Development of an Intelligent Controller for Electro-motors

Project Information

CoMoCo

Grant agreement ID: 790271

DOI

10.3030/790271

Project closed

EC signature date 3 November 2017

Start date 1 December 2017

End date 30 April 2018

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Secure, clean and efficient energy

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

CONTRONICS ENGINEERING BV* CEN
Netherlands

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - CoMoCo (Development of an Intelligent Controller for Electro-motors)

Reporting period: 2017-12-01 to 2018-04-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Electric Motors (EM) account for between 43% and 46% of all global electricity consumption, giving rise to about 6 040 Mt of CO2 emissions. By 2030, without comprehensive and effective energy‐efficiency policies, energy consumption from EM is expected to rise to 13 360 TWh and CO2 emissions to 8 570 Mt per year. End‐users, now, spend USD 565 billion per year on electricity used in EM; by 2030, that could rise to almost USD 900 billion. The largest proportion of EM consumption is attributable to mid‐size motors with output power of 0.75 kW to 375 kW. EM are found in industrial and commercial applications such as pumps, fans, conveyors, lifts, heating, ventilation, compressors, etc. EM consumes 69% (Industrial) and 38% (Commercial) of sector electricity. The here presented CoMoCo is an intelligent controller for EM, developed by CONTRONICS, which depending on the type of EM and the required capacity, can save up to 90% of electric energy.
The controller measures the electromagnetic field in the EM without using mechanical sensors. Switching to energy efficient electro-motors can save Europe up to 202 billion kWh in electricity consumption, equivalent to a reduction of €10 billion per year in operating costs for industry, as well as a reduction of 79 million tonne of CO2 emissions. CoMoCo was already tested and it proofed to be a cutting-edge, energy-efficient, economically accessible and profitable EM controller to reduce the energy consumption by 80% in ventilation systems operated in pig farms. In this proposal, the SME CONTRONICS is applying for funding for a feasibility study to further verify the technological development, as well as economic viability of the CoMoCo intelligent EM control, in diverse industrial applications.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Since 2014 our system has been tested in diverse operational environments such as Fans for ventilation systems in Pig Farms, 4WD vehicles, Marine Propulsion, Marine bow/stern thruster, fitness/medical recovery treadmill and conveyor belts.CoMoCo-1.0-ED-4 system is ready for commercialisation. Minor technological adjustments need to be undertaken according to each industrial context (e.g. max. output power levels, System adaptation for each industrial aggressive surroundings). The planned feasibility study has been a key to prepare the market entry of CoMoCo-1.0-ED-4 innovation, for the sectors where electro-motors are used in diverse key energy-consuming equipment. The results achieved during the feasibility study are:
» A clear, measurable, realistic and achievable business plan including a marketing strategy for optimal commercialization
» A thorough analysis of the legal aspects including safety regulations
» The preparation for the acquisition of quality assurance and safety certifications (e.g. CE- & DIN EN-certificates)
» A characterization of the target markets and to profile potential customers
» A distributor network for the most promising markets
» Competitive marketing and finance strategies.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

CoMoCo-1.0-ED-4 represents an innovative technology, which depending on the type of electro-motor and the required capacity, manages to produce energy savings between 45 to 90 % by regulating and controlling the consumption in real-time. As it has been demonstrated through the Feasibility Study, CoMoCo system can be installed in diverse applications for Electro-motors. The CoMoCO project should be continued in Phase 2 because there does not exist any controller for Electro-motors neither the same efficiency nor the intelligence of CoMoCo. This characteristics poses our novelty to the Industrial and commercial sector and as a result, the implementation of CoMoCo in the market as a revolutionary, cost-effective and eco-innovative method, will increase the efficiency of the electro motors in different sector. The following aspects revels the big demand and therefore big business opportunity for CoMoCo System:
» There is no competitor that can generate energy saving of to reduce between 75 to 90 % the electric energy consumption of mid‐size EMs with an output power of 0.25 kW to 25 kW.
» CoMoCo system has been already tested for more than years. In two identically pig stables, CoMoCo-system was compared with other controllers for industrial Fans, showing an energy reduction of 48% compared with a stable with a standard frequency controller, and 81% compared with a Triac-based controller
» The identified potential clients for CoMoCO controller are Germany, Spain, France, UK, Italy, UK, and Netherlands.
» The identified potential clients where the controller will be firstly implemented are Germany, Netherlands, nevertheless after some 2 years CONTRONICS can aim to expand into are Spain, France, UK, Italy and UK.
» MCP claims that switching to energy efficient motor-driven systems can save Europe up to 202 billion kWh in electricity consumption, equivalent to a reduction of €10 billion per year in operating costs for industry and 88,109.74 tons of CO2 emission per year. This trend can be improved with the implementation of CoMoCo´s Market Strategy.
» CoMoCo is a key factor to address the EU-challenges of energy efficiency, for instance, Directive 2009/125/EC ErP (Energy-related Products) and Directive 2012/27/EU. In addition, CoMoCo will impel the EU-challenges of Motor Challenge Programme (MCP).
» With CoMoCo the efficiency of the electro motors that already are in the market will be increased. The foregoing represents a reduction energy consumption in market as animal farming and ecomobilty, as well as other sectors . This will have a direct impact in the global economy and ambient due to the reduction of GHG emissions by electrical consumption.
» Necessary external support for the finalisation of the high efficient controller would be a funding and the total costs for the finalisation of the high efficient controller to achieve a market introduction have been estimated to be 1,100,000 Euros at maximum.

CoMoCo-1.0-ED-4