Schneider Electric has released a new range of variable speed drives for process applications.
Schneider Electric’s Altivar Process is the first variable speed drive on the market with embedded intelligent services for industrial applications across water, oil and gas, mining, metals and minerals, and food and beverage industries, enabling business and process optimisation through improved lifecycle asset management and optimised energy consumption.
Vice President of Schneider Electric’s Industry Business Australia, Philippe Rambach explains that services-oriented drives go beyond the average drive functions to control the motor and the application, and are capable of delivering services to customers that boost their entire business. Built into their architecture, the services-oriented drive optimises business performance, overall equipment efficiency, and total cost of ownership.
He adds that the Altivar Process is a good example of the impact that the Internet of Things has on the industrial world.
Optimised business performance
Altivar Process ensures that applications are performing at optimum efficiency at all times through advanced system and equipment condition monitoring. Altivar Process delivers an additional eight per cent cost reduction over conventional drives thanks to its ability to instantly detect efficiency drifts and monitor motor power accurately, enabling the automation system to immediately make adjustments, and minimise any negative impact on the performance. Altivar Process also reduces downtime by another 20 per cent due to predictive, condition-based maintenance and an innovative user interface with easy-to-understand graphs.
Process visibility and real-time intelligence
Altivar Process provides process visibility and transparent access to enriched data by fully integrating both architecture and business systems at both the factory and asset levels. Embedded Ethernet and advanced web servers provide consistent, secure and seamless access to this information with the embedded web server also allowing users to select specific information to view and store. Altivar Process also facilitates continuous and automatic monitoring of key performance indicators and alarms, alerting operators to any performance anomaly and enabling them to take preventive action to maintain optimum process efficiency and profitability.
Unique design reduces maintenance
Altivar Process drives are compact, modular and flexible, designed to fit any application and simple to install and integrate in new installations, retrofits or upgrades. Designed for critical applications, the drive is uniquely engineered and integrates process, grid and installation into a complete solution that reduces maintenance requirements and total cost of ownership. The compact, modular and low weight design of the drives also simplifies spare parts inventory and reduces repair time.
Schneider Electric also enables easy access to technical documentation, support and diagnostic information for operators on their mobile devices, further simplifying maintenance, enhancing troubleshooting, and reducing downtime. Dynamic Quick Response (QR) codes are generated for error messages to enable instant access to comprehensive support information and efficiently solve issues right on site, while QR codes printed directly on the drives provide instant access to customer care centres and online troubleshooting support.
Green drive from beginning to end of life
The green credentials of the Altivar Process drives continue even after its useful life, since 70 per cent of its component parts can be recycled. Altivar process drives carry the Green Premium label, Schneider Electric’s unique eco-brand signifying products that meet the European RoHS directive and REACH regulations.