Electricity + Control March 2017

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Drives for auto-retrieval area at major pharmaceutical distributor
Pharmaceutical distributor and logistics service provider DSV
Healthcare of Meadowview, Johannesburg is a showcase of
SEW-EURODRIVE products, with a large quantity of drives in the
automatic retrieval area alone.
The four-year-old Meadowview facility is the result of extensive
growth at DSV Healthcare, which distributes products to pharma-
cies and hospitals throughout South Africa, as well as exporting to
the rest of the continent. Maintenance Manager Peet van der Linde
adds that the plan is to add the MOVITRAC LTP-B Eco HVAC drive
units to its extensive spares inventory, as the company cannot af-
ford any downtime on any of its systems.
It is also planned to standardise on SEW-EURODRIVE products at
the pharmaceutical distributor in the future, as its automated pick-
and-place and sorting system, including cranes and conveyor belts,
already uses gearmotors and drives from the German OEM. “In
the automatic retrieval area alone, which has 16 levels and is 28 m
high, we have a large quantity of drives from SEW-EURODRIVE.
“The main benefit of standardising on SEW-EURODRIVE prod-
ucts, apart from the quality and cost-effectiveness, is the aftermarket
service and support that is offered,” van der Linde adds. In addition,
the HVAC drives are extremely user-friendly in terms of installation
and start-up, with a text-based screen guiding the user through
the parameters.
The new HVAC drives are an integral part of DSV Healthcare’s
facility-wide Building Management System from Johnson Controls.
The Medicines Control Council, which regulates the Medicines and
Related Substances Act for the manufacture, distribution, sale, and
marketing of medicines, requires the facility to maintain a constant
humidity of 60% and a temperature of 22°C.
“If the humidity and temperature level of our facility goes out of
range, it becomes a reportable deviation after 24 hours.This means
we end up with critical stock that cannot be distributed.Therefore
it is vital that the internal environment be maintained within the
prescribed parameters,” van der Linde comments.
DSV Healthcare decided to opt for the MOVITRAC LTP-B Eco HVAC
drive units from SEW-EURODRIVE following lightning damage of
existing competitor units. Despite heavy storm conditions following
the successful installation, the drive units have performed flaw-
lessly, comments Mechatronic Sales Engineer Hendri Oosthuizen.
“These units were supplied to run the centrifugal evaporator
fans for the client’s building air-conditioners.They offer exceptional
reliability and longevity due to the fact that they are supplied with
built-in line filters.” Oosthuizen notes that the design specifications
were three-phase 400V supply, 15 kWHVAC drives, while the instal-
lation requirements were IP55, analogue setpoint control, and relay
feedback for running and alarm status.
The main advantage of the new HVAC drive is that it is designed
for maximummotor-control efficiency. Efficiency is improved by up
to 4% compared to standard AC drives, while also reducing supply
current total harmonics distortion (iTHD), improving the Real Power
Factor, and reducing total input current, leading to installation cost-
savings through reduced cable and fuse ratings and smaller supply
transformer rating.The drives are also manufactured in accordance
with RoHS, a European Union product directive applying to electron-
ics manufactured within the EU, or imported from other countries.
Additional features include intelligent standby. This parameter
defines the time period whereby if the drive operates at minimum
speed for greater than the set time period, the LTP-B HVAC output
will be disabled, and the display will show ‘standby’.This parameter
can be customised according to the customer requirements.Another
feature is the energy-saving function.
When enabled, the inverter automatically reduces the applied
motor voltage at light loads.This inverter is also EN 61000-3-12 com-
pliant, and has a wall-mounting design, an OLED multi-language
plain text display, and interfaces for BACnet IP, EtherCat, DeviceNet,
Profibus DPV1, ModbusTCP, and ProfiNet.
The drive also has a programmable service-interval parameter
for routine drive or systemmaintenance alerts, with the diagnostics
menu including a handy read-only ‘time to service’ parameter.The
OLED display flashes an indicator whenever a service is due.
Meanwhile, the drive outputs are configurable for ‘service due’
indication, followed by a simple service ‘reset’ procedure. The
Variable Speed Drive (VSD) service procedure is as recommended
by SEW-EURODRIVE, with published checks for increased product
life. Other features include fire mode, fan-belt break detection, a
PID sleep/standby function, and a bypass control.
While a qualified electrician is required in terms of the wiring,
SEW-EURODRIVE is always willing and able to assist clients with
start-up if required. Oosthuizen adds that the
inverters on the new HVAC drives boast an array
of ‘smart’ features to assist with maintenance and
service intervals for pumps and fans.
Enquiries: Jana Klut. Email
ROUND UP DRIVES, MOTORS + SWITCHGEAR
Electricity+Control March ‘17 36