested in this highly infectious virus, which didn’t seem to do anything in infected computers,” he explains.
The plot thickened when while studying Stuxnet closely F-Secure gradually realized that it was one of the most advanced pieces of malware ever devised. Later in 2010 it became clear that Stuxnet had been meticulously designed to spread unnoticed and remain dormant until it could enter a specific kind of comput-erized programmable logic controller (PLC) system used to run certain kinds of variable speed drives, in-cluding AC drives produced by Vacon. In effect, the vi-rus was devised to be spread around the world via the USB sticks of unaware computer-users.
A game-changing episode Now that computer security experts understand how Stuxnet works, it can be effectively removed from in-fected systems, but Hyppönen emphasizes that the cat is truly out of the bag in terms of potential future cyber attacks on automation applications.
“It’s perfectly possible that similar attacks could be launched in future – particularly from the same source. Such complex malware is not something the average hacker can create, but it will certainly be less difficult to modify the Stuxnet virus and create copycat viruses than to build new malware from scratch,” he says. “The worst possible scenario is that terrorist groups could launch such cyber attacks, since our whole civilization is highly dependent on computerized automation con-trol systems.”
The use of cyber sabotage for criminal gain or indus-trial espionage remains unlikely, because of the mas-
sive expense involved. But Hyppönen is convinced that industrial companies should start looking at computer se-curity issues in new ways. “It’s ulti-mately impossible to protect systems absolutely against determined attack-ers with such high levels of know-how and resources, but industrial automa-tion companies can still gain an ad-vantage by making themselves tough targets, and by being better protected than others,” he says.
Story by Fran Weaver
Photo iStockphoto/angelhell, /fpm and F-Secure
ctclean tech
Cyber sabotage
– a newconcernforindustry
Collaboration in the new ball gameVacon has resolved to become an in-dustry leader in data security for in-dustrial automation applications with AC drives. In response to the concerns highlighted by Stuxnet, Vacon has ini-tiated collaboration with F-Secure to build up information and awareness of potential risks through research and communications focusing on automa-tion security.
“Stuxnet has really been an eye-open-er for our whole industry,” says Heikki Hil-
tunen, Executive Vice President of Vacon. “Our customers are of course asking us and other key industrial automation players how they should react to threats such as Stuxnet. Through our partnership with F-Secure we aim to ensure that we can keep them well up-to-date on such issues in the future.”
F-Secure’s Mikko Hyppönen adds that such close consultation between computer security experts and automation system providers is a whole new ball game. “Vacon are right to address these new security issues pro-actively, and we feel we can help them to combine expertise from both sides to build systems that will be as secure as possible for the future,” he says.
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A 1-MW Vacon 8000 Solar inverter is used to generate
electricity at Vetreria di Borgonovo’s glassware factory near
the town of Piacenza in northern Italy. This is a significant
achievement for Vacon, for the decision to enter the solar
energy business was only taken early in 2010.
Story by Riccardo Bastero & Kaija Olli
Photos Riccardo Bastero
Tapping
energy from the sunIN EUROPE, Vacon’s installed base of solar applica-tions now totals more than 200 MW, with the largest installation base in the Czech Republic. Deliveries have also been made to Italy, Spain, Belgium, Finland, Aus-tralia and China.
At Vetreria di Borgonovo S.p.A, a glassware factory located near the town of Piacenza in northern Italy, Va-con’s solar inverter with a total power of 1 MW is con-nected to the solar panels that are installed on the roof of the factory.
in Italy
Solar panels on the roof
of Vetreria di Borgonovo’s
glassware factory in the
north of Italy. A 1-MW Vacon
8000 Solar inverter is con-
nected to the solar panels
installed on the roof of the
factory.
The Vacon 8000 Solar is a vital part of the configura-tion between the solar panels and the grid: it converts the photovoltaic DC power into AC power, and feeds it into the grid. Vacon’s Multimaster system makes it possible to connect from one to eight inverter modules, depending on the amount of sunshine, which ensures that the glassware factory’s solar power plant operates with maximum efficiency. Marco Beltrami, Deputy Man-aging Director of Vacon’s subsidiary in Italy, is pleased with the deal. “A long-term customer had faith and trust in Vacon’s products and personnel,” he says.
