Case Study: AEL achieves 500 kWh per hour energy savings with Danfoss VLT® drives

Automatic Energy Optimization saves AEL Intelligent Blasting 500 kWh per hour

a major mining explosives manufacturer faced challenges with energy inefficiency and unreliable operation of motors and pumps in their nitric acid plant's cooling system, exacerbated by an unstable mains power supply. They partnered with Danfoss to implement a solution using VLT® AQUA Drive FC 202 and VLT® HVAC Drive FC 102 drives for variable speed control.

Danfoss provided drives featuring Automatic Energy Optimization and a kinetic back-up feature to maintain operations during power dips. This solution reduced the plant's energy consumption by 500 kWh per hour, leading to annual operating cost savings of 3.6 million Rand. The project achieved a remarkable payback time of just 18 months while significantly improving system reliability for the customer.

AEL

Eben Jacobs

Process and Control Engineer