| Abstract |
Compressed-air systems account for a notable share of the industrial electricity consumption. At thesame time, a significant potential to improve the energy efficiency of compressed-air generation hasbeen recognized. Variable-speed drives provide an efficient and flexible way to regulate the output ofa screw compressor and to match the typically intermittent demand of compressed air. In addition tocapacity control, drive estimates for the electric motor operation can be used in soft-sensing methods.This paper proposes a novel soft sensor, which can monitor the output pressure of a twin-rotary screwcompressor based on the variable-speed drive's estimates for the compressor's rotational speed andshaft torque. First, the working principle of the soft sensor is explained in detail and suggestions forcommissioning, i.e. tuning it, are given. Finally, the feasibility of the soft sensor is verified withlaboratory measurements. |