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“We made our move
at the right time. The
future looks bright.”
panels depends on the amount of sun radiation, cloud, shadow, temperature and time of day, so defining the maximum power point is a continuous, automatic pro-cess.
Valuable feedback from production for R&DCareful design and planning are needed when starting to manufacture new products. Vacon’s Vaasa plant has nominated persons to work in close liaison with R&D. Practical experience in assembly work gives an understanding of how a prod-uct’s design can affect the ease and ergo-nomics of assembly work, so direct feedback helps R&D in product design.
Bright futureOlli Tevä, Marketing Director, Renewable En-ergy, says that Vacon has already established a prom-ising position in the solar energy business: the future looks bright. “We have a high-quality inverter and an innovative Multimaster system, and the experience obtained from the deliveries so far is encouraging. We also made our move at the right time since solar en-ergy is now becoming a profitable business. Our pros-pects are good!” he says.
Intense R&DVacon made the decision to enter the solar energy business during the first months of 2010, and the first Vacon 8000 Solar inverter modules were already in pro-duction in June-July of the same year.
However, the R&D team designing the Solar product range did not need to start from scratch. In the spring of 2010 Vacon acquired a small Spanish company that specialized in the design of solar energy inverters. Without the work done by these Spanish colleagues it would have taken much longer to design the product. Another major help was that most of the main compo-nents were readily available. Basically, the Vacon NX product line is being extended to a new field.
Solar application wakes up inverter at sunriseVacon’s Solar application controls how the inverter operates. To put it simply, the inverter wakes up when the sun’s radiation increases in the morning after the darkness ends, when the solar panels are again able to produce power.
For the Solar inverter, the most important task of the application is defining the point where the solar panels are able to produce maximum power at any particular moment. The maximum output power of the
d
Vacon AC drives at Vetreria di Borgonovo’s glassware factory since 1999
The history of Vetreria di Borgonovo’s glassware factory
dates back to 1950 when manual production of glass-
ware for households began in 2,000 m2 premises near
Piacenza in northern Italy. Production volumes increased
considerably in the 1990s when the manufacturing lines
were automated and the company started supplying
glassware to hotels, restaurants and catering services.
Vacon supplied its first AC drives to the factory in
1999. Today, a total of more than 400 Vacon AC drives in
the power range 0.75 kW to 250 kW are installed at the
fully automated glassware factory. The drives − main-
ly in the Vacon CX, Vacon NX, Vacon 10 and Vacon 100
HVAC ranges − are used in a wide range of applications
to control pumps, fans, process automation, conveyors,
high-precision pick-and-place machines, weighing au-
gers and packing machines, as well as in electric shaft
applications with a closed loop master slave set up.
In an interview in 2009, Luigi Laneri, Managing Di-
rector of the Vetreria di Borgonovo’s glassware factory,
was very pleased with their choice of AC drives supplier:
“Thanks to their flexibility and high performance, Vacon
AC drives can be used in many different control tasks
at our plant; everything from simple to very demanding
applications. The drives are reliable, robust and easy to
use, and we have always received excellent service. We
are also going to continue our cooperation with Vacon
in the future.”
Mr Laneri was right: in 2010, Vetreria di Borgonovo
chose a 1-MW Vacon 8000 Solar inverter for generating
electricity for the glassware factory, converting photo-
voltaic DC power into AC power and feeding it into the
grid. Vacon’s Multimaster software ensures that the
glassware factory’s solar power plant operates with
maximum efficiency.
Today, the glassware factory covers 52,000 m2 and
in detail
For more information on Vacon’s solu-
tions for the solar energy segment,
please see www.vacon.com >
Renewable energy > Solar Power
2/201114
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When MegaDrill Services Limited, based in Houston,
TX, USA, decided to design and build the most
technologically advanced drilling barge in the
world, they had many challenges ahead of them. The
decision to partner with Integrated Drive Systems
(IDS), Inc. in Houston, TX, to build the power, control
and drilling systems was an easy choice, however.
A majestic
Story by Craig Sims
Photos courtesy of MegaDrill & IDS
IDS FOUNDERS, David L. Huntington and Norman S. My-
ers, have been industry leaders and innovators in the drives and controls business since the early 1970s. IDS also needed a trustworthy and capable partner who understood their needs and could meet the require-ments for this rare opportunity. Because of previous experience of working together, Vacon was chosen as exclusive supplier of the AC drives used to power the drive system on the drilling barge called the Majestic.
