Belts Energy Savings | |
 Belt drives are a prime example of an overlooked area where other gains in efficiency can either be wiped out or enhanced. The right specification and set-up for belt drive systems can deliver a similar gain in efficiency as upgrading to an EFFI electric motor from an EFF2. Site-wide, the difference can amount to thousands of pounds each year in energy savings. As the largest UK distributor of engineering solutions for industry, WYKO are constantly striving to give our customers better service and value for money. We are constantly demonstrating how WYKO can be the most effective all round supply partner. | |
 Two current areas of great interest to our customers are:
How are we able to help? By advising and supplying the most efficient wedge belt drives, with lowest lifetime cost, needing least maintenance and suffering least down-time. WHY WEDGE BELT DRIVES? First, because they are perhaps the most common means of driving the fans, pumps, blowers, conveyors etc. that proliferate in process industries. Then, because they are often either sub-optimally designed in the first place, less than effectively installed/ maintained, use old technology belts or are often in poor condition. - all of which contribute to inefficient running. But, perhaps most of all, because they transmit a huge amount of energy for example, a single 55 kW electric motor, running on full load for 24 hr/day, on a site paying £0.07/kWh for electricity, will consume £34,000 worth of electricity per year. In many cases we can improve drive efficiency such as to save 5% of this energy i.e. nearly £1,700 per year. It needs a little effort to achieve these savings, of course, but part of our service is to identify the most cost-effective way of achieving and maintaining such savings over the longer term, contributing towards minimal drive "lifetime cost". It can be as simple as using a different type of belt at the next belt change, or it may mean fitting a new set of pulleys. Lifetime costs are, of course, influenced by the cost of replacement components and the cost of down-time while maintenance is carried out. Our approach looks to ensure that drives need new components only at predictable intervals, to minimise maintenance and down-time costs. We would not, therefore, propose anything that did not offer a transparent, short pay-back period, and would go on making savings for the longer term. | |
