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Danfoss drives for HVAC applications

1st July 2018

AC drives are installed on a daily basis in various heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and water-boosting applications in new and existing buildings and infrastructural systems all over the world. They enhance air quality and indoor comfort levels, improve control and energy-saving possibilities, ensure better asset protection, reduce maintenance costs and increase reliability.

The daily load variation in HVAC facilities is considerable. Variable speed control of electrical motors has proved to be one of the most effective cost-reducing measures available. By reducing the average speed of a motor in, for example, a pump or fan by 20%, energy savings of 50% can be achieved. Reducing the average speed by 50% increases the savings to 80%.

Reduce total cost of ownership 
Lifetime energy costs have a major impact on total cost of ownership. Even small reductions in energy use can provide vast cost savings over a relatively short timeframe. Seen over its lifetime, the initial cost of an AC drive only amounts to 10% of the total cost of ownership; the remaining 90% covers energy consumption, service and maintenance.

Features, such as Automatic Motor Adaptation and Automatic Energy Optimization, ensure that your drive is always perfectly adapted to the attached motor and changing loads. And, with minimal maintenance requirements, Danfoss AC drives provide a fast return on your HVAC investment and significantly reduce your total cost of ownership.

Calculate energy consumption with VLT® Energy Box 
VLT® Energy Box software calculates, as accurately as possible, the cost, savings and payback time of using Danfoss AC drives in HVAC fan and pump applications. The tool allows you to compare the energy consumption of HVAC fans and pumps driven by Danfoss drives with alternative methods of flow control.

Applications
HVAC systems regulate the heating and cooling units in a building to provide the highest levels of comfort. The conditions are controlled by several applications which all use AC drives. Here are some of the main HVAC-related applications:

  - Heating

• Boiler forced and induced draft fans
• Primary hot water pumps
• Fan coils
• Heat recovery systems

   - Ventilation

• Air handling units, rooftop units, supply and extract fans
• Variable/constant air volume ventilation systems
• Smoke ventilation, fire control and stairway ventilation systems
• Car park ventilation systems
• Kitchen ventilation systems

   - Cooling

• Chilled water pumping systems
• Primary/secondary pumps
• Variable flow with primary pumps only
• Fan coils
• Heat recovery systems
• Cooling tower fans, Condenser water pumps
• Chiller compressor

   - Fresh water

• Booster pumps
• Single or parallel pumps