International. The manufacturer of efficient fans and motors, Ziehl-Abegg, announced that it was responsible for the replacement of the fans that cooled the BritNed converter station in Maasvlakte in the Rotterdam area, United Kingdom.
BritNed is the operator of the high voltage direct current (HDVC) submarine power cable connecting the UK and the Netherlands. The new fans help BritNed reduce energy consumption and reduce its carbon footprint.
BritNed (a joint venture between British National Grid and Dutch TenneT) is responsible for the transmission of electricity between the Netherlands and the UK. The submarine power cable connects grain Island in Kent with Maasvlakte in the Rotterdam area, a distance of 256 kilometers, and has a capacity of 1,000 MW.
In order to convert high-voltage direct current (HDVC) to widely used alternating current (AC), converter stations are located at each end of the power cord. These heavy-duty conversion stations, of approximately 5 hectares each, are working permanently and produce a significant amount of heat.
Reliable cooling is an ongoing requirement, but cooling fans that run without interruption consume a lot of power. With the ZAplus product series, Ziehl-Abegg was able to offer several improvements to the existing system. The newly installed cooling fans have electronically switched (EC) motors that have proven to be highly energy efficient and environmentally friendly. The practical design of the fan allows for easy maintenance and improves the uptime guarantee.
The company indicated that the use of EC technology will result in a significant reduction in energy use and the bionic profile of the blades (inspired by the owl) minimizes noise pollution in the surrounding area. In total, the new fans will help BritNed reduce its energy consumption by 450,000 kWh per year and reduce its carbon footprint by 51 tons per year.
On the other hand, to improve uptime, the fans are equipped with a special service ring that allows easy access for maintenance and repair. It is no longer necessary to turn off the cooling unit to perform maintenance tasks, so costly interruptions will be reduced. Before the replacement cleaning took two weeks, now it takes a day.
The replacement of the 40 fans was performed in two batches during planned outages. Kevin Rendell, BritNed's Chief Operating Officer, praised the quick and easy-to-use installation of new Ziehl-Abegg fans. The old cooling fans will be recycled.