With only just over 30 bottom-founded barges
braking modules and resistor grids for braking, a PLC-based rig operation control system with touch screen HMIs* and auto drill capability, and a motor control center system to control the large number of fixed speed motors.
Meeting all current environmental, safety and construction regulationsRobert P. Dunn is an industry veteran with a career of 40 years and is owner of MegaDrill. He describes the Ma-jestic, which is being assembled in Singapore, as the best of the best. It is 232 feet (70 m) long, has a beam of 70 feet (21 m), hull depth of 14 feet (4.3 m) and a posted deck of 14 feet (4.3 m). The rig is self-sufficient, with accommodation for more than 120 workers, including
a fully equipped hospital, rec-reation room, gym and heli-copter waiting room.
Because of the size of the barge, the accommodation on
board and the numerous safety systems, the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) classified the barge itself, as a rig, and its machinery. The rig meets all current environmental, safety and construction regulations laid down by ABS, SOLAS1 and ILO2 and by the International Maritime Organization on pollution prevention. The drilling mast has an impressive safe hook load: it can lift 2,000,000 lbs (1,000 short tons) of drilling pipe and
barge drill down to 30,000 feet (9,144 m). The rig is also fit-ted with a 15,000 PSI (1,000 bar) working pressure for the BOP (blowout preventer**) and control system. The safety systems include a water mist system for the en-gine compartments, a CO2 system for the electrics, and gas detection throughout the barge with smoke and thermal protection.
Much interest has been generated for the Majestic to work in West Africa, particularly in Nigeria, which is the probable destination upon completion. The rig should be commissioned during the fourth quarter of 2011 and mobilized before year-end.
in the world and the Majestic as the only new-build globally, these units have distinctive operating fea-tures. Barges do not change location very often and tend to focus on specific shallow-water areas of the world, particularly swamp areas. They also employ crews that remain on board for long periods while they are working. This unique lifestyle places certain requirements on the rig to accommodate the needs of the workers and enable them to carry out their work as effectively as possible.
Mud pumps driven by Vacon common DC bus inverter modulesThe power for the Majestic comes from three diesel
generators each rated at 2,100 kW. The entire AC drilling system has four 1,200 HP (895 kW) motors for driving two 2,200 HP (1,640 kW) mud pumps (two motors are needed for each pump). Each mud pump motor
is driven by a Vacon common DC bus (FI13-1180Amp) inverter module. The two 1,800 HP (1,343 kW) draw-works motors are each driven by a Vacon common DC bus (FI14-2250Amp) module. The top drive and rotary table, through a contactor arrangement, each use the same Vacon common DC bus (FI13-1180Amp) rated for 1,200 HP (895 kW). In addition, the system includes three large rectifiers for the DC bus supply, three gen-erator control cubicles to control the large engine-gen-
erator sets, dynamic
*HMI = Human Machine Interface ** BOP (blowout preventer) is the safety device that shears the drilling pipe
(sealing the well) in the event of a blowout of oil or gas. 1 The International Convention for the Safety of Life at
Sea (SOLAS) is an international maritime safety treaty. 2International Labour Organization
For more information on Vacon’s solutions for the marine segment, please see www.vacon.com > Industrial segments > Marine
< The drive system that will
power the Majestic shown here is
being built by IDS in their Houston,
TX based shop. AC drives (VFDs)
are now recognized as the pre-
ferred method of control for off-
shore and land rig equipment. AC
drives provide many benefits over
old technologies including better
control, faster block speeds, lower
fuel consumption, enhanced drill-
ing and tripping operations, and
lower maintenance costs.
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In a joint project with RWE Gasspeicher GmbH, Vacon has replaced a
conventional current source inverter (CSI) with voltage source inverters (VSI),
using an advanced drive concept based on Vacon’s DriveSynch technology.
