690Visagoodalternativeintheprocessindustry

TheprocessindustryintheNordiccountriesgenerallyusesvoltageof690Vfor
processmotors,whereasCentralEurope,GreatBritainandtheUSAusuallyprefer
lowervoltages.Considerablesavingscanbeachievedintheinvestmentandoperation
costsforequipmentbyusingmotorswith690Vvoltage.
Researchshowsthebenefitsofusing690Vmotorvoltage.Theacquisitioncostsof
devices,thecablingcostsandtheruntimecostlossesdecreaseessentially.Equipment
straincausedbydiminishingshortcircuitcurrentsdecreasessignificantly.Another
costsavingaspectisthatthe690Vvoltagecanbeusedinprocessmotorswithpower
rangesupto800kW.Inmediumvoltagedistribution,significantcostscanbesaved
byusingdistributiontransformersof4MVAwith690Vwhenthesuitable
distributiontransformerfor400Vis2MVA.
Costscausedbytransmissionlossescanbeconsiderablydecreasedbyusing690V
bothwhenusingcentralizeddistribution(allmotorsconnecteddirectlytoacentral
unit)andwhenusingdistributioninstages(mainunitsubunitdistribution).In
certainapplications,690Vhasbeenusedasprocessvoltagetogetherwiththe400V
distribution.Thesamemotorsrunoneither690or400Vdependingonthe
connection.
Energyatalowerprice
InhislicenciatethesisfromtheLappeenrantaUniversityofTechnology,Mr.Jaakko
Lehtonensaysthattheuseoffrequencyconvertershasbecomecommonbecausethey
provideimprovedtechnicalcontrol.Theyoptimizetheprocess,raisetheproduction
rateandsaveenergycosts.The690Vvoltageisthemostcosteffectivealternative
alsowhenconsideringtheeffectoffrequencyconvertersinthecomparisonofcosts.
Powerlossesdecreasewhenhighervoltageisused,Mr.Lehtonenconcludes.
Byusing690Vvoltageintheprocessindustry,largermotors(forexamplechipper
motors)canbeconnectedtoamoreaffordableandpracticallowvoltagecircuit,
whichallowtheuseofsignificantly largermotorsupto800kW.Atthesametime,
thequalityoftheelectricityincreases,thenetworkbecomesmoresolidandmotor
outputscannottripduetosettingerrors.
Thevoltageof690Vstabilizesthenetworkandthefuselimitsshortcircuitcurrents,
thusshorteningvoltagedips.Theonephaseoperationofthefuseminimizesthe
powerfailureswithinthesamegroupofonephaseequipmentandtheprincipleofone
starteronecompartmentconnecteddirectlytothemainbusbarsystemprevents
wholemotorgroupsfromstopping.
Fusiblesystemsprovidebenefits
Afusiblesystemprovideseconomicalbenefitscomparedtoafuselesssystem.Planningthe
systemandtheselectionofdevicesismucheasier,sinceafusereleaseslessenergyandthe
currentpeakissmallerthanwhenacircuitbreakerisused.Thesizeofthecontactorandthe
thermalrelaycanbeoftensmaller.Aswitchfusesolutiondoesnotneedanarcingspace.Due
toalltheseadvantagesthesizeoftheswitchgearissmaller.

Afusiblesystemcaneasilybemadetoworkselectively.Itiseasytofulfilltheprincipleof
onestarteronecompartment,thusincreasingthereliabilityoftheprocessfunction.No
separateupstreamfuseprotectionisneededduetotheextensiveshortcircuitcapacity.
Ofcoursethefusestillhastobechangedwhenittrips.This,inturn,increasessecurityasthe
reasonfortheshortcircuitmustbecheckedbeforereconnectionandthenewfuseimproves
thereliabilityoftheshortcircuitprotection.
Thelifetimecostofthefusiblesystemremainlowasincaseofshortcircuitonlythe
economicalfuselinkneedstobechanged.Theswitchmechanismandthearcchambers
remainfitaftertheshortcircuit.

