Project: SUstainable PERmanent Magnet Ventilation System
In this project, Vostermans Ventilation and its Ps Contronics Engineering and Braun intend to develop a ventilation system which is based on Permanent Magnet (PM) technology and intelligent motor controller. The system will be applied in livestock and greenhouses and will be highly efficient on energy consumption saving up to 40% on electric energy in comparison with current ventilation systems. The project consortium values energy efficiency as an important asset of their products, enabling low cost of ownership for their customers and save scarce resources, as forecasts of world power demand predict a substantial increase over the next 25 years._x000D__x000D_In addition to an increasing demand for electricity, the strong growing world population will cause a food shortage during the coming decades. The United Nations foresee a population of 9.2 billion people in 2050. This is an astonishing increase of 35% in 40 years. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) states that the food production needs to increase with 70% to ensure all people can be fed on a regular basis. To accommodate this increase in food production, one of the solutions lay in intensifying livestock and greenhouses. From a sustainable perspective, this growth can only be achieved by animal friendly eco systems, minimized air pollution and energy effective greenhouses._x000D__x000D_This is where ventilation plays an important role. A proper ventilation system can improve the condition in the stable (temperature and condition of the air) significantly. As such, given current developments more fans will be required to facilitate the intensification of livestock and greenhouses. As usage of these ventilation systems grow, so does the need for more energy efficient ventilation systems as these systems become more and more critical to enable an ecological growth of our food supply for the next decades._x000D__x000D_In the context of energy savings products like ventilation systems have to adhere to increasingly stricter EU regulations. Regulations are being introduced under the Energy Related Products Directive in order to assist Kyoto Protocol obligations to safeguard the environment by increasing the total share of renewable energy in the EU to 20% by 2020, whilst increasing energy efficiency by 20%. Where fans will not comply with the future efficiency guidelines, they will not be permitted on the European markets. Through experience in the development and implementation of new technologies, the consortium is highly confident and motivated to meet the energy efficiency goals despite the technical challenges this project possesses._x000D__x000D_The current PM motors are based upon brushless direct motor (BLDC) technology. The CO disadvantages of using BLDC motors are that they need high current, very large controllers, extended wire systems, experience energy losses and exhibit low reliability. Other problems that characterize the current PM motors are more vibrations due to variations in torque and a large motor diameter, which has a negative influence over the total fan efficiency. The current PM motor fans are also vulnerable for corrosion and therefore not suitable for agricultural use._x000D__x000D_The CO difference between current PM technology and the technology as proposed by this project is that the design is based on the physical architecture of a non synchronous motor. This allows the combination of the energy efficiency advantages of PM technology with the reliability and small motor dimensions of the non synchronous motor architecture as used by Vostermans._x000D__x000D_In order to outperform the legislative directives, fan motors need to have the highest efficiencies, even at low rotational speeds and in the partial load range. The PM motors must have the same dimensions as today's IE2 standard motors, to make them directly interchangeable. To reach the highest possible efficiency, there’s a need for a specific PM intelligent motor controller that perfectly matches with the Vostermans PM motor. Together with P Contronics, a special PM intelligent motor controller will be developed, based upon the existing Frequency Control (FC) platform. This controller will be designed around the innovative Integrated Circuit (IC) developed by Texas Instruments Inc. Benefits are:_x000D_• Automatic calibration of drive and fan to maximize the energy savings (Target energy savings of 40%);_x000D_• Patented software algorithm with real-time motor current measurements;_x000D_• Fan speed can be adapted precisely to the needs of the user; _x000D_• Intelligent electronics for numerous control functions;_x000D_• Hardware and software from a single source;_x000D_• Reduction of product types by improved controllability;_x000D_• High resistance to the aggressive environments (e.g. stables);_x000D_• Can be used worldwide (due to wide voltage input).
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Acronym
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SUPERFAN
(Reference Number: 7887)
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Duration
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01/01/2013 - 31/12/2015
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Project Topic
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Vostermans and its Ps Contronics and Braun intend to develop a ventilation system which is based on Permanent Magnet technology. The system will be applied in livestock and greenhouses and will be highly efficient on energy consumption saving up to 40% on electric energy.
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Network
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Eurostars
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Call
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Eurostars Cut-Off 9
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Project partner
