Technical
CONDITIONING MONITORING WITH INTELLIGENT DRIVES IN INDUSTRY 4.0
By Sydney Govender , Danfoss Drives South Africa senior country sales manager
The fourth industrial revolution , which is also known as Industry 4.0 , refers to the combination of physical assets and advanced digital technologies that communicate , analyse and act upon information , which in turn enables organisations and consumers to be flexible and make more intelligent , responsive , data-driven decisions .
Industry 4.0 has emerged as a result of the intelligent networking of computers , people , and devices , fuelled by data and machine learning , using all possibilities of digitalisation across the entire value chain .
This significant change in technology has led to a whole new way of working in a digital world . It embraces the internet of things ( IoT ), artificial intelligence ( AI ), robots , drones , autonomous vehicles , 3D printing , cloud computing , and nanotechnology , to name a few .
TRENDS IN INDUSTRY 4.0 AUTOMATION SYSTEMS In automation systems , the impact of Industry 4.0 on motor systems is a migration from the ‘ automation pyramid ’ to ‘ networked systems ’. This means that the various elements of the system , such as motors , drives , sensors , and controls , are interconnected and connected to a cloud data centre , where data is stored , processed , and analysed , and decisions are made .
In an automation network , the amount of data is prominent . As data is mainly produced by sensors , the number of sensors in modern automation systems is increasing . Sensors are required to collect data from motors and motor-driven machines such as fan , pumps , and conveyors , and then connected to the data network by various means to use the data .
Modern variable speed drives open new opportunities in the Industry 4.0 automation network . Traditionally , drives have been considered power processors for controlling the motor speed . Today , drives are also part of the information chain , using the advantage of built-in processing power , storage capacity , and communication interface , within the drive itself .
WHAT IS AN INTELLIGENT DRIVE ? In the Industry 4.0 network , the drive plays an important role and is characterised by some enabling features .
Danfoss
• Secure connectivity : The drive can connect to other elements in a secure manner . Other elements in the network may include drives , PLCs , sensors , and a cloud data centre .
• The drive acts as a sensor : The drive uses motor current and voltage signature analysis to sense the motor and application performance .
• The drive acts as a sensor hub : The drive acquires data from external sensors related to the process , which is controlled by the drive .
• The drive acts as a controller : The drive can replace the PLC wherever application constraints allow .
• Bring your own device concept : This uses wireless connectivity to smart devices such as a smartphone or tablet .
Information from the drive can be identified as follows :
• Instantaneous signals : Signals which are directly measured by the drive using built-in sensors . Data such as motor current , voltage , drive temperature , and their derivative , which is power as a multiplication of current and voltage , or motor torque . Moreover , the drive can be used as a hub for connecting external sensors that provide instantaneous signals .
The idea of condition-based maintenance is to detect the potential failure before an actual failure occurs .
www . hvacronline . co . za RACA Journal I June 2022 61