The motor used in the underground gas storage incorporates many specialized
features, which made the task particularly challenging. The installation has a
large number of aging CSI drives, for which spares are becoming hard to find
or are unavailable. The technology introduced now can be used in retrofitting
the old drives, changing the electronics and retaining the existing motor.
for synchronous motor
Story by ICD Hamburg
Photos courtesy of RWE and iStockphoto.com/ssuaphoto
Drive retrofit
Forward-thinking concept
for replacing current
source inverters
A NEW DRIVE CONCEPT was needed for the drive con-trol of the special-purpose motors that are used to drive the compressors injecting gas at the Gronau-Epe storage facility of RWE Gasspeicher GmbH in Germany. The purpose of the gas storage facilities is to compen-sate for seasonal fluctuations in consumption, thus en-suring a reliable and continuous supply of natural gas. In summer, when consumption is low, the natural gas is stored underground and it is withdrawn during win-ter when consumption is higher.
RWE Gasspeicher GmbH accounts for the safe oper-ation of five gas storage facilities in total. The company operates four caverns and one high-capacity aquifer reservoir. The underground gas storages are approxi-mately 1,000 metres underground, so the gas has to be compressed at a high injection pressure of up to 240 bar. This means that the compressors used for injec-tion require substantial power.
The shaft power required by the special-purpose motor used is 3.7 megawatts, and piston compressors
are needed to achieve the required injection pressure. Because these compressors are located in a potentially explosive atmosphere (Ex-area), they must comply with regulations regarding protection against explo-sion (ATEX).
Technical requirementsThe RWE specifications required a 12-pulse current source inverter for the large motor in the underground reservoir in Epe, with an active voltage conditioner (AVC) to reduce harmonic distortion in the medium voltage grid. They also stipulated that a 12-pulse syn-chronous motor with 30 degree phase-shifted windings and a rated voltage of 990 volts was to be used. This motor would not be changed during the retrofit, which was a challenge. Replacement parts for the old spe-cial-purpose AC drive were no longer available. This meant a high risk of system failure. Since system avail-ability is a high priority, the risk of system standstill had to be minimized with a new drive concept.
2/201114
26 27
Vacon had already completed several successful joint projects with various divisions of RWE Power, so an internal survey at RWE led to a request for a quo-tation for this project from Vacon. “We achieved the objective using a configuration that was completely different from what was requested in the request for quotation,” explains Friedhelm Harf from Vacon GmbH.
Alternative, innovative concept from VaconTo meet the required cost-efficiency goals, Vacon sub-mitted an innovative, alternative concept based on its ex-tensive expertise with active front-end (AFE) AC drives. The configuration of the Vacon solution completely elim-inates the need for an active filter system because with the AFE solution, the voltage source inverter reduces harmonic distortion to less than 5% current harmonic distortion (THD-I). A medium voltage active voltage con-ditioner (AVC) is then not needed because the power fac-tor cos φ is better than 0.99. This meets the customer’s requirements without having to install additional filter and conditioner components, which would have cost around EUR 150,000 per drive. This saved a total of EUR 450,000, and also saved considerable space.
In the Vacon concept, four AC drives are connected in parallel to control the motor. This redundancy en-sures reliability and system availability, and the paral-lel configuration also allows the required power to be achieved using standard components.
DriveSynch – The innovative concept behind the ideaThe Vacon DriveSynch is an innovative concept for achieving high drive powers by connecting standard components in parallel. This has made it possible to retain old motors in retrofit projects, as long as they are still in good working order. The power electronics are
“With this successful concept, we have
made our entry into the modernization
of obsolete technology for which no
updates, service, or replacement parts
are available.”
din detail
An advancedconcept
In order to retrofit the large special-purpose
motor in the Gronau-Epe gas reservoir, Vacon
presented an advanced drive concept with
synchronous motors based on DriveSynch
technology. Close collaboration between Va-
con software designers and RWE Gasspeicher
GmbH personnel has resulted in a solution
that is both innovative and forward-thinking,
and at the same time cost-saving.
“With this successful concept, we have
made our entry into the modernization of ob-
solete technology for which no updates, ser-
vice, or replacement parts are available. Ret-
rofits will be needed for a large number of the
current source inverters that have been used
in large motors of this type. We have demon-
strated that it is possible to control motors
with even the most complex requirements.”
The fact that some old current source in-
verters still have an ‘exotic’ voltage, e.g. 990
volts, is yet another challenge; but Vacon and
its innovative concept offers a new approach.
