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Doha, Qatar: Qatar is swiftly moving towards environment-friendly solutions by diversifying its energy sources, said an official. In the meantime, the country adapts to electrifying its public transport system, shifts to greener buildings, and decarbonizes the industrial processes.
Speaking to The Peninsula in an interview, the President of the Motion Service Division at ABB Group Erich Labuda (pictured) outlined that one of the significant areas of focus in the region is ‘industrial electric motors’. He said: “Motors are essential to power pumps in water treatment and desalination, as well as pipelines and refineries. They also provide cooling and ventilation in buildings and refrigerate food.”
However, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has estimated that 70 percent of the electricity consumed by the global industry is used by electric motor systems.
“This makes them a critical lever for Qatar to drive efficiency and decarbonization in its industrial processes,” he noted. According to research conducted by the IEA, the study estimates that if the 300 million industrial motor-driven systems in operation worldwide were replaced with optimised, and high-efficiency equipment, there could be a reduced global electricity consumption by up to 10 percent.
ABB’s Motion Services team enables operators to identify inefficient electric motors and drives and shows how to boost their efficiency and reliability to save energy and reduce CO2 emissions. Typical solutions include upgrading to high-efficiency motors and installing variable speed drives (VSDs).
In Qatar, ABB works closely with numerous industrial businesses and The National Program for Conservation.
Labuda remarked “Our objective is to engage Qatari industry leaders to discuss how to save energy and reduce CO2 emissions in their operations. The potential to save energy in industries and utilities is enormous, we are extremely pleased to be part of the State of Qatar’s initiative to enhance energy efficiency.”
One challenge facing industrial operators, however, is identifying the best place for energy efficiency improvements in their facility.
The expert elucidated that this requires a systematic approach and deep industrial expertise.
He further accentuated that “Energy efficiency audits overcome this challenge by identifying the biggest energy saving opportunities and helping industrial leaders take the right decisions based on data. Armed with data and analytics, operators can take action on systems that show the greatest potential for efficiency upgrades”
“That could involve resizing and modernising equipment as well as integrating VSDs.”
ABB Group recently audited more than 2000 motor-driven systems from a wide range of applications and industries and found potential for 31 percent average energy savings per motor by upgrading them to more efficient technology.
He underscored that “Depending on the local cost of energy, the cost of upgrading to more efficient technology could be recuperated in as little as three months just from energy savings.”
Labuda explained that significant savings are possible by upgrading a motor and greater energy savings are achievable by combining a high-efficiency motor with a VSD.
He underlined that this happens when “A motor will run at a far higher speed than is needed for the process it is driving.”
Therefore, the technique is to use a form of mechanical control to limit its output. However, controlling the speed of the car by pressing the brake while the foot is fully on the accelerator, could be a major drawback.
With a VSD, it is possible to precisely match a motor’s speed with the required output, the official mentioned. Just a small drop in motor speed can result in a very significant saving in the energy it uses.
Hence, installing a drive can typically cut energy consumption by 25 percent.
Despite this, less than a quarter of the global installed base of motors is actually equipped with a VSD, Labuda said adding “We can see a huge opportunity for industrial companies to take action by installing a readily-available and well-proven solution.”
