The paper presents a comparative analysis of energy consumption by 2.2 kW electric motors of various types and energy efficiency classes in the electric drive of a pump unit with throttle control in a water supply system. Line-start permanent-magnet synchronous motors of the IE4 energy efficiency class and induction motors of the IE4 and IE3 energy efficiency classes of various manufacturers were considered (IE4 and IE3 are labels of energy efficiency classes of electric motors according to IEC 60034-30-1 standard). Energy consumption at a hydraulic load changing under a typical duty cycle was calculated based on the nameplate data of the pump and electric motors. The developed method shows that selecting an electric motor based on the IE energy efficiency class under the IEC 60034-30-1 standard (i.e., based on efficiency at a rated load) may not provide the minimum energy consumption of a variable flow pump unit over a typical duty cycle. In particular, the considered IE4 class line-start permanent-magnet synchronous motors do not provide significant advantages over IE4 class induction motors, and sometimes even over IE3 class induction motors when they are used in variable flow pump units.
This study carried out a comparative analysis of indicators of electricity consumption and CO2 emissions for four-pole induction motors (IMs) of efficiency classes IE3 and IE4 with a rated power of 2.2–200 kW in a variable speed pump unit. In addition, innovative IE4 converter-fed synchronous reluctance motors (SynRMs) were evaluated. The comparison was derived from the manufacturer’s specifications for the power drive systems (PDSs) at various rotational speeds and loads. The results showed that the emission indicators for IE3 class motors were significantly worse compared with IE4 class motors for low power ratings, which make up the vast majority of electric motors in service. This justifies expanding the mandatory power range for IE4 motors to at least 7.5–200 kW or even 0.75–200 kW, as it will dramatically contribute to the achievement of the new ambitious goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the operational advantages of IE4 SynRMs over IE4 IMs were demonstrated, such as their simpler design and manufacturing technology at a price comparable to that of IE3 IMs.
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