Read more at www.vacon.com >
Products > Motor Control > Industrial
AC drives > Liquid-cooled Vacon NXP >
Vacon DriveSynch
the only components to be replaced by more modern technology. These old systems have often been discon-tinued, and it is either not economical or not possible to repair them.
By connecting standard drive components (frequen-cy inverter modules or complete converters) in parallel, the Vacon DriveSynch concept can achieve output pow-ers of up to 6 megawatts in the low-voltage range of up to AC 690 volts − in the present case up to 990 volts, through a special solution using a step-up transformer.
Fibre optics are used to synchronize the modules, and output filters to ensure load balance. Motors with normal three-phase windings and motors with multi-ple windings and phase shifted windings can be con-trolled. One or more drive modules are employed per winding and the phase shift is set via parameters.
Because the retrofit at RWE Gasspeicher GmbH in-volved controlling a synchronous motor, several chal-lenges had to be overcome. Synchronous motors either have permanent magnets in the rotor, or the motor is excited externally. The synchronous motor in the gas reservoir uses brushless external excitation because it is located in an Ex-area. After the retrofit the excitation is done by a Vacon NXP drive.
The motors each have a voltage of 990 volts, but the drives used only have a voltage of 690 volts. This is because the drives are ‘ready-made’, mass-produced products. This offers the customer the advantage that replacement parts and service personnel are always readily available.
Vacon solved the problem of the difference in volt-age by employing a step-up transformer that converts 690 volts to 990 volts. A sinusoidal filter is located up-stream of the transformer, which has the added ef-fect of reducing the reflected
voltage at the motor. This is important, since the motor is located in an Ex-area.
The DriveSynch concept made this whole solution possible, but the redundantly connected Vacon NXP drives with AFE technology have also dramatically in-creased the grid power factor: at full load cos φ is equal to 0.99; in the partial load range it is equal to 0.98. In contrast, current source inverters fall to cos φ = 0.25 in the partial load range. “This is a quantum leap com-pared to the previous solution,” says Mr Harf. “The ben-efit for us,” he continues, “is that we do not have to build one large drive, but can work with standard modules instead.”
The impossible made possibleAnother special feature of this retrofit project for RWE Gasspeicher GmbH was that the piston compressor, whose mechanical parts are subject to natural wear, is subjected to enormous loads because of the extremely high pressure and, at the same time, is required to maintain a tight seal, because the gas is highly ex-plosive. The piston rings, which provide the necessary seal, are inspected and installed by positioning the pistons in jog-mode − this is a manual operation. This had to be possible after the retrofit as well. “We have a set point of only 0.15 Hertz for the jog mode − which is usually impossible for step-up transformers. But we achieve this without any other auxiliary equipment,” stresses Mr Harf.
Vacon’s software designers have created their own software for controlling both the excitation of the syn-chronous motor and the four main drive inverters.
2/201114
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Servicing wind turbines at sea often takes
place in very demanding conditions. This
sets high requirements for the service
vessels. DBB Jack-Up Services A/S owns
a self-propelled heavy-lift barge – appro-
priately named Wind − which is capable of
replacing heavy components at a height of
up to 100 metres.
dWind factsWind is a self-propelled jack-up barge designed for ser-
vicing wind turbines at sea. Wind has been working in the
North Sea just off the Dutch coast at the Owez offshore
wind farm since June 2010. Adjusting the thruster speed is
much more energy-efficient with the Vacon AC drives and
the electric motor than with conventional propulsion with
a diesel engine.
The crane has received several technical modifications
for operating on the high seas. Instead of the diesel engine,
for instance, an electric motor operates the crane, powered
in detail
Low harmonic drives with almost sinusoidal current absorptionVacon’s scope of de-livery included four 550 kW low-harmonic Vacon NXC drives (IP54 enclosures), commission- ing and global support. Electric motors for the
thrusters were also supplied by Vacon.The Vacon solution was installed by Scanel Inter-
national A/S*** in Frederikshavn. Vacon’s solution gives benefits as regards space requirements and for maintenance. The compact air-cooled drives are a per-fect match for the ship since they require no oil and no maintenance. All the inverters are low-harmonic, active front-end units, so current absorption from the genera-tors is almost sinusoidal.
