[Purpose]
Through our pursuit of innovation in energy and environment technology,Fuji Electric creates environmentally friendly products and systems for using energy stably and most efficiently. We have been conducting research and development to pursue value for customers thoroughly by using the technologies of creating competitive components, building systems characterized by the use of these components, and connecting these systems with the Internet of Things (IoT). This issue is a compilation of the technical achievements of FY2016 and summarizes the outlook for the future. We hope that this issue will be helpful to create a new society.
[Preface]
Pursuing Innovation in Energy and Environment Businesses, We Contribute to the Creation of Responsible and Sustainable Societies Under the Slogan “To Be Enthusiastic, Ambitious and Sensitive”
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Special Conversation
— Aiming to Achieve One-Trillion-Yen Mark Before Fuji Electric Centennial in 2023 —
Technology Marketing: Role and Significance in Pursuing
Customer-Value-Centered Product Planning and R&D
[377KB]
Achievements and Future Outlook
IoT — Connected Powerful Components and Solutions Creating Customer Value
[1.19MB]
Highlights
[1.53MB]
Energy Solutions in Power Electronics Systems
[565KB]
Industry Solutions in Power Electronics Systems
[690KB]
Electronic Devices
[562KB]
Power Generation
[923KB]
Food Distributions
576KB]
Services
[581KB]
Fundamental and Advanced Technologies
[878KB]
FUJI ELECTRIC REVIEW vol.63 no.2 2017 Detailed Contents
A long standing customer that tested several competitors’ products over a decade ago, chose a Fuji Electric product that not only meets their application criteria, but exceeded their expectations regarding: performance, quality and reliability for their commercial mixer product lines.
As their standard of choice, our AC Drives continue to surpass expectations as our product models offer the versatility and flexibility required for any demanding environment. Fuji Electric AC Drives prove to be technically superior compared to other products offered in the market. Our compact design, 3-year warranty, and exceptional torque features is ideal for many recipe requirements that make Fuji Electric their sole supplier for all of their AC drives needs.
Our products are designed to operate in 50 deg C ambient under full load conditions with no derating factor. The VFDs also maintains a UL rating under single phase power input. Fuji Electric’s ECO-DY model has a standard feature of a simultaneous control of Pump pressure and water table level control. This feature will control a pump’s output pressure and automatically switch to water table level control when the level sensor goes below an adjustable threshold. This prevents costly dry run damage to the submersible pump.
Fuji Electric VFDs are designed to handle harsh outdoor conditions needed for Agriculture Irrigation control. For this case, the ECO-DY model achieves the control by switching between two PID loops. Throughout this process, the first loop, PID1, will control the output pipe pressure. The second loop, PID2, controls the water table level. There is a sensor threshold and time that controls the switching between PID1 or PID2. One of the PID sensors will need to be a 0-10v signal and the second will need to be a 4-20ma input.
Fuji Electric VFDs are a tough, rugged and designed to operate in the harsh conditions of the oil field. Our VFDs are used in thousands of Oil field pump jack applications. For this Oil Field application, they run in 50 deg C ambient at full power without derating.
In this application, our VFDs provided the standard capability to overcome the regeneration portion of the pump jack cycle without needing braking resistors. Our VFD accurately senses the regenerative energy created by the beam pump and precisely increases the speed to eliminate the need for a braking resistor.
Peter Pugger is the world’s leading manufacturer of mixing extruders (pugmills). With the growing demand to mix and extrude new and innovative products, Peter Pugger machines require versatility and efficiency as it relates to motor control, speed control, soft start/stop and remote capability. The utilization of Fuji Electric's FRENIC-Mini and FRENIC-ACE drives has allowed their systems to maintain product quality, durability and performance. The durability of our Fuji Electric drives and the three-year warranty has established our drives as the drive of choice for all of our units. With thousands of machines worldwide, Fuji Electric’s dependability has played a key role in their success.
H2O Technologies is a high quality, highly innovative OEM Control Panels fabricator that specializes in the engineering, designing and building of Bypass Control Panels for hydraulic pump related industries that construct fountains, waterfalls and municipal pools. Fuji Electric’s FRENIC -Eco and EcoPAK Bypass Panels quickly became H2OTechnologies’ exclusive offering due to its high quality, product adaptability, and superb technical & support staff. “We have discovered a hidden gem working with Fuji Electric; it’s their ability to take us back to better days, when there was less bureaucracy, where management decisions and issues resolution were local and only a phone call away. That is a “game-changer” that sets them far apart from almost every other large organization”, exclaims Greg Sills, PPX Central’s President & CEO.
Fuji Regenerative Blowers are used to provide Air agitation for Plating, Cleaning and Rinse Tanks. They can provide high amounts of air at low pressures. They offer the advantages of clean, oil-free air that does not deliver any contaminants to foul or spoil the tank fluid. Fuji Regenerative Blowers offer a form of agitation without any moving parts in the bath. Blowers require no lubrication and that means no contaminated chemical baths. Fuji Blowers are dependable and reliable devices with no wearing, rubbing or sliding components.
Fuji Electric Power Semiconductors are used in Wind Turbines of major Wind Turbine Manufacturers. The PrimePACK™ 3+ improves power conversion efficiency to reduce power loss and increase output power. Amid the beautiful and expansive natural landscape of northern Denmark, you can see lines of wind turbines. These wind turbines use our large-capacity IGBT module PrimePACK™ 3+. In this wind power generation, the force of wind spins the blades of the wind turbine, which in turn rotates the generator to generate electricity. In order to feed this electricity into transmission lines, the voltage and frequency must be changed, and that power conversion is where our power semiconductors play a vital role.
