EC motor technology cuts energy costs

27-07-2010

Highly efficient electronic commutation (EC) motor technology incorporated into a Fantech fan is helping the building services industry to meet the increasing demand for energy efficient products.

This ultimately helps to reduce energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

An EC motor uses electronics to periodically reverse the current direction between the rotor and the external circuit so that a DC motor can be plugged into a standard 240V supply.

As the electronics control the ramp up speed, in-rush current is kept to a minimum which means that the fan never draws more than the rated full load amps.

But it is the combination of a highly efficient DC motor and on-board speed control that reduces noise and leads to massive power savings.

For example, by running EC fans at half speed, power consumption is reduced by nearly 87.5 per cent and noise levels are 16dB lower.

The sophisticated electronics of the EC motor responds to 4 to 20mA or 0 to 10 volt signals which means it can be factory programmed to work with a large range of sensors (eg. temperature, air volume, air pressure, humidity, air velocity, CO2, CO).

The signal will then speed up or slow down the fan according to its requirements. Fans with EC motors can also be controlled using a Building Management System (BMS).

Fantech has recently added extra functionality to the EC range by way of a unique controller known as the demand control ventilation (DCV) system.

This controller uses the feedback from sensors to automatically control the amount of ventilation required. The great advantage of this intelligent system is that the parameters for each of the sensors have already been preset to handle typical applications, thus reducing the need for installers to have specialised control knowledge.

Installation of EC motors is quick and simple with less wiring/cabling and significantly less labour.

Once installed the DC brushless motor operates much cooler than an AC motor, extending the bearing life and overall longevity of the motor.

Fantech utilise EC technology in a number of their product ranges including the PowerLine EC series of in-line centrifugal fans and the roof-mounted Gamma EC and GL Gamma series.

The PowerLine EC is also available with the DCV system.

The introduction of the BCA 2010 with the additional requirements on energy efficiency will lead to only fans with EC motors being acceptable for certain specifications.

Fantech has been at the forefront of fan and acoustics technology for 35 years by developing new and innovative products.

The high performance range includes wall, window and ceiling fans, axial, centrifugal and mixed flow duct mounted fans, roof-mounted axial and centrifugal fans, fans for hazardous environments, portable fans and attenuators.

Fantech
Ph: 03 9554 7845
www.fantech.com.au

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