The crane is a modified version of the world’s larg-est telescopic crane, with further optimization. Instead of installing a separate drive to operate the crane, the Vacon solution uses one of the propulsion drives. This is possible because the crane is never used simultane-ously with the propulsion. The drive for the bow thruster also controls the crane.
Wind –Story by John Wind
Photos courtesy of DBB Jack-Up Services
DBB JACK-UP SERVICES A/S, based in Aarhus, Den-mark, was established in 2008 as a sister company to Dansk Bjergning og Bugsering A/S (DBB - Danish Sal-vage and Towing Company Ltd.), primarily to provide first class services and equipment to the offshore wind industry, with a focus on maintenance.
In 2010, DBB Jack-Up Services A/S contacted Lieb-herr* and asked them to mount an LTR 11200 crane on its self-propelled jack-up barge Wind. It took just one week for the crane to be installed on the barge at the Orskov shipyard in Frederikshavn, Denmark. The Wind is the first ship to have a permanently mounted telescopic crane of that size on board. DBB Jack-Up Services A/S chose Vacon low-harmonic air-cooled AC drives to control the vessel’s propulsion and the opera-tion of the crane.
Dynamic control brings energy savingsIn contrast to conventional propulsion with a diesel en-gine, the speed of the thrusters used in Wind’s propul-sion is dynamically controlled by Vacon AC drives. This brings energy savings. The thruster speed can be op-timized to the actual speed of the vessel, giving maxi-mum grip on the water. The problem with conventional diesel engine solutions is that the speed is adjusted in
*Liebherr was established in 1949. Today Liebherr is not only one of the world’s leading manufacturers of construction machinery but is also
an acknowledged supplier of technically innovative user-oriented products and services in numerous other fields. Over the years the family
business has grown into what is today a group of companies, employing a workforce of 32,091 in more than 100 companies on all continents.
**Dynamic positioning may be absolute, in that the position is locked to a fixed point over the bottom, or relative to a moving object such as
another ship or an underwater vehicle. The ship can also be positioned at a favourable angle towards the wind, waves and current, which is
called weathervaning.
*** Scanel International A/S supplies integrated complex technical solutions, systems, equipment, components, services and repairs to the
international marine and offshore industry.
a jack-up barge for servicing wind turbines at sea
by the ship’s power plant. This eliminates the need to keep ad-
ditional flammable fuel on board. The crane is also powered by
bio-hydraulic oil to further protect the environment.
DBB Jack-up Services made a special arrangement with
Liebherr* to maximize the benefit of the crane’s considerable
under-hook height (which can be as much as 190 metres using
Liebherr’s T3 adaptor and luffing jib) by using a lower centre of
gravity, as well as significantly reducing the space required to
operate the crane. A strong but stable tube element has been
used to secure the slewing ring of the crane’s superstructure
to the barge.
steps, so that it is often too low or too high, resulting in a looser grip on the water.
Per Kristensen, Marine Superintendent at DBB says: “The energy consumed by propulsion on the Wind has fallen from approximately 1,100 kW to 800 kW at nomi-nal speed. I am surprised that the energy savings have been that high compared to our previous diesel engine driven solution.”
Dynamic positioning improves manoeuvrability and safetyIn addition, the vessel has an optimized dynamic po-sitioning** capability, which enables rapid change of speed and direction. Dynamic positioning is very use-ful for example when operating close to other objects. It also saves time and improves safety in challenging working conditions at sea.
The torque of the thrusters is monitored closely by the Vacon AC drives to ensure that the thrusters are only operated within the permitted torque range. This is essential when changing the direction of the azimuth thruster unit, for example, since this cannot accept full torque if it is at an angle to the direction in which the vessel is sailing.
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Story by Dmitriy Trunev
Photos iStockphoto.com/zoom-zoom and Vacon
Yury Gagarin is a legend – the first man
in world history to journey into outer space, in 1961.
Sergey Postnikov, Managing Director of Vacon’s
subsidiary in Russia, hopes that the spirit of Yury Gagarin
lives in the heart of every employee at Vacon Russia.
ON 12 APRIL 2011 it was 50 years to the day since Yury Gagarin and the spaceship ‘Vostok’
from what was then the USSR made history: the first human flight ever into outer space.
The 50th anniversary was a big celebration globally and especially in Russia.
