CT launches dedicated HVAC drives
Control Techniques is unveiling its first dedicated range of HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning) drives at this month’s Drives & Controls Show in Birmingham, UK. The drive, called Affinity, has been designed to meet the needs of the global building automation industry.
The compact, efficient drives (shown above) are being produced in power ratings from 1.1–132kW, and in voltage versions from 200V to 690V. They are available with IP20 or IP54 protection, and include BACnet, Metasys N2 and Modbus communications as standard.
Also built in are: a "fireman`s operating mode" for safe evacuation of buildings; two PID loops (that can be used for temperature or pressure control); a motor pre-heating function; connections for a backup 24V supply; rotor flux control for high-inertia loads; IEC 61131-3 compliant PLC functions; low-load detection (used, for example, to spot broken belts); and a plain-text LCD keypad with hands-off automatic control. The drives can be programmed using CT`s PC tools or a memory card which stores and copies parameters.
Support for LonWorks, Ethernet, DeviceNet or Profibus communications is available using simple plug-in modules.
While previous Control Techniques products have been used in HVAC applications, Affinity is the company’s first drive to be backed by specific research into the needs of HVAC and refrigeration users, and to incorporate all of the required features – such as the fire mode, IP54 rating and communications protocols – into one product.
"As an industry leader in drives, Control Techniques has always invested significantly in researching drive market requirements, listening to customers and then designing products with clear customer advantage," says John Murphy, CT’s vice-president for strategic planning. "This was never more the case than with Affinity."
The rugged drives have been designed to appeal to building services consultants, HVAC and refrigeration OEMs, contractors, as well as building owners and operators. They are designed to operate in temperatures as high as 50°C
One large user of the new drives is likely to be Control Techniques’ sister company in the Emerson group, Emerson Climate Technologies. This business, which had sales last year worth $3.6bn, specialises in all types of conditioning processes and operates mainly in the global HVAC and refrigeration market.
