VTS Heaters and curtains - with EC motors
eshop.vtsgroup.com
Growing demand for energy arising from economic growth imposes a necessity to reduce costs of its consumption. Motors, applied in a different kind of devices, account for a considerable share in energy consumption. Therefore, their producers aim at using drives with reduced power consumption. VTS company - specializing in selling heaters and curtains - has also prepared its offer of devices with energy-saving EC motors.
EC motor is an electronically commutated brushless direct current motor. It is composed inter alia of a rotor with permanent magnets and stator with windings. Non-application of a commutator and brushes - elements used in traditional motors which wear away very quickly - made it possible to considerably extend electronically commutated motors life-time.
The main advantage of EC drives over traditional AC ones is their efficiency at wide range of regulation as well as its superb live-time at practically zero maintenance costs. EC motor as an electric machine is silent even with considerable revolutions, which has a favourable influence on acoustics of devices in which these motors are installed - Volcano EC and WING EC.
Volcano heaters and Wing air curtains
EC motors are crucial elements with which modernized Volcano heaters and Wing air curtains by VTS have been equipped. Installation of this type of drives in devices brings specific benefits for customers: reduction of exploitation costs and maintenance costs, silent work and extended exploitation period. Another advantage is simple connection with controllers. The motor connected to mains only requires to provide the 0-10 V signal DC to be able to adjust its revolutions.
Fig. Air curtain VTS WING W150 EC
Silent work of devices with EC motors
The fan, i.e. the motor in combination with optimized, in aerodynamic terms, shape of the impeller blades, decides about effective air blow. Its precise fitting with casing of Volcano heaters and even air flow inside the device are the guarantee of maximum efficiency with the lowest level of acoustic power radiated to the environment.
With regard to air curtains, device work acoustics is also a key element, because devices of this type work e.g. in representative entry zones of buildings (theatres, restaurants etc.). WING curtain equipped with EC motors reduces the level of emitted sound and it is additionally reduced by precise adaptation of capacity and range to structure’s needs thanks to the use of WING EC controller.
Comparison of device operational costs
The following table presents comparison of costs of an investment consisting in buying 8 heaters VR2 in version EC or AC, heating a building with cubic capacity of 6600 m3. The calculations do not include water heating costs and costs of its supply assuming that in both variants analysed they would be equal.
Assumptions regarding the building and ambient conditions:
- Room dimensions: 55 x 30 x 4 m,
- Thermal insulation of the building: poor,
- Design outdoor temperature: -20oC,
- Expected indoor temperature: 15oC,
- Demand for heating capacity: 150 kW,
- Heating medium temperature: 60/40oC,
- Electric energy price: 0.61 PLN/kWh
Heaters work parameters:
- Fan speed setting: 2
- Number of heaters working hours within a year: 1792 h
- Number of years of heaters work taken for the calculations: 5
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Comparison of purchase and exploitation costs of Volcano heaters in version AC and EC |
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Device |
VR 2 AC |
VR 2 EC |
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Gear II |
Gear II |
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Exhaust flow rate: |
3600 m3/h |
3600 m3/h |
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Motor electric power |
0,243 kW |
0,089 kW |
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Cost of buying 8 Volcano VR 2 devices together with controls and fittings (net) |
PLN 14 048 |
PLN 16 921 |
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Annual energy consumption cost (8 x VR2) |
PLN 2 125 |
PLN 778 |
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Cost of electric energy consumed within 5 years (8 x VR2) |
PLN 10 625 |
PLN 3 890 |
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Total cost after 5 years of using |
PLN 24 673 |
PLN 20 811 |
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Savings within 5 years |
- 3862 PLN (16%) |
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The compilation shows that the cost of buying the heaters with EC motors will pay off after approx. 2 years, and 5-year exploitation will allow achieving savings of nearly PLN 3900.
Due to the fact that performance of EC and AC motors has the largest difference at work in the lowest fan revolutions settings (see figure below), comparison of costs in such a case would show a possibility of achieving even greater benefits. Taking account of the fact that the heaters, as a rule, work in lower gears, savings arising from application of EC motors are obvious.
Fig. Comparison of EC and AC motor performance values.
Legislation changes and further trends in technology
The European Union and Poland as the Member State undertake to reduce emission of CO2 by at least 20% by 2020. To achieve the pre-set objective, it is necessary to introduce increasingly restrictive standards and with reference to HVAC sector, to use more and more efficient electric devices, i.e. motors or fans.
According to one of the EU regulations on this matter (Regulation WE640/2009), the European Union imposes, at intervals, minimum efficiency thresholds and classes of motors used, at the same time decreasing the quantity of wasted energy. Last change in this issue was introduced in 2017. There are also many other standards and regulations aimed at forcing producers to diminish the quantity of wasted energy gradually and manage already generated energy better.
In line with these trends, it becomes natural to apply energy-saving solutions (such as EC motors) and manage energy more efficiently. This, in turn, necessitates investments in renewable sources of energy and devices using such sources as e.g. VOLCANO VR3 heater and heat pumps.