StoraEnsochose690V
Alreadyin1977,themaintenanceandrepaircompanyVarensoatthepapermillof
StoraEnsoinVarkaus,Finland,chose690Vasthevoltageoftheirprocessesto
improvetheircompetitivenessandindustrialsafety.Forthesamereason,thepaper
millofVarkaushassystematicallychangedoverfrom500Vto690Vinallrenewing
projectsandnewbuildingssince1977.
AccordingtoMr.TeuvoVolanen,GeneralSuperintendentofVarenso,thedecision
tochangeto690Vwasbraveatthetime.However,itwasbasedonprecise
calculationsregardingcostsandsafety.Thedecisionwascorrectandthechanges
havebeeneasytoimplement.Alllowvoltagemotorscanbepurchasedwiththe
ratings400/690V/Y. Thevoltagescaneasilybechangedbyshiftingthe
connection,whichdecreasestheamountofsparemotorsneeded.Theold500V
deviceswillbeexchangedtouse690Vdeviceswhenfacilitiesarerenewed.
AccordingtoMr.Volanen,itwaspossibletotakelargerdistributiontransformersinto
useasthechangeto690Vvoltagedecreasedtheshortcircuitcurrents.Theload
currentsincomparisiontotheeffectdecreased,asdidthecurrentthermallosses.Now
evenlargermotorsthanbeforecanbesuppliedbylowvoltage.
Lowershortcircuitcurrents
Sincetheshortcircuitcurrentsperswitchgeararelowertoday,thesizeofthe
distributiontransformerscanbelarger,upto3.15or4.0MVA.Lowershortcircuit
currenteffectsforexampletheswitchgearstructure,thesafetyatworkandthecosts,
Mr.Volanentellsus.
Theprocessalsoneeds400Vvoltagewhenusingfrequencyconvertercontrolled
motorswithaneffectbelow10kWaswellasforspecialequipment.InVarkaus,the
solutionwastouseantransitionaltransformerdownstreamfromthe690V
transformer.Thetransitionaltransformerprovidesthe400Vvoltagethatthemotors
need.Inthese400Vcentralswithlowshortcircuitcurrents,bothfusedsystemas
wellasfuselesssystemsareused.
Moresafetywithfuses
Mr.Volanensaysthatthefusesblockshortcircuitcurrentsbetterthancircuit
breakersandthisgivesanenhanceddevicedurabilityandworksafety.Usuallyonly
thefuseisdamagedinshortcircuitsituationsandiseasytoreplace.

Mr.Volanenexplainsthattheswitchfuseandtheregularfusesarethemostessential
elementsinafusiblesystem.Theyareextremelyimportantduringmaintenanceor
repairwhentheclearancebetweenopencontactsstatedinregulationsiseasytodetect
withtheswitchfuse.Afusedsystemover63Aissafer,morecostminimizingand
withstandshighershortcircuitscurrents.Theselectivityofafusedsystemisbetter
comparedtoacircuitbreaker.Theinstallationisalsolesscomplicated.
RauniRiippi

Comparisonoffusedvs.fuselesssystemat690V,type2
coordiation

Number
ofcubicles
Switchfuse
Circuitbreaker
Totalcost
kEUR

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

Comparisonoftotalcostandnumberofcubiclesofmotorcontrolcenters
inagreenfieldpulpfactoryprojectby690V,50kAandtype2coordination.

ThepowerconsumptionoftheStoraEnsopapermillsinVarkausisabout150160
MW.About2025percentisproducedatthemillandtherestcomesfromthe
nationalgrid.Theamountofsquirrelcagemotorsisabout7000.Theunitthatneeds
mostpoweristheThermoMechanicalPlant(TMP).Theeffectofthemaingrinder
motorsatstages1and2ofthenewlineintheTMPis64MWintotal.
PictureStoraEnso,Photographer:SCanFoto.

PhotosbyRauniRiippi:
KeepingupwiththecompetitorsisimportanttoStoraEnsoinVarkaus.Inan
electricalnetwork,everythingfromselectingswitchgearandcomponents,individual
motordrivesandcablingofequipmenttothemaintenanceofthenetworkhasan
impactoncompetiveness.Costminimizingisessential,sincethemanufacturingof
mechanicalwoodpulpneedsalotofenergy,GeneralSuperintendentTeuvoVolanen
says.

Theshortcircuitcurrentsarelowerwith690Vvoltage.Thisaffectstheconstruction
oftheswitchgear,whichissmallertodaythanbefore,andfacilityspacecanbeused
forotherpurposes.

Distributionofthelowvoltagemotorsina
typicalpulpfactory
>including
315kW
Size >7,5kW,<
315kW
<including
7,5kW
0

200

400

600

800

1000 1200

NumberofMotors

Lowvoltagemotorsinatypicalpulpfactorydividedintomaincategories

Totalcostsof400Vand690Vsystemsinapulp
factory
Highvoltageswitchgearand
cables
LVSystem

6kVswitchgearandmotors
690V
Lowvoltagemotorcontrol
centres
Lowvoltagedistribution

400V

Lowvoltagemotors
0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500
Energylosses

AnnualcostkEUR

Totalcostsof400Vand690Vsystemsinapulp
factory
Highvoltageswitchgearand
cables
LVSystem

6kVswitchgearandmotors
690V
Lowvoltagemotorcontrol
centres
Lowvoltagedistribution

400V

Lowvoltagemotors
0

500

1000

1500

AnnualcostkEUR

2000

2500
Energylosses

Comparisonoftotalinvestmentandpowerlossesof400Vand690Vsystemscalculatedonan
annualbasisduring15yearsrunningtimeinapulpfactory
SourceLTYLis(Tekn)621.316.1