High load efficiency
In the high-load efficiency, synchronous motor drives can improve the very high load efficiency of equipment in the compressor system. Particularly in industrial settings, such long-term stability of a system is directly related to energy consumption. Synchronous motors achieve better speed accuracy and load adaptability power consumption and thereby avoid overloading than traditional asynchronous motors. Approximately 15% increases the energy efficiency of the whole system by using synchronous motors, majorly related to optimization at low and high load conditions according to IEEE Journal of Industrial Applications data in 2023.
For instance, the load capacity is highly improved with the application of synchronous motors when a petrochemical plant retrofits a compressor system. The power factor would improve from 0.87 to 0.95 at maximum load conditions, and the power loss would decrease about 12%. This optimization directly reduced the total operating costs and saw 22% ROI increase within six months due to reduced power consumption.
Indeed, the high load efficiency of synchronous motors will be observed both in improving the performance of a single piece of equipment and in the overall functioning of the system. An example would be an airline, which had replaced asynchronous motors with synchronous ones in an air compressors system. The results indicated that the failure rate of the system reduces by 25% under maximum load and that the average time between repairs extends from three months to six months.
From the rated technical parameters, synchronous motors are at least rated from 50kW to 500kW, and the efficiency fluctuation is generally low, ±0.5%. Besides, according to ISO 9001:2015 Article 7.1.3, the equipment needs to have a potential energy conversion capability in order to ensure that the varying load conditions can sustain optimized operating parameters.
Hence, under actual site applications where the load varies gradually, an old style asynchronous motor tends to lose efficiency on load variation and ends up increasing the energy consumption. Synchronous motor prevents the efficiency drop in the traditional motor by accurate current and magnetic field synchronous adjustment, giving it a better load adaptability than that of a motor without synchronous operation.
Precise speed control
Especially in circumstances where speed and pressure have to be rigorously managed, exact speed control is a significant benefit of synchronous motors in compressor systems. After the use of synchronous motors, the compressor’s speed accuracy is said to improve by tenfold and its stability considerably raised by a research published in the Journal of Mechanical Engineering in 2022. More precisely, the practical use of a fertilizer plant saw the system velocity control error lowered from the initial ±5% to ±0. 2%, and this accuracy improvement directly resulted in a 10% rise in output efficiency.
The synchronous engine can very exactly manage the speed via the digital adjustment system, thereby keeping the equipment working effectively under adverse circumstances. Via the high-precision control system, the engine can real-time control speed and load to provide more sophisticated management. Real-time speed control in the automotive manufacturer’s compressor system lets the machinery react to variations in several environmental conditions and sustain effective output. The application of synchronous motor reduces the failure rate by 35% and adds more than 50% to the life expectancy of the equipment.
The synchronous motor technically uses sophisticated frequency conversion drive technology to fine tune the current frequency via the feedback mechanism to reach the optimal operational condition. For precise speed control with compressor systems, not only does it lower energy use, but it also prevents excessive wear and cuts down on maintenance costs. The average operating time of the equipment has been lengthened by 30 percent after close control, the company Tells from internal recordsfrom 3 years initially to 4. 5 years.
ISO 9001:2015 Article 8. 3 states that the equipment should have an effective control system to minimize unneeded variances. The synchronous motor’s control system satisfies this need since it may be precisely tuned in real time throughout the equipment operation and can forecast and fix potential errors by advanced algorithms.
The inaccuracy of the speed control in conventional compressor systems lead to excess energy use and mechanical wear. Synchronously motor has been effectively solving this problem thanks to its outstanding speed adjustment capability. Using a mining firm as an illustration, after the company substituted the normal motor for a synchronous motor, the system’s speed variation during heavy load operation dropped by 88%, therefore significantly lowering the chances of gear failure.
Synchronous motors enable the compressor system to attain exact speed control as well as maximize load response. A major chemical company increased the compressor motor, significantly improved the speed accuracy and load response time, boosted productivity by 33%, and saved approximately 20% of energy use in 2019.
