Lower costs and major energy savings for water treatment plants

Energy optimisation and green transition is a focus area for Danish water treatment plants seeking to save energy, reduce water loss and minimise disruption to operations. For this to happen water treatment plants need reliable information on the operational status of their pumps. At the same time, pumps must be more energy efficient and easy to control, so that operations can be adapted to the actual conditions.

This is precisely what Danish company TPI El & Automation has made possible with a new control solution for electric motors. The solution was specifically developed to achieve energy savings at water treatment plants. Water treatment plants using the solution typically save more than 10 percent in power consumption and in some cases up to 30 percent.

“The energy optimisation projects Hoyer carried out at the waterworks with TPI are extremely interesting. It is an excellent example of how partners with a high level of technical knowledge and insight into the end users’ business can use Hoyer products to optimise operations and thus reduce energy consumption. This goes hand in hand with Hoyer’s sustainability ambitions and is a great fit in an area where we want to be strong,” said Brian Byskov, After Sales Segment Manager at Hoyer.

Easier to detect burst pipes

Hoyer IE4 motors with integrated frequency converters play a crucial role in the solution. The energy-efficient IE4 motors help to keep power consumption low, and the frequency converter can utilise the built-in IO analogue and digital input in the motor. This eliminates any need for separate installations for temperature or pressure measurement near the pump.

TPI has designed a PLC controller that collects information about temperature and water pressure directly from the pump. The water treatment plants see this information via an operating interface. They use this information to optimise operations and respond quickly if problems arise.

“The water treatment plants just need to describe what they need, for example a certain pressure, and then we set the pump to deliver it. The control is very stable. You can monitor the increase when you change the pump and if a bust pipe occurs you can determine this faster. It makes it easier for the waterworks to decide whether they should shut down or continue operating. They save on operations and wear and tear,” said Henrik Nielsen, owner and manager at TPI.

The frequency converter enables precise control of the pump, and because the solution is very compact, the water treatment plants save on space and there is no need for long cable runs.

A collaboration that developed over time

TPI has worked as a partner and distributor for Hoyer Motors for the last three years and the distributor has helped open the door to water treatment plants in Denmark. The collaboration is an excellent example of the strong synergy between Hoyer’s international set-up and distributors with extensive local knowledge and lots of potential to service local companies.

“Our distributors around the world are an excellent supplement to our own customer support. We believe there are great advantages in having a strong network of local distributors, acting as our extended arm in the market,” said Brian Byskov, After Sales Segment Manager at Hoyer.

Learn more about Hoyer energy-efficient motors

If you would like to learn about Hoyer energy-efficient IE4 motors, go to our website here.

For more information about Hoyer’s distributor network, go to our website here.