Quick wins: Rubix releases report identifying opportunities to double the efficiency of motor-driven systems

Phil Black - PII Editor 24/04/2023

402 1 minute read

Listen to this article

Rubix, a market leading pan-European distributor of industrial products and services, has released a new ‘Quick wins to cut energy waste’ report, which addresses inefficiency issues in motor-driven systems.

Industrial motor-driven systems – including compressors, pumps and fans – represent more than two-thirds of electricity consumption in industry, yet they are typically only around 36% efficient. At a time when the energy crisis threatens to slow – or even reverse – progress on environmental and financial objectives, improving the efficiency of motor driven systems is a relatively easy win as, with the right interventions, they can be optimised to hit 72%. This cuts energy waste, reduces cost and limits emissions.

More than two-thirds of motors in use across European industry have a low energy efficiency rating, while it’s estimated that a third of v-belts are running inefficiently due to worn pulleys, and 20-40% of electricity used by compressors is lost through air leaks.

In total, energy savings of between 20-30% can be achieved by optimising the whole motor-driven system. This is typically done through a combination of detailed asset tracking, repair and replacement programmes, and ongoing condition monitoring.

Rubix’ ‘Quick wins to cut energy waste’ report sets out the opportunities for efficiency improvement across the system. These include retrofitting variable speed drives to existing motors to ensure they only use as much energy as they need for the job they are doing. Using the correct motor size for the application, switching to energy efficient models and correctly regulating their speed will also increase efficiency. When it comes to mechanical equipment, specifically gearboxes, these can be made more efficient, reducing lost energy, by right-sizing the gearing for the application, replacing worn gearboxes and using energy-efficient lubricants. Driven applications can be improved by identifying and fixing leaks in compressed air systems, using intelligent pumps with variable speed controls and replacing the worn pulleys that can affect the efficiency of v-belts. To download a copy of Rubix’ new ‘Quick wins to cut energy waste’ report, go to here