Power factor compensation
Synchronous motors have a strong function in the power factor compensation of compressor systems, especially industrial applications with heavy load swings, by which businesses can minimize power consumption and reduce power costs. The traditional asynchronous motor possesses a poor power factor under light loading and therefore contributes to a rise in grid power consumption, while the synchronous motor can control its power factor precisely via its internal excitation control system and therefore avoid such trouble. In the wake of studies in 2022 by the journal of Electrical Engineering Technology, it has been boosted by around 12% due to the application of synchronous motors, which reduce the grid load directly and electricity expenses.
In a metallurgical plant, for example, the compressor system, which originally relied on asynchronous motors, raised its power factor from 0.8 to 0.95 by introducing synchronous motors, and the overall power loss was reduced by 14%. According to the operating data of the plant, the system’s annual electricity cost has been saved by about 300,000 yuan, and the annualized ROI has been 23%. This adjustment also reduces the equipment overload and improves the system’s overall stability.
The dynamic adjustment capability of the synchronous motor is also indicated through its power factor compensation ability, which can maintain the power system in a stable condition against gigantic load fluctuation. Especially in the major fluctuations of loads, the power factor drops with the conventional motor, and the synchronous motor keeps the power factor of the motor within the best range at all times by real-time compensation of the excitation current. According to ISO 9001:2015 Article 7.1.3, power system stability is one of the important indicators to determine the quality of the system, and the use of synchronous motors can effectively improve the adaptability and operation efficiency of the power system.
Technically, the excitation control system of the synchronous motor can adjust the excitation current of the motor at a very high speed if the power factor variation is monitored in real time, so that the power factor is maintained at more than 0.9, and the response time of such an adjustment is usually below 1 second. By the actual test, the power system of a petrochemical enterprise not only improves the efficiency of electric energy consumption, but also reduces the loss caused by load fluctuations by regulating the power factor in real time. Its rate of power failure has decreased by 22% during the past three months.
Low maintenance costs
Synchronous motor is one of the best drive solutions in a compressor system due to its low maintenance cost benefit. Due their complicated design and frequent maintenance demands, classic asynchronous motors usually result in high running costs. On the other hand, simplified design and increased reliability of synchronous motors lower the frequency of failures and maintenance requirements. After using synchronous motors, an average annual failure rate of equipment was 27% lower and maintenance costs were 18% lower according to a 2021 article in the journal Electrical and Mechanical Engineering.
In a process started by a major cold chain logistics firm, the asynchronous motor initially used led to a high rate of equipment failures and maintenance under regular starts and stops. Replacing the traditional motor with a synchronous motor cut first-year maintenance costs by roughly 320,000 yuan and lowered the equipment failure rate from 12% to 3%. Furthermore, the average mean time between failures of the system has been raised from 200 hours to 550 hours, thereby demonstrating the synchronos motor’s robustness under long-term high load operation.
Their advanced control system, which monitors the operating status of the motor in real time, self-diagnoses itself, and digitally alerts possible points of failure, also contributes to their low maintenance costs. The ISO 9001:2015 Article 8. 5 dictates that the equipment must have effective self-diagnostic and fault warning capabilities; the adoption of this standard significantly raises the reliability of synchronous motors in everyday use.
Following the adoption of synchronous motor by the motor system, the fault detection system in a chemical plant application informs the maintenance staff ahead of time of possible fault points, therefore preventing extensive shutdowns and repairs. With 40% less time needed to fix equipment issues plus significantly lighter load on system maintenance staff, the data indicates much better job output and efficiency. For systems running non-stop, lower downtime not only lowers maintenance costs but also raises general output.
Compressor systems using synchronous motors typically have more advanced velocity and current monitoring systems in terms of technical specifications, which enable real-time data collection and communication with the central control system. One can use this information to run predictive maintenance according to the real operating condition of the equipment and improve maintenance schedules. An enterprise’s equipment failure rate has been cut from 6 per quarter to 3 times after three months of data comparison, and response time of maintenance staff has been reduced by 30 percent, therefore greatly lowering total operating costs.
