ROTATING EQUIPMENT

Applying pumps with variable-speed drivers

istorically, in the process industries, and in particular in the refining industries, pumps have used fixed-speed drivers and pump flow control was done by throttling control valve(s) at the pump discharge. Recently, use of pumps with variable-speed drivers (VSDs) is increasing because: Cost of low-voltage VSDs has dropped Improvements in VSD technology and increased reliability Increasing interest in energy-saving issues. In the framework of a big project for a refinery located in northern Europe, an extensive study was carried out for the whole project to evaluate for which pumps applying a VSD was feasible and the impacts on the investment cost, energy savings and operating costs. The main findings of the study are presented in this article.

Use of pumps with VSDs. The typical pumping system is a pump running with a fixed-speed driver and flow through the
FC

pump is regulated by a control valve(s) at the pump discharge (Fig. 1). The control scheme varies the flow through the pump by acting on the control valve(s). In Fig. 2, the pump and system curves relevant to a specific pumping system (pump and circuit) and the pump power curve are shown. When flow through the pump reduces (see H 1 and H 2 in Fig. 3) the pump differential head increases and the friction losses in the circuit reduce. The result is an increase in the pressure drop through the valve (see H 1-CV 1 and H 2-CV 2 in Fig. 3). As a consequence the absorbed power by the pump also changes (see points 1 and 2 in Fig. 3). Use of a VSD allows adjusting the pump performance according to the process requirements by varying the pump speed (Fig. 4). For example, with reference to the scheme in Fig. 4, when the pump flow has to be reduced, the control scheme reduces

300 250 DH, m and w, kW 200 150 100 50 0 0 50 100

H2

H1 CV 1

CV 2 1 2 DH (pump) kW DH circ. 200 m3/h DH circ. 150 m3/h 300 350 400

M FIG. 1 Fixed-speed pump system.

150

250 200 Q, m3/h

300 250 DH, m and w, kW 200 150 100 50 0 0 50 100 150 DH (pump) kW DH (circuit)

Operating point DH control valve DH friction Absorbed power DH static head 250 300 200 Q, m3/h

FIG. 3

Fixed-speed pump curves.

FC

350

400

VSD

FIG. 2

Pump and system curves.

FIG. 4

Variable-speed pump system.

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TABLE 1. Use of pumps with VSDs
300 Advantages 250
DH, m and w, kW

Disadvantages Inverter cost (especially for medium voltage) Structural resonance (vibration problems). More likely to reach resonance condition due to speed variation Motor to be suitable for VSDs

200 150 100 50 0 0 50 100 150 H4

H3

Lower energy required (energy savings, lower operating cost) Avoid use of control valve at pump discharge (depending on application) Soft start capability (preventing overcurrent in the electrical network and pressure spikes in the circuit) 300 350 400 Possibility to switch from medium- to low-voltage motors Lower pump maintenance costs (lower speed/load on bearings and seals) Improved pumping system reliability (reduced wear in bearings and seals) Improved electric motor restart situation after a common power loss Lower noise from pump (normally operating below design speed) and control valve (less DP depending on the pumping system)

3 4

200 250 Q, m3/h

Motor cooling (an independent cooling of motor at low speed could be required) More space required in the substation (for VSD installation) Overspeed (higher pump shutoff pressure)

m (rpm 1) m (rpm 2) m (rpm 3) DH circ. 200 m3/h FIG. 5 VSD pump curves.

kW (rpm 1) kW (rpm 2) kW (rpm 3) DH circ. 150 m3/h

the pump speed (see H 3 and H 4 in Fig. 5) to decrease the pump differential head thus balancing the head losses in the circuit. It is then possible to regulate the pump absorbed power according to the performance required by the process (see points 3 and 4 in Fig. 5) thus avoiding useless energy losses for friction through the control valve. Therefore, in general use of pumps with VSDs is worthwhile when the process conditions cause frequent and large variations on the pumping requirements (flow and head) such that the average power required by the pumping system is much lower than one corresponding to the pump running at rated speed. Another aspect to be considered is that pumping systems are normally oversized; in a fixed-speed pumping system, this results in having the pump delivering a flow at high differential head and high head loss through the control valve. With a VSD pumping system, the pump speed is adjusted according to the pumping requirements.
Use of pumps with VSDsadvantages and disadvantages. In general, the use of VSDs on pumps is taken into

