Regenerative Inverter System - ABB and Siemens - KRS INDUSTRIAL CONTROL SYSTEM CO., LTD

About the project

Date: 2024
Client: Starch Processing Plant
Category: Drives & Motor Control, Electrical & Control Panel
Address: Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand

Project Information This project applied regenerative drive technology to equipment that produces braking energy in normal operation, such as centrifuges and high inertia machines. Instead of dissipating that energy as heat in braking resistors, the regenerative units return it to the supply network, which lowers the energy bill and removes a significant source of heat from the electrical room. Our scope covered load and duty cycle analysis, selection of ABB and Siemens regenerative units, line filter and line reactor design, panel construction, DC bus and grid side configuration, protection coordination, and measurement of the energy actually recovered during production.

Benefits of Project

Braking energy returned to the network instead of wasted as heat
Measurable reduction in electricity cost on high inertia equipment
Less heat load in the electrical room and lower cooling demand
Braking resistors removed, reducing a common maintenance item
Improved power factor and controlled harmonic distortion

Technologies We Used

ABB regenerative drive units
Siemens SINAMICS Active Line Module
Line reactors and harmonic filters
Power quality and energy measurement
Busbar and protection coordination
DC bus and grid side parameter configuration
Energy data integration into plant monitoring

Braking Energy Turned Back into Supply

Centrifuges and other high inertia machines generate energy every time they decelerate. A standard drive burns that energy in a braking resistor, which wastes electricity and fills the electrical room with heat. A regenerative unit feeds it back into the network instead, so the same duty cycle costs less and the panel runs cooler.

Measured, Not Assumed

Power quality and energy consumption were measured before and after the change, so the saving is a recorded figure rather than a manufacturer claim. The same measurement also confirms that harmonic distortion stays inside the limit agreed with the utility, which protects other equipment on the same supply.