Erod

Energy Reduction Oriented Design

This project aims at studying innovative methodologies and technologies for the development of high efficiency electric motors.

Electric motors have fundamental importance in modern society, so that the population of electric motors of a country is used as an indicator of its technological development.
The Italy’s industrial sector is the one of biggest electricity consumers. The study conducted by the European Commission (Improving the penetration of energy-efficient motors and drivers) the consumption of industrial engines will rise to 721 TWh in 2015. It is necessary to counteract this increase, considering further improvements of engine’s efficiency, such as: improved design of the system, increased efficiency in end-use devices, the transmission efficiency etc.

EROD project, in the context of improving the efficiency of electric motors, will take into account the power size, look on the engine system and user as a unit, considering the engine as a module and as a part of a rich and more complex functional group.

Currently, engine efficiency is regulated through a voluntary agreement between engine manufacturers, prescribed by CEMEP (European Committee of Manufacturers of Electrical Machines and Power Electronics) which has allowed classifying in an objective way the performance of electric motors, in order to obtain the label ACT1, ACT2 and EFF3.

In particular, it aims to take as a reference example, the domestic appliances, for which are already appropriately defined classes of energy efficiency for the engine system (class A, A+, etc), to follow a similar approach in different industrial applications. To reach the goal it should be to establish performance ratings and test procedures to arrive at a standard draft for a voluntary certification system. This phase of the study may also be used by the appliance area for a critical analysis of the current classification, generating proposals for improvement of existing legislation.

A final objective is to develop a design platform, oriented towards efficiency of the functional group of motor and engine-user system. This platform will be a container of methodologies, tools and procedures to support the eco-efficient design of these systems.

From these premises it is clear that the project sought to tackle complex but strategically challenges, for the strong improvement in the electric motor world, considering the full range of major issues, from design to production.