Synchrony Technology Blog

Today, there is much public attention placed on reducing the amount of fossil fuel we burn for reasons of energy independence, economics, and environmental sustainability. There are several ways to reduce burning of fossil fuels:

• Displace fossil fuels with other sources of energy, such as nuclear, wind, geothermal, and solar
• Reduce the consumption of energy by reducing energy-intensive activities
• Improve the utilization of energy by increasing the efficiency of machines and processes

Improved efficiency is the low-hanging fruit because it typically does not involve radical changes in our energy infrastructure. For instance, according to NEMA, electric motors account for nearly 70% of the electricity consumed in the U.S. industrial manufacturing sector. Many of those motors drive turbomachines such as pumps, blowers, and compressors commonly found in industrial processes. Even small efficiency improvements translate to large reductions in energy consumption. Magnetic bearings and high speed motors can help to reduce the energy consumption in your factory in these ways:

• Reduce bearing losses. Using magnetic forces to support and position rotating shafts eliminates the viscous friction from lubricants in motors and turbomachines.
• Eliminate gearbox losses. Directly connecting a high speed motor to a high speed turbomachine eliminates the power consumed by gears, bearings, and pinions.
• Improve aerodynamic efficiency. Increasing the speed of the turbomachine and allowing the speed to vary with operating conditions improves the overall aerodynamic efficiency of the turbomachine.

These improvements in efficiency have been already accepted in applications such as refrigerant compressors and aeration blowers, where efficiency improvements greater than 10% are achievable.