| Abstract |
Industry uses 37 percent of the electricity that is produced in the United States. Seventy percent of this drives electric motors. Adjustable speed drives (ASDs) have a major role in solving the environmental problem. ASDs are one of the most effective technologies available for conserving energy. While they conserve energy they are also widely used for improving process control. This benefit is offsetting some of the incremental environmental costs that are being applied to industrial production. In most of the approaches that are being developed to tackle the environmental problem there is a heavy emphasis on energy conservation because energy conservation related directly to reduced fossil power production which cuts Co2, No2 and So2 emissions. In this report, the use of ASDs for energy conservation, increased capacity and reduced emissions in fossil power plants is discussed based on work that has been done. Noise pollution reduction by speed control of fans by ASDs is discussed. ASDs have been used for reduced fish kill in rivers. As an example of what can be accomplished in industry to improve energy efficiency and for the resulting environmental improvement, a number of uses for ASDs in electric utility power plants, in mining, and petroleum refining are discussed. The Los Angeles Basin's plans for electrification of industry to control atmospheric emissions are included to show an example of a possible trend for the rest of the country. |
