CP Automation helps GA Pet Food Partners ensure uptime
EDITOR ’ S CHOICE MAINTAINING UPTIME
CP AUTOMATION
CP Automation helps GA Pet Food Partners ensure uptime
In any industrial facility , electric motors and drives are a strong source of harmonic currents and utility-level voltage distortion . Together , these can wreak havoc with plant equipment and the mains power supply . When GA Pet Food Partners , a dry pet food manufacturer , began designing a new treatment plant at its Preston site , it knew that it needed to design harmonic mitigation into the plans to prevent unplanned outages from occurring . During the design process , it approached power quality specialist CP Automation to find a solution .
Beginning its journey in 1972 as a mixed arable and livestock farm , GA Pet Food Partners is a private label family-owned and family-run business specialising in the production and delivery of pet foods . The company is headquartered in Preston , alongside an additional Preston facility and two sites in Chorley , Lancashire .
As part of the company ’ s expansion , GA was developing a new water treatment plant and an odour abatement plant with biobeds , to address any environmental impact the expansion may incur . Following treatment , GA would then sell these products onto its consumers . During the site design process , GA knew that the site would contain many drives , and that this could introduce risks associated with harmonics and adverse noise unless properly addressed .
THE TROUBLE WITH HARMONICS
Harmonic frequencies are multiples of the fundamental frequencies and usually cause distortion in the voltage and current waveforms . Any drive , power supply or other load causes a nonlinear current draw , which generates harmonics at various frequencies . For example , single phase switches , such as those found in computers , predominantly generate third order harmonics , while AC drives generate fifth and seventh order harmonics .
Third order harmonics are undesirable for GA ’ s operations , because they cause a sharp spike in the zero-sequence current , and therefore increase the current in the neutral conductor . Meanwhile , fifth and seventh order harmonics will go straight to
the transformer and can cause derating , as well as premature insulation when present in excessive amounts .
The need was also legislative . The latest Engineering Recommendation G5 / 5 raised the limit on the measurement of voltage harmonics , total harmonic distortion ( THD ) and sub-groups from the 50th harmonic ( 2.5 kHz ) to the 100th ( 5 kHz ). Given that the new water treatment site would include at least 40 motors — one of GA ’ s sites also had over 300 drives — it was clear that harmonic mitigation would need to be designed into any future facility . At this point , the pet food manufacturer turned to power quality specialist CP Automation for support .
DESIGNING FOR MITIGATION
To support GA ’ s engineering team with the design , CP Automation supplied five P300 active harmonic filters from Swedish cleantech company Comsys . Some were used for the design of the new site , while other filters were retrofitted to replace legacy units .
“ The active harmonic filters are a specialist type of inverter that measure the harmonic load on the mains and generate the exact inverse to cancel out any noise ,” explained Jayne Whittaker , engineering director at GA Pet Food Partners . “ In doing so , the Comsys filters can correct power factor , which is vital as power factor capacitors are highly vulnerable to harmonics and the insulation failure they cause .
“ As we ’ ve continued to expand and add more to kit to our sites , this growth has compounded power quality issues ,” continued Whittaker . “ I first realised these challenges 24 years ago , but only in recent years has mitigation technology caught up so that we can now resolve them constructively and cost effectively . Previously , we would have to overrate equipment to account for harmonics , but this had cost and efficiency implications .”
By supplying the active dynamic filtering ( ADF ) units , CP Automation could help GA achieve Engineering Recommendation G5 / 5 compliance while reducing the premature failure rate of equipment , nuisance tripping and other issues .
CLEAN , RELIABLE ELECTRICITY
The new ADF P300 units are designed for all size loads and are functioning as intended — eliminating harmonics and reactive displacement at GA ’ s site . Unlike other mitigation technologies , the Comsys units can correct both harmonics and power factor , which not only improves resilience against noise but also reduces the current drawn from the mains , meaning less power is consumed .
“ One of the unique selling points of the P300 is its compact build and that it can deliver significant value with a minimal footprint ,” added John Mitchell , global sales and marketing director at CP Automation . “ This was especially important for GA , who was looking for ways to expand sustainably and in a way that would futureproof its sites from adverse load behaviour .
“ On one site , we managed to save the space of four large panels by retrofitting two in their place , achieving a 50 per cent reduction in footprint ,” continued Mitchell . “ The P300 units are an investment in GA ’ s future growth , freeing-up floorspace for additional equipment while protecting its sites from harmful power quality issues . We really enjoyed being a part of this project .”
For further information , please visit www . cpaltd . net
8 PECM Issue 64