Ever have a site where, for whatever reason, you need to reduce compressor inrush current?
I have a friend who, other than his condensing unit, was entirely off-grid. He had a 1kw wind turbine and 6.5kw of solar panels, batteries to store generated power, and a pair of inverters. Some of his lighting is 48vdc so there is no loss through the inverters converting power to AC.
The problem with the condensing unit is that running it was not free. In fact, it can be pricey to run it in the desert, but the inrush amps when the compressor started could not be handled well at all by his inverters.
Sometimes we have small electrical services to older buildings we service that also have issues with compressor locked rotor amps that must be reduced. Or we may wish to reduce inrush to save the customer from demand charges by the utility company. In any case, what to do...
My friend came across a device that does exactly that. It kind of made me feel dumb that I didn't know about this thing, but he did!
It's called SecureStart and is made by Emerson. It was originally designed for their Copeland line of compressors, but works well with any brand. I put one on my friends unit and we switched over to his solar system and it worked great! I cycled the unit many times and it started just fine, but just in case, I did put a 5-minute delay on break time delay in series with the compressor contactor just to be sure. Now he is enjoying all the air he wants for free. The added load meant he also had to add a few additional solar panels, but a small expense in the overall scheme of things.
Here is the link to Emerson's web page http://www.emersonclimate.com/en-US/products/electronics_compressors/Pages/securestart.aspx and to a FAQ page that may help with some further questions you might have about the product
http://www.emersonclimate.com/en-US/products/electronics_compressors/Documents/SecureStart%20FAQv3.pdf
I have a friend who, other than his condensing unit, was entirely off-grid. He had a 1kw wind turbine and 6.5kw of solar panels, batteries to store generated power, and a pair of inverters. Some of his lighting is 48vdc so there is no loss through the inverters converting power to AC.
The problem with the condensing unit is that running it was not free. In fact, it can be pricey to run it in the desert, but the inrush amps when the compressor started could not be handled well at all by his inverters.
Sometimes we have small electrical services to older buildings we service that also have issues with compressor locked rotor amps that must be reduced. Or we may wish to reduce inrush to save the customer from demand charges by the utility company. In any case, what to do...
My friend came across a device that does exactly that. It kind of made me feel dumb that I didn't know about this thing, but he did!
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| Chart shows normal inrush (red) vs. SecureStart inrush (green) |
http://www.emersonclimate.com/en-US/products/electronics_compressors/Documents/SecureStart%20FAQv3.pdf
How much does the secure start cost?
ReplyDeleteIt's been a couple of years now, but I believe around $140.00 or so.
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