Voith Turbo
The new Veco-Drive electric superimposing gear (photo) combines a mechanical planetary gear with frequency-controlled servo motors. Since the gears only need a small part of the rated power, an overall component efficiency of more than 97% is reached, says the company. Installed between a constant-speed motor and a variable-speed compressor or pump, the new drive combines the reliability of mechanical gears with the productivity of low-voltage variable frequency drives (VFDs). The system was designed for compressor and pump applications with a maximum output speed of 15,000 rpm, maximum output power of 15 MW and a speed adjustment range from 50 to 100%. Compared to a typical full-scale medium-voltage VFD train with a step-up gearbox, the measured system efficiency of a Veco-Drive device is about 2% higher over the whole speed range, resulting in significantly reduced energy consumption. — Voith Turbo, a Group Division of Voith GmbH, Crailsheim, Germany