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ArcelorMittal Saldanha Bay has been using an Energy Drive Variable Speed Drive system (VSD) to control the speed of descaling pumps at their hot strip mill. The system, consisting of a 3 MW Yaskawa drive weighing over 8 000 kg, is contained in its own environmentally controlled e-Cabin. Due to operational changes at AMSA, Saldanha Bay underwent operational changes, and the section of the plant using the ED system has been put into care and maintenance.

Energy Drive and AMSA collaborated to re-site the system to another site within the AMSA group. An opportunity was identified at AMSA Vanderbijlpark, and the teams set to work to investigate its viability.

Energy Drive was able to present a turnkey solution to AMSA. The project started off with a detailed site assessment and investigation to establish the energy savings potential. The project was managed through a quality control process, where each stage was signed off by AMSA Vanderbijlpark to ensure that the expectations on the system were met.

The final stage of the project was moving this large VSD from Saldanha Bay to Vanderbijlpark, which took just over 4 weeks to complete, including installation and commissioning. The move was made over the Christmas holidays, ensuring minimum disruption to the client’s operations.
Upon completion of the installation, the project was handed over to AMSA’s operational team and Energy Drive. Through its analytics, Energy Drive will continue to provide a dynamic reporting function on system health and efficiency.

“The team at Energy Drive has delivered yet another successful energy-saving solution, decreasing our plant’s base energy usage and carbon footprint. Their new 3 MW Yaskawa Variable Frequency Drive will improve our descaling system’s reliability and availability. We look forward to working with their multi-talented team going further!”

Jacques Bezuidenhout | Electrical Maintenance Engineer
AMSA Vanderbijlpark