Stable load fluctuation
Load fluctuation is a common feature of compressor systems, especially in industry, and can be coupled with sudden and severe changes in load during production to effectively destroy both equipment efficiency and overload in the system. Such load fluctuations showcase synchronous motors and most of their specific advantages. In terms of rapid load fluctuations, synchronous motors, unlike the former types of asynchronous motors, can provide a more stable power output and be crucial for the continued stable operation of the system itself. In 2023, the journal Power Systems Research noted that implementation of synchronous motors reduced load fluctuation-caused power losses by 18% while increasing system efficiencies by 15%.
Use of synchronous motor in the compressor system of the steel-making plant increased the power factor of the system by 0.1 and greatly reduced load fluctuation overload phenomena, leading to a significant reduction in power waste. Statistics show that plant savings in electricity bills add up to nearly 500,000 yuan every year, while failure rates have been reduced by 26%. This change increased the company’s annualized ROI to 21 percent from 16 percent.
Load fluctuation stability attributed to synchronous motor is also displayed in its high-precision control system. The inverter of the motor dynamically adjusts current and speed according to load demand such that the system remains always in its best working condition. For example, the compressor system of a large chemical enterprise originally suffers severe loss due to overload caused by load fluctuations. However, after the synchronous motor installation, the load fluctuation rate of the system drops from 10 to 3 percent and remains, therefore, under long-term and stable operating conditions. As per the requirements of ISO 9001:2015 Article 7.1.3 the power systems should have the reliability and adaptability for their functioning. Synchronous motors are, no doubt, the best option to ensure compliance with this requirement.
Technically, thus after use of synchronous motor, the current fluctuation is now in the range below ±2%, which is much lower than the fluctuation range of ±5% of traditional motors. This much higher control precision enhances reductions in damage to the system caused by overload or voltage fluctuations. Equipment monitoring system by real-time feedback load changes, so that the motor can react in a few seconds, and adjust accordingly, to ensure load stability and power utilization efficiency.
Long-term operation energy saving
The long-term operation in energy-saving effect synchronous motors makes them a good choice for compressor systems. These motors are superior in efficiency during an extended duration filled with high load work conditions, which greatly reduces energy consumption. As per a research published in 2022 in Mechanical Engineering Technology, a system using synchronous motor consumes energy 18% lesser than what is consumed by conventional motors, but power consumption gets reduced by approximately 13%. In a nutshell, this energy saving really has impact where it is most pronounced in the industry, especially in compressor system applications where stable operation is needed for a long period of time.
Taking a large petroleum refining plant as an instance, the original compressor system at site was a traditional asynchronous motor. It proved to run with low energy efficiency, and continually breaks down. The equivalent synchronous replaced that motor with, added 15% energy efficiency in that equipment and an annual electricity saving of over 2 million KWH. Because of such renovation, the industry recovered the initial installment cost within two years and approximately 500,000 will be saved in electricity expenditures. Such data further shows that the frequency of equipment maintenance has reduced maintenance costs by 24%.
The energy-saving advantages of synchronous motors are also manifested in accurate load regulation capability. In a compressor system, the load fluctuating creates a situation where a common motor becomes incapable of performing well at low load. Synchronous motors convert excitation current to bring optimum load state and keep high efficiency states also at low load conditions. Under a six months post-instrumentation study to evaluate performance, there was an 18% total increase in energy savings as a result of the use of synchronous motors at the fertilizer plant compressor system, and the aggregator efficiency on the entire motor was maintained more than 94% and beyond the average (about 86%) of all industries.
From the technical side, synchronous machines are above 90% efficient in their power conversion. This is far superior to traditional motors, which convert power at around 80%. The heart of high efficiency, in fact, is that the excitation current in the motor dynamically adjusts to load demands, hence avoiding the energy loss associated with the continuous load switching of traditional motors. Given the requirements set forth under ISO 9001:2015 Article 8.5, energy efficiency parameters under equipment to be considered should conform to international standards; and thus, the application of synchronous motors also improves overall energy efficiency of the obtained equipment but, most importantly, ensures the stability of the system under reliable long-term operation.
