FINLAND Vacon turns up the power
VACON is continuing its strategy of boosting capacity, following a recent extension of its facilities in Vaasa, Finland to handle the increased production of AC drives.
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N2005, some 7% of the€149.9 million turnover generated by Vacon was ploughed back into the
company’s R&D spend. Clearly, the company has little intention of sitting back on its global market share of the AC drives sector of 3.5%, built up since its founding in 1993. Instead, it is investing in module factories in
Finland and China and the 'mini-factories' in Finland, China, India, Italy, and Mexico that serve local regions. The factories in Finland and China have a production capacity of respectively 200,000 and 100,000 units per year. The company employs some 620 persons, 160 of which are active in production. Vacon’s AC drives in the power range of 0.25kW
and upwards include what were the first ranging from 2.2kW to 3000kW in the voltage range from 380V to 690V AC. And, last year, the company extended its unit power range up to 5MW, with all AC units of above 2MW being liquid-cooled, whereas the smaller units can also be air cooled. Landmark orders in 2006 included a contract in
April 2006 to supply Vacon drives for 16 vessels from its Norwegian partner Scandinavian Electric Systems AS (SES), with a combined power totalling 150MW. Most of the AC drives were for the control of main propulsion and thrusters, but also ordered were some high-power drives for the control of seismic compressors. Vacon is also delivering AC drives for a series
of five ST-610 patrol vessels for the Norwegian Coast Guard. The first in the series designed by Skipsteknik S isKV Nornen. The vessels are being built at Sczcecin, Poland. Here, the propulsion system of the diesel-electric vessels are two azimuthing thrusters, each controlled by an active front end (AFE) liquid-cooled harmonic-free Vacon drive of 1640 A/1100kW (480V), giving the vessels a speed of approximately 16knots. The vessels also feature dynamic positioning capabilities. One of the other major single propulsion drive
orders, announced last year, was the diesel-electric propulsion system specified for Geo Celtic, so far
The liquid-cooled Vacon NXP drives are available in a power range of 0.75MW to 5MW
the world’s largest purpose-built seismic research vessel, which is to be completed by mid-2007. The order, arranged by SES, comprises four generators of 16,800kVA, electrical main and emergency switchboards, liquid-cooled active front-end AFE units, two electrical main propulsion motors of 4200kW each and two thrusters of 1500kW and 1200kW. Also notable last year was an order covering
seven 2400kW liquid-cooled Vacon drives for Sapura 3000, a heavy-lift crane and pipe-laying vessel presently under construction at Sembawang Shipyard in Singapore. With orders flowing, Vacon continues to invest
in product development, recently introducing the ATEX-certified thermistor input which is fully integrated in the drive. Certified and compliant with the guidelines set by ATEX 94/9/EC, the integrated
thermistor input is specifically designed for the temperature supervision of motors that are placed in potentially hazardous areas. If overtemperature is detected, the drive immediately stops feeding energy to the motor and thus further heating of the motor is avoided. A thermistor input can be fully integrated in the Vacon NXP drive, in contrast to a typical system that features a separate thermistor relay and contactor. The thermistor input is available for the Vacon NXP drives in the power range of 0.75MW to 5MW in voltages 380V- 500V and 525V-690V. Vacon has to date delivered more than 4000
drives for marine applications: more than half used in fan applications and some 25% as winch drives. Other typical drive applications include cargo pumps, compressors, steering gear and propulsion.
FACT, NOT FICTION
ABC audited circulation 10,482 January - December 2005
IF YOUR NEXT THE NAVAL ARCHITECT FEBRUARY 2007 ADVERTISING SCHEDULE INCLUDES TITLES THAT AREN’T AUDITED FOR
CIRCULATION.....ask.... WHY? 19
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