Danfoss Delivers AC Drives and Products to Wärtsilä‘s Smart Technology Hub

A manufacturer of AC drives Danfoss Drives and other business segments of the company will be supplying AC drives and other products to Finland-based technology company Wärtsilä's research, product development, and production center Smart Technology Hub. 

 

A visual representation of Wärtsilä's Smart Technology Hub. Image used courtesy of Wärtsilä 

 

What is an AC Drive?

An AC drive is used to control the speed of an electrical motor. They are also known by other names including variable frequency drives, frequency converters, variable speed drives, power converters, inverters, adjustable speed drives, adjustable frequency drives, and adjustable speed drives. By changing the frequency of the electrical supply to the motor, the speed of the motor can be controlled. 

Usually, AC drives are used to control motors operating at a constant speed. Benefits of having this level of control include being able to make energy savings, enhance process control, and alleviate system stress if required. Energy usage can also be reduced and energy efficiency increased. AC drives can also enable optimization of the operation of a variety of applications that rely on electric motors. Drives can also be used to harness energy from renewable sources such as wind, wave, or solar. This can either be used for local consumption or can be transmitted to the electrical network.

 

Danfoss and Wärtsilä

Danfoss will be providing Wärtsilä's testing area for products and solutions with 192 pieces of its new-generation AC drives. Taken together, the drives generate a total power of 32 megawatts and will be delivered to Wärtsilä from the Danfoss Vaasa factory. In addition to other building automation products from Danfoss’ business segments, VACON AC drives will also be delivered. The company will be involved in the design and delivery of systems for Wärtsilä's new testing area.

In a recent news release, Markus Forma expressed his views on the collaboration: "This is a unique opportunity for Danfoss and in particular for us at Danfoss Drives in Vaasa to intensify our cooperation with Wärtsilä. We will be in an increasingly close dialogue with Wärtsilä's research and product development in the future, and in this way, we will be able to help one another with different business opportunities. In addition, Danfoss' customers will also be able to visit currently one of the most modern testing labs in the Smart Technology Hub." 

Forma is the Global Key Account Manager for Wärtsilä at Danfoss Drives.

 

 Image used courtesy of Danfoss 

 

Wärtsilä will be investing over 230 million euros in the technology hub and will be collaborating with partners such as University of Vaasa, Demos Helsinki, including Danfoss. Wärtsilä hope to expand on innovations through research and product development in a collaborative ecosystem that brings together companies, universities, and start-ups. More information on this can be found here.

In the same news release, Vesa Riihimäki, Director, Delivery Management, Wärtsilä Finland Oy, said that the AC drives from Danfoss are integral "in the operations of the testing area of our products and systems, and they allow the electricity generated during testing to be fed back to the grid for re-use, regardless of application. This is why we appreciate that Danfoss is a member of our partner network, and we can further deepen our collaboration. We have chosen as technology partners for the Smart Technology Hub such players that can bring the best products and solutions in use to our technology hub. At the same time, we will create a mutually beneficial agile and integrated ecosystem for the development and deployment of solutions in the marine and energy industries.”