account to reduce the energy required for pumping, thus achieving energy savings and then lowering operating cost. On the other hand, the use of VSDs has some disadvantages: cost of inverter (high, especially for medium-voltage equipment), additional space required in the substation for installing VSDs and independent cooling for motor could be required. However, as far as the impact on the total investment cost, it should be noticed that in some cases the use of a VSD avoids installing a control valve at the pump discharge. In such cases, when the pump has a low-voltage (LV) motor, usually the additional cost for a VSD is lower than the cost savings due to deleting a control valve loop. In these cases use of a VSD can result also in a reduction in the investment cost. The main advantages and disadvantages of using pumps with VSDs are summarized in Table 1.
Control scheme for VSD pumps. During the study it was

For pumping systems with one discharge destination, in a lot of cases it was found feasible to consider the use of a VSD to regulate the pump flow as an alternative to the traditional flow control acting on the control valve at the pump discharge. By implementing the VSD and deleting the control valve at the pump discharge it is possible to eliminate the useless friction losses through the control valve thus achieving energy savings and operating cost reductions. When the control valve is required, use of a VSD is still feasible and in some cases could also be economical (see discussion below). For pumps with more than one discharge destination, it is not possible to avoid use of control valves at the pump discharge since they are needed to regulate the flow to each destination; however, use of VSD pumps is still feasible. In such cases, use of VSD pumps and implementing a proper control scheme makes possible varying the pump performance according to the process needs, thus reducing at minimum the head loss through the control valves. Therefore, when VSD use needs to be done in combination with flow control valve(s), the study evaluated the possibility of implementing a control scheme that controls the opening of the control valves at the pump discharge by acting on the pump speed. The control objective is to maintain the control valves at the pump discharge open at an optimal value that allows proper flow control while minimizing the energy losses for friction through the control valves. Practically, the controller controls the opening of the most open valve at the pump discharge and adjusts the pump speed to maintain the valve opening at the selected optimal value (controller setpoint in Fig. 6).
VSD pumpsimpact on opex and capex. In general, use of VSDs on pumps reduces the energy required by the pumping system. Therefore, it reduces the operating costs. It must also be

recognized that it would be useful to group all pumping systems subject to study in two categories: VSD pumps with one discharge destination VSD pumps with more than one discharge destination.
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TABLE 2. VSD study results
FC Pumping services in the project Total absorbed electric power (whole project) Total absorbed electrical power by pumps (at rated cond.) FC Estimate total yearly energy costs by pumps Pumping services evaluated in the VSD study Estimate total yearly energy costs by pumps subject to study M VSD XC Pumping services suggested with VSD Total cost for VSD Cost saving for deleting control valve Yearly energy savings due to VSD implementation Pumping services suggested with VSD and deletion of CV Total cost for VSD Cost saving for deleting control valve Yearly energy savings due to VSD implementation n kW kW gWh/y n gWh/y n k k gWh/y n k k gWh/y 64 15,000 6,200 54 37 29.5 26 1,220 462 7.3 13 122 462 1.2

FIG. 6

Multiple discharge system.

noted that use of VSDs on pumps normally has a positive impact on the maintenance cost due to reduced wear of bearings and seals. The main economic issues from the study are presented. As far as the investment cost, in all cases involving low-voltage motors, the investment cost saving relevant to the control valve (including block and by-pass valves) was higher than the additional cost for applying the VSD. In case of medium-voltage motors, due to the high VSD cost, implementing a VSD resulted in a higher investment cost. In case of VSD pumps with more than one discharge destination, since in these cases deleting the control loop is not possible, use of a VSD was always a higher investment cost. For all cases in which use of a VSD gives lower investment cost

(other than lower operating cost), it was suggested that a VSD be implemented. For the other cases (higher investment cost), an economic analysis was carried out case-by-case to evaluate when it was advisable to use a VSD. For the scope of the study, a spreadsheet was developed to perform the economic analysis. With this tool, it is possible to calculate: Yearly pump energy consumption for both cases, with and without a VSD Energy savings with a VSD

15 October 2009

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