From Volume 2 Issue 1 of Connected.
In the last issue of Connected, we reviewed the first step in addressing the impact of poor incoming power quality upon a production facility: identifying power quality events through monitoring systems such as the i-Sense® Voltage Monitory by Allen-Bradley. Once the data on these power disturbances has been collected and you have determined their related effects and costs to the facility, it’s time to move to the next step. Now you can mitigate power quality issues by finding the best solution to alleviate these problems.
If you have determined through monitoring that voltage sags are the culprits causing power interruptions or faulty equipment, Brock Walker, Automation Consultant at Kirby Risk Electrical Supply, recommends an effective solution for you. “We can help mitigate that by applying a short-term ride through for those interruptions utilizing the DySC®,” Walker says.
CONSIDER THE DYSC ® VOLTAGE SAG PROTECTOR
The DySC® Voltage Sag Protector by Allen-Bradley® is a unique solution for protecting your electrical equipment and devices from voltage sags and brief outages that cause the majority of utility power events. Most customers in Indiana experience energy events that last less than 5 seconds with the average utility power event being 2.1 seconds says Walker. The DySC® can mitigate up to 5 seconds of ride-through protection.
With protection from DySC®, damage to critical equipment is prevented, lessening repair costs. This protection also reduces costs by minimizing lost production time and wasted scrap materials.
People often compare the DySC® to an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS), another Allen-Bradley® power quality solution. But Walker says the UPS relies on battery power to carry power through a voltage sag. Batteries need charging and maintenance for good working condition. In comparison, the DySC® is a battery-free solution with no moving parts that is virtually maintenance-free. Its patented double conversion inverter technology protects against voltage sags and brief outages, making it ideal for essential manufacturing processes or sensitive electronics.
Another huge plus is the scalability of the DySC®. Walker says they can use this solution for machine-wide or facility-wide protection. “We can do a whole plant, or we can do just one piece of equipment. They go down all the way to 1 amp but they can go all the way up to 2400 amps.
THE DYSC® IS AVAILABLE IN THREE VERSIONS:
- MiniDySC – with Single-Phase Voltage Sag Correction. This version is used for small control centers like a PLC or at the component level.
- ProDySC – with Three-Phase Voltage Sag Correction. This version is floor mounted next to a specific machine. It is often used for small to medium sized machines like a drill press or a winder.
- MegaDySC – with Three-Phase Voltage Sag Correction System. This version is used for a Motor Control Center section, a whole switchgear or a whole plant.
Perhaps its most impressive feature, the energy efficiency of the DySC® cannot be topped. The MiniDySC is 96 percent efficient, but the ProDySC and MegaDySC are 99 percent efficient. Compared to other power quality technologies, the DySC® nearly pays for itself simply through energy savings.
KEY BENEFITS OF THE DYSC® VOLTAGE SAG PROTECTOR
(FROM ROCKWELL AUTOMATION BULLETIN 1608 POWER QUALITY PRODUCTS)
- Prevents Downtime - Protects against short-term voltage sags and interruptions that can impact production
- Prevents Damage to Equipment - Poor power quality can cause immediate and/or long-term damage to sensitive electrical equipment
- Scalable Solution - Machine to facility-wide protection; single- and three-phase portfolio
- Up to 5 Seconds of Ride-Through - Most power quality events are of a short duration and a DySC solution can protect equipment against the vast majority of these events
- Protects to 0 Volts - DySC can protect against brief, complete voltage loss
- Battery-free Solution - Eliminates requirement to swap batteries every 3-5 years; environmentally friendly
To determine whether the DySC® Voltage Sag Protector by Allen-Bradley® offers the protection you need to avert power quality issues, Walker suggests a free site visit by a Kirby Risk Automation Consultant. They can view your equipment and processes and review recent power quality issues. From the information gathered during the site visit, the Automation Consultant will work together with Rockwell Automation to generate a quote and perform a Return on Investment analysis to help you understand how downtime and its costs effect the overall process of your facility. Walker says customers are generally surprised by how quickly investment in this solution is paid back to their company.
CASE IN POINT
A Kirby Risk customer in Central Indiana was experiencing downtime that seemed consistent with various power events outside the facility. Utilizing information gathered by the i-Sense® Voltage Monitor installed on their building’s utility feed, Kirby Risk Automation Consultants pinpointed the severity of the voltage imbalance and its duration.
Next, Kirby Risk and Rockwell Automation experts met with the customer’s engineers and produced a six-month log of downtime that directly tied to voltage imbalance. Using that information, a DySC® Voltage Sag Protector was fitted to their application to alleviate downtime. Now, 14 months after the installation, the customer has already recouped the cost of the unit and the installation by successfully eliminating their significant amount of downtime and its related costs.
“When we talk about sustainability in manufacturing, this is just one major step of many that customers should be leaning towards,” says Walker. Mitigating power quality issues with resources like the DySC® Voltage Sag Protector promotes energy efficiency, reduces production waste and helps you to better use your money and resources.