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Compliance and the circular economy

There is a growing awareness of global warming’s dire effects and the need for everyone to play their part to save energy and improve our carbon footprint. In addition, we all have a duty to ensure that we pass on to our grandchildren, a planet with enough resources to support their needs and the needs of their grandchildren. Tim Marks, AEMT Consultant, asks how can the repair industry help?

All of us – the equipment repair sector, manufacturers and end-users – have a role to play in tackling global warming. Are people aware of it, and how do we ensure that we are doing all that we can to save the planet and its resources across industry?

To date, the repair industry can be proud that it has helped its customers by ensuring that they are offered the chance to upgrade to a more energy-efficient option at the time of repair or replacement. This on its own has led to considerable energy savings. However, the task is ongoing and upgrading to IE4 and IE5 motors is not always the best or most economical answer, so where do we go now?

Many companies are now locked into the box pushing system of always replacing a failed machine or pump with another new energy-efficient machine. But is this really the best course of action?

Service and repair centres now have all the tools they require to ensure that:

• Energy-efficient motors in the market maintain their rated energy efficiency after repair – which recent major studies by the AEMT and EASA have confirmed.

• By repairing or remanufacturing a motor, the machines life is effectively doubled every time it is repaired, i.e. another 20,000 hours in modern scrupulously clean, air-conditioned factories.

• Machines repaired to International Standards are as reliable as a new machine, last as long as a new machine and normally carry the same warranty as a new machine.

• Hazardous area machines, as well as meeting the above requirements, maintain the safety of their protection concepts if repaired using International Standards.

• All the items replaced during an overhaul, maintenance, or repair, are recycled as ‘green’ highquality scrap, making the industry self-sufficient in a Circular Economy with the copper, steel, iron, and aluminium that it uses.

• The carbon footprint of a repaired machine is a fraction of the carbon footprint of a new machine.

These are impressive credentials for any industry, but what are the standards required?

For normal machines, the international standard to repair machines is IEC 60034 23 Rotating Electrical Equipment: Repair, Overhaul, and Reclamation, together with other International IEC 60034 series standards named within the above standard.

Manufacturers use these standards for the parameters and test procedures that new machines must comply with. Using the same tests and checks as the manufacturers, a service repair centre can ensure that a repaired machine is truly repaired or remanufactured to conform with the original specifications.

The machines’ energy efficiency stayed within the rated band of efficiency after repair.

In addition, for hazardous area and ATEX machines the International Standard IEC 60079 19 Explosive Atmosphere Equipment: Repair, Overhaul, and Reclamation should be used to maintain the safety of the product in hazardous areas.

EFFICIENCY IS MAINTAINED DURING REPAIR

A recent study by the AEMT and EASA on IE3 machines has confirmed that using recognised standards and an independent test centre, machines’ energy efficiency stayed within the rated band of efficiency after repair. This backs up the findings of the earlier 2004 study on machines up to IE2.

In conclusion, the master craft of repairing and rewinding electric machines is vitally important to make sure we make the best use of the world’s dwindling resources.

TIMES-CI

The IEC 60034 23 the International Standard on Rotating Electrical Machine: Repair, Overhaul, and Reclamation sums up the importance of the repair process in a circular economy...

4.7 Circular economy: The repair process complies with all aspects of the circular economy, doubling or trebling the active life of rotating electrical machines and the use of materials in them. The rotating electrical equipment market has undergone a process of upgrading to more energy efficient machines to save on power usage, with the focus of standardisation on IE3 machines, or equivalent. The repair/refurbishment of energy efficient machines ensures the most efficient use of the world’s dwindling resources. When repairing/ maintaining a typical 110 kW machine with new bearings, the effective life is doubled and 99 % of the original machine is maintained. The old bearings, making up 1% of the machine, are recycled as high quality “green” steel scrap. If the machine is rewound 90,5 % of the machine is reused during refurbishment.