Siemens' integrated drive systems smoothly integrate automation and control.
How can companies make their pumping, cooling and compressor equipment more reliable, reduce their energy use and carbon footprint, and ultimately, make plant operating systems the very best they can be? Many companies operating in general and process engineering are able to answer some of the challenges, but few can answer them all, with mechanical and electrical drive components available for every kind of drives application, every performance level and rating, and for serial machines as well as single plants.
Being able to provide an effective answer to all of the above engineering challenges means being a ‘one-stop-shop’, with perfectly-interacting components throughout an integrated drive portfolio, smoothly integrated into automation and control, with software and services for all stages of the lifecycle. Understanding exactly what this means requires some explanation, although it is best to think of it as ‘the drive train and beyond’.
Three types of IDS
Integrated drive systems (IDS) can be broken down into three key areas which are horizontal integration, vertical integration and lifecycle integration.
Horizontal integration
In horizontal integration, drive components like the motor, gear unit, coupling and converter are properly integrated all the way along the power flow, in a mechanically, functionally and energy efficient way. This means they will always operate better than a non-integrated system, where there is a risk of components not being compatible at some stage in the process. This applies to all pump, fan or compressor operations, wherever they are situated.
Horizontal integration explained.
Vertical integration
In vertical integration, the drive train and controller are integrated along the information flow, through to the manufacturing execution system (MES) IT, using Siemens' Total Integrated Automation concept (TIA). Through this system the entire drive train is seamlessly integrated into the automation environment, bringing maximum communication and operator control for effective safety as well as the best performance. This enables the customer to make informed choices as much more information is to hand about what the components are doing, how they are performing, and how they could perform better and more economically.
Lifecycle integration
In lifecycle integration, the factor of time is added in, with the drive system being supplemented by software and services that support the entire lifecycle; in particular the design and operation elements. So, it is possible to get the most from equipment throughout its operational life; or, a shorter time to market, maximum productivity in operation, and a shorter time to profit. This contrasts with a huge amount of industrial equipment that is running inefficiently, wasting energy and assets and often risking breakdowns with significant knock-on effects. Those pumps on that faraway application or fans in that cooling tower may look insignificant, but when they stop, so does everything else. With the right set-up, they could be alerting the user when they have a potential problem, long before the risk of a major, unscheduled shut-down, enabling forward plan servicing and, where necessary, replacement.
Vertical and lifecycle integration explained.
If the system is optimized through horizontal integration, users want to ensure the asset operates with the same level of efficiency and availability. This starts with the reduction in engineering effort up-front, so that the user is ‘configuring’ rather than ‘programming’, and this continues with data management, so the user is able to open protocols to communicate and incorporate safety into the system rather than it just being an add-on. In summary, there will be integrated engineering and safety, along with industrial data management, communications and security.
Safety first
Smart safety is a core function within IDS, using fewer components and less wiring, providing easy interfacing with safety controllers. Safety is now a vitally important part of any process whether the user is pumping, ventilating, compressing or processing.
Fixed and variable speed drives
Integration covers all components of the drive train, from gear units to couplings and motors to control systems. For fixed speed drives, using cost-optimized combinations of motor starter and IE3 motors with future-proof EN 50598 conformance brings low energy costs and high energy efficiency. These units will easily integrate via Profibus/Profinet into automation, with quick and safe engineering and integrated safety through Profisafe protocol. As these units already support Profienergy protocol, they are ready for energy management.
Pumps, fans and compressors
Investment costs can be reduced by up to 15% by avoiding over-dimensioning in motors and converters. With optimized pulse patterns, energy efficiency can be increased and losses reduced by at least 10%. Noise can also be reduced by more than 4dB, so noise protection measures can be cut. Drive train component optimization means service intervals can be longer, and by using condition monitoring, unscheduled downtimes are reduced by up to 15% – vibration monitoring with SIPLUS CMS provides the most reliable method for early detection of mechanical damage.Fast and simple engineering cuts engineering time by around 30%.
With the widest industrial gearbox range worldwide, the largest geared motor and coupling range in the world, worldwide local service back-up, innovative R&D and engineering know-how, the customer's risk is considerably reduced. Whether a user is involved in pumping, ventilating, compressing or processing, better integration of this type will significantly benefit their business.
