Upgraded refrigeration compressor motor at Campbell’s Australia cuts power use by 14 percent
Campbell’s Australia’s Shepparton plant in Victoria, has been producing soups, stocks and meals for almost 60 years. The environmentally conscious company has set an ambitious sustainability target: cutting energy consumption by 20 percent by 2025.
To find opportunities to reduce power use at the Shepparton plant, operators contacted A1 Electric Motors, an ABB Value Provider. They identified an inefficient, energy-intensive refrigeration compressor motor and conducted a cost-benefit analysis to identify potential savings. The forecasted savings were almost double what the site’s Environmental and Safety Manager expected.
A1 Electric Motors installed a 72-kilowatt (kW) SynRM IE5 electric motor at the Shepparton plant – and it met the high expectations of the forecast. The high-efficiency refrigeration compressor motor used 14 percent less power than the old model. This results in an annual reduction of approximately 131 tons of CO2 emissions.
The new motor has also reduced operating costs for the facility by around AUD 15,000 per year. These savings mean that the new motor will quickly pay for itself. The motor also operates more quietly and at a lower temperature than the previous model. In addition to efficient refrigeration and energy savings, the facility has also been able to drop its overload currents from 125 to 110 amps.
Following the success of this project, Campbell’s Shepparton upgraded a second refrigeration compressor with a 55 kW SynRM motor and ACS580 variable speed drive. Subsequently two additional refrigeration compressor motors were also upgraded with SynRM motor technology, bringing the total to four.
“After the initial project success, it was a no-brainer to add further SynRM installations, given the rising energy prices, our increased ability to meet our sustainability target and also the fact that we could now rely on a critical piece of infrastructure,” explains Mark Hyland, Environmental and Safety Manager at Campbell’s Australia.
“Campbell’s Shepparton runs their refrigeration plant 24/7 which means that the SynRM technology has the greatest opportunity to deliver significant energy reductions, resulting in remarkable cost savings,” adds Chris Cheong, Director of A1 Electric Motors.