Fuji Electric VFDs are designed to handle harsh outdoor conditions needed to run Electric Submersible pumps (ESPs) in the Oil Field. They operate in 50 deg C ambient under full load conditions with no derating factor. VFDs also maintain a UL rating under single phase power input.
For ESPs, Fuji Electric’s FRENIC-Mega is packaged in a Nema 3R enclosure along with a sine wave filter that feeds a step up transformer to create the high voltage needed for the special ESP motor. The ESP motor is sometimes thousands of feet down in the well bore. Some ESP motors are induction style while others are permanent magnet style. The Fuji Electric FRENIC-Mega works on both types of ESPs. Fuji Electric's VFD has a special feature that allows motor base voltage at speed to be adjusted while monitoring current for maximum operating efficiency thus saving valuable electrical power operation costs.
Significant levels of refrigerants and heating are needed to slow down spoilage and maintain preharvest freshness and flavor of ripe fruit and vegetables. Fuji Electric Variable Frequency Drives (VFD) make it possible to quickly provide the necessary cooling or heating to maintain a uniform temperature, humidity, air-circulation or fresh air requirements in cold storage while at the same time the energy consumption is reduced to a minimum. In standard system designs, electric motors are intended to operate at a fixed speed. This speed is determined by the frequency of the power supply and the motor design (number of poles).
The shaft load on the motor is determined by the product of shaft speed and torque. With a fixed speed, motor power is determined by the torque of the load. With a change in speed the motor load will not only benefit from the speed reduction, but also any reduction in torque with speed. Two types of motor load exist; constant torque and variable torque.
VFDs give better control and more efficiency for compressors, fans and pumps:
VFD speed control will reduce the power penalty associated with slide valve, poppet valve or throttling capacity control. On compressors with no capacity control speed control will eliminate other poor control strategies.
VFD speed control provides dramatic fan power reductions at reduced speed. This also translates into reduced motor heat loads in refrigerated spaces.
VFD speed control provides dramatic fan power saving relative to fan cycling
For maintenance of AC Drives, it is best to institute a schedule of routine maintenance which includes cleaning of the drives and their heatsinks. This prevents overheating and also prevents other debris from being lodged inside the drive!
Scheduling a Freight Pick Up
A customer was given incorrect information for scheduling a freight pick up and the terms for shipping the item. The shipment was delayed and stuck in a freight branch location. This led our team to coordinate communications between several stakeholders (Customer, Logistics Company, End User, and the freight company shipping the order). Information had to be confirmed for accuracy and ease of understanding to avoid confusion or delays. Our team at Fuji Electric was able to keep the customer informed of status regularly and get the info needed in order to resolve the issue and get the order completed.
Meeting Production Schedules
Due to material challenges, in order to meet our customer's production schedule, our team members participate in weekly meetings, provide status and shipping updates, and facilitate direct shipments from our factories. It requires daily attention and time management skills to keep track of multiple avenues to achieve delivery. However, there is a great sense of satisfaction knowing we are part of a team doing everything possible to meet their expectations!
Critical Need of Our Parts
An auto supplier was in critical need of parts or they go line down. Our team called members from Fuji Electric Japan's shipping team and got them to move an ocean orders to air drop ship to customer. No lost downtime!
Did you also know Fuji Electric Corp. of America (FECOA) was established in 1970? Fuji Electric Corp. of America is happy to celebrate over 50 years in the United States! Fuji Electric now aims to become a leading-edge company in “energy and the environment” by building upon our core platform of five technology fields which unlock the potential of electricity—energy, industrial systems, social systems, power electronics, and electronic devices.
Industrial Laundry Solutions
Fuji Electric’s FRENIC-Ace model, Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) are commonly used in commercial laundry equipment for their ability to control the speed of electric motors. In the context of commercial laundry, VFDs are often employed in various machines and systems to enhance efficiency, reduce energy consumption, and provide better control over operations. Here are some ways VFDs are utilized in commercial laundry equipment.
Motor Control: Can regulate the speed of electric motors in washers, dryers, extractors, and other laundry equipment. By adjusting the motor speed according to the load and operational requirements, VFDs help optimize energy consumption and extend the lifespan of the equipment.
Energy Efficiency: Enable soft starts and stops, reducing the energy demand during motor acceleration. They also allow for precise control of motor speed, preventing unnecessary energy consumption when full speed is not required. This contributes to energy savings and overall operational efficiency.
Customized Washing Cycles: In laundry equipment, different fabrics and loads may require varying levels of agitation, spin speed, or drying time. VFDs provide the flexibility to customize washing cycles by adjusting motor speeds, ensuring that each load is treated appropriately.
Load Balancing: Used to balance loads in commercial laundry systems. In situations where multiple machines are connected to a common power supply, VFDs help distribute the load evenly, preventing overloads and optimizing the use of available power.
Maintenance Benefits: By controlling motor speed and providing real-time performance data, VFDs can contribute to predictive maintenance strategies. Monitoring motor parameters allows for early detection of issues, reducing downtime and preventing costly equipment failures.
Environmental Compliance: The ability of VFDs to control motor speed based on demand aligns with energy efficiency requirements and environmental regulations. Using VFDs in commercial laundry equipment helps businesses meet sustainability goals and adhere to energy efficiency standards.
In summary, Variable Frequency Drives play a crucial role in enhancing the performance, energy efficiency, and operational flexibility of commercial laundry equipment. They contribute to cost savings, reduce environmental impact, and improve the overall reliability of laundry systems.
