The importance of International Standards to the industry in saving the planet

All of us including our customers, and users have a large part to play. Are people aware of it, and how do we ensure that as an industry, we are doing all that we can to save the planet and its resources?

 

To date the industry and can be proud that it has helped our customers to ensure that at the time of repair or replacement they were offered the chance to upgrade to a more energy efficient option. This on its own has led to considerable energy savings. However the task is ongoing and upgrading to IE4 and IE5 motors is not always the best or most economic answer, so where do we go now?

 

Many companies are now locked into the box pushing system of always replacing a failed machine or pump with another new energy efficient machine, but is this really the best course of action.

 

Service and repair centres now have all the tools they require to ensure that:

 

• Energy efficient motors in the market maintain their rated energy efficiency after repair (Recent major studies by the AEMT and EASA have also confirmed this)

• That by repairing or remanufacturing a motor, the machines life is effectively doubled every time it is repaired, i.e. another 20,000 hours in the modern scrupulously clean air conditioned factories.

• Machines repaired to International Standards are as reliable as a new machine, last as long as a new machine and normally carry the same warranty as a new machine.

• Hazardous area machines, as well as al the above, maintain the safety of their protection concepts if repaired using International Standards.

• That all the items replaced during an overhaul, maintenance, or repair, are recycled as “green” high quality scrap, making the industry self sufficient in a Circular Economy with the copper, steel, iron, and aluminium that it uses.

• The carbon footprint of a repaired machine is a fraction of the carbon footprint of a new machine.

These are impressive credentials for any industry, but what are the standards required?

 

For normal machines the international standard to repair machines is IEC 60034 23 Rotating Electrical Equipment: Repair, Overhaul, and Reclamation.

 

Together with other International IEC 60034 series standards named within the above standard. These standards are those used by manufacturers for the parameters and test procedures that new machines must comply with. By using the same tests and checks as the manufacturers, the service repair centre can ensure that a repaired machine is truly repaired or remanufactured to conform with the original specifications.

 

In addition, for Hazardous Area and Atex machines the International Standard: IEC 60079 19 Explosive Atmosphere Equipment: Repair, Overhaul, and Reclamation. Should be used to maintain the safety of the product in Hazardous areas.

 

Efficiency is maintained during repair: A recent study by the AEMT and EASA on IE3 machines has confirmed that using recognised standards and an independent test centre, the energy efficiency of machines stayed within the rated band of efficiency after repair. This backs up the findings of the earlier 2004 study on machines up to IE2.

 

The following extract is taken from the IEC 60034 23 International standard on Rotating Electrical Machine: Repair, Overhaul, and Reclamation which sums up the importance of the repair process in the circular economy,

 

“4.7 Circular economy

The repair process complies with all aspects of the circular economy, doubling or trebling the active life of rotating electrical machines and the use of materials in them. The rotating electrical equipment market has undergone a process of upgrading to more energy efficient machines to save on power usage, with the focus of standardisation on IE3 machines, or equivalent. The repair/refurbishment of energy efficient machines ensures the most efficient use of the world’s dwindling resources. When repairing/maintaining a typical 110 kW machine with new bearings, the effective life is doubled and 99 % of the original machine is maintained. The old bearings, making up 1 % of the machine, are recycled as high quality “green” steel scrap. If the machine is rewound 90,5 % of the machine is reused during refurbishment. Weight for weight of the materials used during a rewind are returned as high quality green copper and steel scrap. The only items not reused or recycled during repair are the varnish, insulation, paint and grease, representing just 0,9 % by weight of the materials present in a typical 110 kW machine.”

 

In conclusion, the master craft of repairing and rewinding electric machines is vitally important to make sure we make the best use of the world’s dwindling resources.

 

A Tesla car contains 81 kilograms of copper, and there are currently 1.4 billion cars in the world. To produce a tonne of copper means mining 140 tonnes of ore to extract one tonne of copper, just enough for a Tesla! Food for thought!