Vacon Russia also has reason for celebration: they are having their 10th anniversary, having successfully pro-moted Vacon products and the Vacon brand in the Russian electro-technical
market since 2001. At present Vacon Russia comprises a united team of 14 devoted profes-sionals, with headquarters in Moscow. It has another office with a logistics and sales department responsible for the north-west region located in St. Petersburg. In May 2011, Vacon Russia also opened an office in Eka-terinburg, to be responsible for the Ural, Siberian and Far East Federal Districts of Russia.
The CIS countries*, and the Republic of Kazakhstan in particular, offer new business opportunities. The AC drives market in Kazakhstan has tremendous poten-tial. It is currently estimated at about EUR 30 million, with annual growth of more than 20%. “We have several
pfpeople in focus2/201114
The spirit of
Latest projects - encouraging prospectsIn the past few years Vacon Russia has completed several
major projects in Russia. Sergey Vyakin, Sales Manager at
Vacon Russia, says: “Last year, we successfully completed a
modernization project at the thermal power station in Kras-
nodar in cooperation with GEA Grasso. All in all, we delivered
five high-voltage step-up step-down systems, each with a
power of 315 kW.”
At the beginning of 2011, in cooperation with ALT engineer-
ing company, Vacon Russia delivered the first multi-motor
drive in Russia, integrated by a DC link, to Kirishinefteorgsin-
tez, one of the largest oil refineries in Russia. In total, three
cabinets with two rectifiers and twelve inverters in each cabi-
net were delivered.
For the past three years, Vacon Russia has also been an
exclusive supplier of energy-saving equipment for SIBUR,
a leading company in the petrochemical industry in Russia
and Eastern Europe. More than 500 Vacon AC drive systems
in the power range 15 to 630 kW have been delivered during
this time.
Rosatom**, a government nuclear energy corporation in
Russia, has planned an energy-efficiency investment pro-
gramme totalling some EUR 20 million for 2011-2015. Mr
Vyakin states that Vacon Russia plans to take part in the deliv-
ery of the energy-saving equipment for this programme.
In 2010, the AC drives market in Russia was estimated at
about EUR 120 million. “To be ranked near the top of the list
of AC drive suppliers and to maintain this position, we have to
see some major breakthroughs,” says Mr Postnikov. “How-
ever, I am confident that this is within the powers of our team.
I sincerely hope that the spirit of Yury Gagarin is in the heart
of every employee at Vacon Russia: that everyone is willing to
reach for the stars, putting all their efforts and abilities into
achieving new feats in the future.”
www.ru.vacon.com
strong partners in Kazakhstan, but extensive penetra-tion of the market will require a bigger effort on our part, so we are planning to open the next regional office in Kazakhstan,” says Mr Postnikov.
Vacon ClubDuring the past few years, Vacon Russia has consid-erably expanded its partner network, which currently comprises about 30 companies (including distributors, system integrators and original equipment manufac-turers) located all over Russia and the CIS countries. In November 2010, Vacon Russia held a meeting for the partners to present the principles for the ‘Vacon Club’, an association of highly professional Vacon partners in Russia and the CIS countries. The meeting also dis-cussed the way that partner companies operate, so as to improve the quality of service for customers and end users in the local electro-technical markets.
The idea behind the ‘Vacon Club’ alliance, which was launched at the beginning of 2009, is to distribute Vacon drives to the local markets in Russia and the CIS coun-tries, and effectively exchange technical and business information about Vacon technologies with these mar-kets. The ‘Vacon Club’ is − to a certain extent − unique, since Vacon Russia is the first Vacon Group company to successfully establish an association like this for dis-tributors,” says Mr Postnikov.
Vacon Russia is making encouraging progress in Russia and the CIS countries and has plans for further expanding its operations.
lives in every Vacon Russia employee
From left to right: Anastasia Kuzyakina, Evgeny Davydov, Sergey
Vyakin, Alla Suponina, Sergei Postnikov, Pavel Tkachenko, Yury
Serenkov, Dmitriy Trunev. On the sofa from left to right: Kristina Ko-
churko, Anastasia Elchik, Arina Arefyeva.
st petersburg
moscowekaterinburg
Yury Gagarin
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32 33
Amateur radio is the licensed and private use of designat-
ed radio frequency bands, for purposes of private recreation,
non-commercial exchange of messages, experimentation,
self-training, and emergency communication. Amateur ra-
dio stations are issued with a designated call sign to allow
identification of stations. Broadcasting to or communication
with the public with amateur radio equipment is prohibited.
