Many cement plants today are required to produce higher quantities of materials than in the past. Consequently, the power requirements of the primary equipment has risen. Cement Plant VFDs, especially medium voltage VFDs, have grown in popularity.
The medium voltage VFDs found in Cement plants can have input voltages anywhere from 4160 to 13.8 KV. Standard medium voltage VFDs in the United States are normally 4160 volts, but in almost all cases, 13.8 KV is easily done, albeit with longer lead times. (IF you require service or an equipment quote on a cement plant VFD.. click any of the contact methods on the right now for immediate assistance)
Cement plant medium voltage VFDs are generally employed to save energy, and improve process parameters. You often find the medium voltage vfds on kilns, conveyors, other material handling equipment, roller mills, pumps and compressors.
In some instances, the cement plant medium voltage vfd comes as part of the original equipment, but installing the VFDs on existing motors is also common. In these cases, one issue that comes up is where to put the medium voltage VFD.
VFDs do come in outdoor enclosures, and in some cases that’s the best option. However, that’s usually an expensive proposition, which worsens as the drive gets larger. Another solution is to put the drive in an “E-House” (clink the link for an article about that) which looks like a small mobile home, designed to house not only the MV VFD, but cooling and switchgear. Basically, this comes on a flatbed, is picked up by a crane, and put in place. You wire the motor, power, and controls to it, and you’re up. It’s easy, and the best part is you can have more than one medium voltage VFD in the E house.
As the size of any drive increases, as a rule, so does the critical nature of the application. Here at EMA, service on cement plant VFDs is a normal part of our business. We also encourage annual preventive maintenance to avoid unscheduled downtime. In facilities with older equipment, keeping spare parts ready can be critical. We stock a number of medium voltage vfd spare parts, so contact us if we can be of assistance in that area.
In addition to medium voltage VFDs, many cement plants find good use of medium voltage softstarters. Reduced voltage MV softstarters are great, as long as your application allows them. I strongly suggest you read “When should you use a VFD as a softstarter” prior to purchasing a medium voltage reduced voltage softstarter.
At EMA we both sell and service cement plant medium voltage VFDs.. contact us by any of the methods on the right. No-one, Anywhere, is better at drives than we are!