AC Motor Controllers and Drives
Optidrive E3 Helps Keep Haji Pilgrims Cool at Kuala Lumpur Airport Assembly Area
Six giant roof fans that help keep pilgrims travelling to Mecca from Malaysia cool during their transfer in Kuala Lumpur are being controlled by Invertek Drives Optidrive E3 variable frequency drives. Up to 10,000 pilgrims can be travelling at any one time through the Tabung Haji Pilgrim Assembly Point Terminal Klia close to Kuala Lumpur Airport before flying to Mecca.The open-air hall has six giant fans measuring 8.5 metres in diameter in the ceiling to circulate air on the pilgrims who congregate below. “The temperatures can rise to 32°c/89.6°f and so it’s important for the assembly area to have a constant flow of air to help keep the thousands of pilgrims cool at all times,” said Khairul Azhari of Invertek Drives Malaysia. “The 1.5kW fans must be controlled accurately to allow variable speeds to provide different levels of air flow depending on the temperature. We installed and commissioned six Optidrive E3 VFDs, one for each fan, to maintain optimum and efficient fan motor control.” By controlling the speed of the fans, the Optidrive E3 not only allows varying levels of airflow but ensures efficient use of energy for when the temperature or number of pilgrims varies. The six VFDs have been installed on a panel close to the assembly area. The small mechanical envelope of the IP20 rated E3 means little space is required. They were commissioned within minutes following installation with the use of the Optistick Smart that allows rapid parameter cloning between drives.
The advantage of the Invertek Optidrive VFDs is the ease at which they can be installed and commissioned, with 14 basic parameters and application macro functions providing rapid set up. It also comes with internal PI control and category C1 EMC filter. The E3 comes in four sizes to cater for global power supply ratings. “The combination of the E3s size, the ease of commissioning and monitoring, its compact, robust and reliability meant it was perfect for the job,” added Khairul.
More information about the Optidrive E3 VFD can be found at www.invertekdrives.com.
