Power^V_™ - Benefits

        

Benefits

Power^V_™ Technology allows heating products to run on higher voltage in a compact, zero-emission footprint. This provides users with short- and long-term savings for both installation and operation. The unique benefits of Power^V_™ include:

Decreased Installation Costs

With Power^V_™, a wide range of operations can now benefit from the superior option of electric process heating. The reduced wiring, labor savings, and smaller footprint means immediate installation savings for even the largest heating application.

One Chromalox Power^V_™ product, the DirectConnect™ medium voltage electric system for process heating, provides end users with greatly reduced installation costs. In one 2.4 MW (8.2 MMBtu/hr) installation, a low voltage system would have required 24 circuits with over 250 labor hours to install. A DirectConnect™ 4160 V process heating system requires only two circuits and 20 labor hours. This offers an instant installation savings of $224,995 due to the need for less wiring, less labor, and the elimination of step down transformers.

Increased Operational Efficiency

Traditionally, most industries have used low voltage systems (typically less than 1,000 V) for electric heating applications. Lower voltages can lose excessive energy in the form of wiring losses, commonly known as I²R losses. Power^V_™ unlocks that wasted energy by converting it into usable heating energy, thereby raising operating efficiency.

Power^V_™ enables DirectConnect™ medium voltage heating systems to increase the efficiency of power distribution and consumption. Low voltage systems operate at about 96% efficiency with losses coming from current transmission across wires, bussing, connections, and instrumentation, or I²R losses. A multi-megawatt process heating system operating at 4,160 V, using the Chromalox SCR power control option maximizes efficiency to nearly 99%. In one instance, that 3% improvement resulted in a lifetime savings of $633,140.

Power^V_™ Case Studies

Reduced Product Footprint and Weight

By leveraging the benefits of higher voltage power, Chromalox products with Power^V_™ technology offer a significantly reduced footprint and weight savings within a process heating system. Electric heating systems have always offered a more compact design than a fuel-fired offering. Power^V_™ makes a heating package smaller and lighter than ever before by offering less wiring, less conduit, less connections points, and even a smaller power transformer.

Heavy gauge wires, used in a lower voltage application, can consume valuable floor space. In addition, the wire weight can have a compound effect by adding even more weight due to the supporting infrastructure needed to accommodate their bulk. However, Power^V_™ enables a reduction in the number of wires used and typically allows a much lighter gauge through the use of higher voltage. Likewise, Power^V_™ has the same effect by reducing the weight or even the need of a power transformer.

In applications like offshore environments, Power^V_™ can offer a tremendous cost savings. Platforms use multiple air heaters, such as models CXH and HD3D. In a common platform layout, the use of Power^V_™ products created a savings of over $360,000 by eliminating 11.5 tons (10,450 kg) of excess wiring and structural steel.

Simplified Maintenance

Savings are felt long term thanks to the optimal design and performance that Power^V_™ equipment delivers. Fewer connections, circuits, and wiring translate into time saved by maintenance staff for faster inspections each cycle.

In one instance, when comparing a traditional 300 V MI cable with a Chromalox 600 V Power^V_™ MI cable, the 600 V cable required half the connections points, fewer accessories, and a less expensive control panel. Yearly inspection of this 5,000 ft pipeline was reduced by over $10,000 with a greatly simplified maintenance process.

With skin effect heating, the higher voltage allows for extremely long (2,000 ft [610 m] to 16 mi [26 km]) lengths of heat to be applied with only one point of supply voltage. This installation style allows for streamlined operation and greatly simplified maintenance, significantly reducing long-term costs.

Clean Energy Utilization

Most fossil-fired heating sources are subject to strict regulations as well as ongoing environmental concerns. Power^V_™ electric heating helps remove this concern from the user, while capitalizing on the most efficient conversion of energy to heat. This allows an emissions-free, safe alternative at the point of use that does not produce carbon monoxide. Electric heat preserves natural resources by using energy more efficiently and is not subject to government emissions regulations or permit requirements.

Power^V_™ enabled one petrochemical manufacturer to expand production in a residential setting. Local restrictions had long since capped the amount of emissions that could be generated from the existing site. Power^V_™ heating provided the solutions with clean, cost effective design that increased operation directly on site. This saved the manufacturer the immeasurable cost of relocation and hearings for government compliance, along with the months of production loss.