EC Technology by ebm-papst
What is EC technology?
EC motors consume on average about 30% less electricity than conventional AC motors - but what is an EC fan and what makes it more efficient?
EC stands for Electronically Commutated which means it is a fan with a Permanent Magnet Motor (PMM). EC motors are more efficient than AC motors because they use permanent magnets rather than induce a secondary magnetic field in the rotor.
Since 1995, ebm-papst has pioneered the development of EC motors and fans, which can be connected directly to an AC mains supply rather than a separate DC power supply, making them easy to retrofit as replacement for inefficient AC fans.
Benefits over traditional fan and motor technology:
EC fans with integrated commutation electronics offer a high efficiency across the entire speed range, optimum noise characteristics with minimum installation complexity, and overall unmatched cost-effectiveness.
AC vs. EC
AC motors are designed to operate at a certain point on their performance curve which coincides with their peak efficiency. Either side of this operating point, the efficiency can drop off considerably. EC motors on the other hand have an almost flat efficiency curve, which varies relatively little across the speed range, a range that is not limited by synchronous speeds or as susceptible to voltage fluctuations as an AC motor. This makes the EC fan much more flexible: being able to use the same product to match the performance requirements of different applications while still benefitting from increased efficiency.
Speed Control
Having successfully integrated our advanced electronics into the motor, we realized that it would be a waste to only use it for turning the motor. Our large motors have full programmable networking capability for integration with BMS systems or can be individually programmed with a PDA connected via Bluetooth. Constant volume or constant pressure functionality is easily achieved with the connection of one simple sensor or, in some cases, without any external sensors at all. Silent, infinitely adjustable speed control can be as simple as connecting a potentiometer to the motor. Commissioning becomes simplicity itself.
The graphs below illustrate the possible energy savings and noise reduction in a direct comparison between on/off operation and EC variable speed control:
EC motors consume on average about 30% less electricity than conventional AC motors - but what is an EC fan and what makes it more efficient?
EC stands for Electronically Commutated which means it is a fan with a Permanent Magnet Motor (PMM). EC motors are more efficient than AC motors because they use permanent magnets rather than induce a secondary magnetic field in the rotor.
Since 1995, ebm-papst has pioneered the development of EC motors and fans, which can be connected directly to an AC mains supply rather than a separate DC power supply, making them easy to retrofit as replacement for inefficient AC fans.
Benefits over traditional fan and motor technology:
- Reduced Energy Consumption
- Significant noise reduction
- Stepless and infinite variable speed control
- No need for additional motor protection
- Remote monitoring via MODBUS
- Compact motors making them fully interchangeable with AC products for retrofit
- Fully integrated, mains input power supplies
- Fully sealed electronics
EC fans with integrated commutation electronics offer a high efficiency across the entire speed range, optimum noise characteristics with minimum installation complexity, and overall unmatched cost-effectiveness.
AC vs. EC
AC motors are designed to operate at a certain point on their performance curve which coincides with their peak efficiency. Either side of this operating point, the efficiency can drop off considerably. EC motors on the other hand have an almost flat efficiency curve, which varies relatively little across the speed range, a range that is not limited by synchronous speeds or as susceptible to voltage fluctuations as an AC motor. This makes the EC fan much more flexible: being able to use the same product to match the performance requirements of different applications while still benefitting from increased efficiency.
Speed Control
Having successfully integrated our advanced electronics into the motor, we realized that it would be a waste to only use it for turning the motor. Our large motors have full programmable networking capability for integration with BMS systems or can be individually programmed with a PDA connected via Bluetooth. Constant volume or constant pressure functionality is easily achieved with the connection of one simple sensor or, in some cases, without any external sensors at all. Silent, infinitely adjustable speed control can be as simple as connecting a potentiometer to the motor. Commissioning becomes simplicity itself.
The graphs below illustrate the possible energy savings and noise reduction in a direct comparison between on/off operation and EC variable speed control:
Lower energy consumption: The grey bars show the power consumption of fans which are switched on gradually as required (banking). The air performance drops by 50 % if two fans are switched off. The blue curve shows the power consumption with in-built variable speed control, resulting in up to 80% energy savings.
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Less noise: Whereas switching off half the fans (halving the air flow) only reduces noise generation by approx. 3 dB, speed reduction to half the air flow yields an improvement of 15 dB.
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Product Range
The available range of AC input EC fans is constantly expanding. There are axial and centrifugal fans, forward curved and backward curved, single inlet and double inlet, single phase and three phase and they are often directly interchangeable with their AC equivalents.
The available range of AC input EC fans is constantly expanding. There are axial and centrifugal fans, forward curved and backward curved, single inlet and double inlet, single phase and three phase and they are often directly interchangeable with their AC equivalents.
Why choose ebm-papst Green Tech EC products?
ebm-papst developed their first EC compact fan in 1965, 30 years before competitors started to market their EC products and 15 years before environmental protection was even an issue. In this time the ebm-papst EC range has been improved, refined and extended into the universal, high technology and reliable product that it is today. This means that ebm-papst EC gives you high performance, silent speed control and long life expectancy in a product which is the same size as the old, power hungry AC products it replaces.
ebm-papst developed their first EC compact fan in 1965, 30 years before competitors started to market their EC products and 15 years before environmental protection was even an issue. In this time the ebm-papst EC range has been improved, refined and extended into the universal, high technology and reliable product that it is today. This means that ebm-papst EC gives you high performance, silent speed control and long life expectancy in a product which is the same size as the old, power hungry AC products it replaces.