CBT partner Gates Corporation saved one company thousands per year when they upgraded their outdated V-belt operations to higher efficiency synchronous belts.
V-Belt to Synchronous Belt Conversion Yields Dramatic Cost Savings in Plant’s HVAC System Operation
Reichhold, Inc. is a global supplier to the composites and coatings industries, with 18 manufacturing facilities in 11 countries. The maintenance technician at the Durham, North Carolina facility approached a representative of Gates Corporation, maker of industrial power transmission belt drive systems, to survey the plant for potential energy savings. During the hot summer months, the plant spent approximately $80k per month in energy costs to operate its equipment.
HVAC Unit Analysis and Conversion
The HVAC drive units were equipped with 4-strand, Tri-Power® V-belts, which required periodic retensioning and replacement every three months. The V-belt drive was replaced with a 14mm Gates synchronous Poly Chain® GT® Carbon™ belt drive and performance was tracked.
Amps dropped from 12.5 to 10.4. Annual KWh usage fell into a range between 10,103 and 10,557 KWh/yr, representing a yearly energy cost savings of $505 to $527 per unit. Converting all 21 units represents an energy cost savings of 21 x $505 = $10,608. In addition, the synchronous belt drive will run for years without retensioning or replacement; saving additional downtime and maintenance expense.
Cooling Tower Fan Drive Analysis and Conversion
The Reichhold facility also included two 1,320-ton chillers with matching cooling towers. Each cooling tower has two fan drives fitted with V-belts. When one of the fan drives was converted to a 14mm Gates synchronous Poly Chain® GT Carbon belt drive, the difference in performance was substantial. Estimated yearly cost savings for converting all four fans including reduced downtime and maintenance costs is $12,595.
Exhaust Fan Drive Analysis and Conversion
The 44 fume hood exhaust fans on the Reichhold facility rooftop are subject to extreme seasonal temperature changes despite being covered. Hi-Power® II 2-strand V-belts must be replaced every three months. The immediate result from conversion to an 8mm synchronous Poly Chain® GT Carbon belt drive saw a 12.9% reduction in energy consumption. In addition, the annual cost of maintaining each V-belt was $250. Converting all 44 drives represents a maintenance cost savings of $11,000/year, in addition to the lower energy costs.
For more information on Gates belt offerings and how you can cut energy and operation costs, contact your CBT specialist today!
