A leading American manufacturer of commercial HVAC systems has selected ABB’s EC Titanium®, highly efficient ferrite assisted synchronous reluctance permanent magnet motors, for their next generation of premium and compact rooftop air handling units.
The HVAC customer chose ABB’s NEMA Motors to power its premium product line, designed to deliver high-capacity, quiet, efficient air to commercial and industrial buildings. Each unit uses as many as twelve EC Titanium motors to power fans providing airflow rates as high as 80,000 cfm. In addition, EC Titanium motors will be used in the company’s smaller-footprint units (up to 33,000 cfm), scheduled to launch in the coming months.
Due to the placement of the smaller air handling systems on buildings with limited rooftop space, unit size was an obvious consideration. EC Titanium’s highly efficient design enables the use of smaller frame motors, and the near unity power factor reduces the footprint and weight of the system. This space-saving design, coupled with conventional NEMA product architecture mounting dimensions, means that the motors can be integrated into the customer’s existing units, using standard enclosures and keeping size to a minimum. Noise levels are also kept to a minimum, as EC Titanium motors allowed the customer to choose a smaller fan with better acoustics than what was available from competitors’ integrated motor/fan systems.
The customer determined that, with EC Titanium, ABB offered a better performing motor than other manufacturers being considered and cited EC Titanium’s higher efficiency, standard, drop-in size and lower cost as additional reasons for choosing ABB. The availability of a wider range of motor sizes and the support provided by ABB sales and engineering teams were also important factors in the purchasing decision.
End user feedback was the final piece of the decision-making consideration. Customers of the manufacturer increasingly requested the latest technology meeting IE5 ultra efficiency standards, specifically EC motors. EC Titanium motors exceed IE5 total system efficiency regulations. The design incorporates a synchronous reluctance rotor and permanent magnets to achieve a rating above IE5 at full speed while maintaining this performance at reduced speeds and load points.
“The standard NEMA architecture means we can easily drop it into our existing products. And, for our smaller packaged units, EC Titanium’s size and high efficiency means our end users have more flexibility to choose the right configuration when space is at a premium.”
“ABB’s EC Titanium is a ferrite-assisted synchronous reluctance (FASR) motor that can achieve efficiency levels above IE5,” said Mark Gmitro, ABB Global Product Manager, EC Titanium. “The unique design allows for excellent power density and synchronous speed operations with no loss in the rotor and lower loses in the stator. The motor is able to maintain efficiencies at lower speeds and partial loads with minimal bearing and winding temperature rises, and the design yields a power factor above 90 percent.”