The ionosphere is a shell of electrons and electrically
charged atoms and molecules that surrounds the Earth,
stretching from a height of about 50 km to more than 1000
km. On shortwave frequencies, the ionosphere is the only
means of delivering radio signals (“bouncing” from the iono-
sphere down to ground) to all parts of the globe, at the speed
of light.
Some 40 kilometres east
of the City of Oulu in
Northern Finland lies the
small village of Arkala.
Visitors suddenly
come across an
unbelievable sight:
a forest of high –
extremely high – towers.
Welcome to Radio Arcala!
ob every ac motor deserves a vacon drive our business
extreme antennas
Rotating
Story by Jari Perkiömäki (OH6BG)
Photos Jari Perkiömäki and courtesy of Radio Arcala
Please visit www.radioarcala.com for additional information.
Mr Kontas
at Radio
Arcala.
RADIO ARCALA STARTED as a hobby and technological research project for the owners, Veijo Kontas (OH6KN) and Juha Hulkko (OH8NC). The two men are keen ama-teur radio enthusiasts and technology advocates who like things extreme. Today, their project has reached global dimensions, and Vacon rotates their biggest an-tenna.
Currently, there are seven extremely high towers ranging from 42 metres (125 ft) to 105 metres (350 ft) at Radio Arcala. But the real pride is the newest mem-ber of the antenna farm, a 100-metre high tower that weighs approximately 40,000 kg (80,000 lbs). This is the
with a softstarter. Since he has a technical background, Mr Kontas installed and commissioned the Vacon AC drive himself. He set the maximum output frequency of the drive to 25 Hz, which means that it takes about 5 minutes to turn the 40 tonne tower a full 360 degrees.
Another extremely important factor is proper earth-ing of the tower and the devices running, for two rea-sons. Firstly, in combination with effective LC filters it minimizes the noise generated by the AC drive at low frequencies around 1.8 MHz. Secondly, when thunder-storms occur - and that is unavoidable in the summer - the lightning strikes the 100-metre tower more often than not. However, the Vacon AC drive has survived these attacks during its two years of operation without a scratch. And there have been no interruptions to its operations at all.
Mr Kontas and Mr Hulkko erected their first radio tower at Arkala in 2003. In 2007, Radio Arcala obtained new members and became a Finnish high-tech consor-tium with a 100% focus on amateur radio contesting. Activities include coaching young talents and enthu-siasts, advancing different aspects of amateur radio technology such as remote operation of radio stations from different parts of the world via the Internet, study-ing radio-signal propagation on shortwave frequencies via the ionosphere, and optimizing the take-off angle performance of the antennas, using simulations and real-life observations.
2/201114
largest rotating tower of its kind in the world, hosting a 3-element di-
rectional antenna for 1.8 MHz, a 5-element directional antenna for 3.5 MHz and a stacked
4-element directional antenna for 7 MHz. The tower is rotated by an 11-kW AC motor equipped with an 18 kilo-watt high-performance Vacon NXP AC drive.
“Choosing the Vacon NXP AC drive for the task was easy, and I did not even consider other brands or al-ternatives. There were two reasons; firstly, I had previ-ous experience of a smaller Vacon AC drive running my electrical winch system, and secondly – the unrivalled performance of the Vacon NXP,” says Mr Kontas.
Initially, Mr Kontas considered using a softstarter instead of an AC drive, but this had drawbacks. A rotat-ing tower of this magnitude requires soft acceleration at start, soft deceleration at stop and smooth control of the speed while running, and it is difficult to achieve this
34 35
a magazine for VACON stakeholders 2/201114
www.vacon.com
Driven by Drives.
Vacon is driven by a passion to design, manufacture and sell only the best AC drives on the planet -
and nothing else. AC drives can be used to control electric motors or to help generate power
from renewable sources. Vacon has R&D and production units in Finland, the United States, China and
Italy, and sales offices in 27 countries. In 2010, Vacon had revenues of EUR 338 million and
globally employed 1,300 people. Vacon’s shares (VAC1V) are listed and publicly traded
on the Helsinki Stock Exchange.
