Siemens to Build “Special” 98% Efficient Machine

Siemens Large Drives Applications (LDA) has received an order from a Chinese customer to deliver a “special” machine with a dual shaft extension and an efficiency of beyond 98 per cent. The company says it will be a “world-leading 2-pole electric motor” that can be used in motor operation with a power of 105 MW and as a generator with up to 129 MVA in power generation mode.

Siemens LDA engineers and produces heavy-duty electrical drive systems for medium and high voltage ranges, including electrical motors, converters, and generators. LDA belongs to Siemens’ Portfolio Companies and works with customers in oil and gas, marine, mining, cement, water, or power generation and storage industries.

In addition to the motor, the contract includes the delivery of a 40 MW Sinamics GL150 starting frequency converter. This LCI-converter (load commutated inverter) is designed for single-motor applications with variable and constant torque characteristics. As a result of the low switching losses and the low loss thyristor technology, the LCI converter is 99 per cent efficient.

The drive system will be part of an energy storage project in China. Siemens says energy storage technologies have been viewed as a supporting key technology for the energy revolution and a national strategic emerging technology in China and that this kind of technology holds “decisive advantages” such as high capacity, low costs, high efficiency, and environmental friendliness.

The plants operate by using motors to drive compressors, whose energy will be stored in suitable storage vessels. The stored energy can be released to drive an expander, which in turn drives a generator to produce electricity. Compared with other energy storage technologies, the plants have a large power rating and storage capacity, low self-discharge, and a long lifetime. These attributes, the company states, generally make it the most promising and cost-effective method for bulk energy storage grid services.

“Once completed, this project will be the largest and most efficient energy storage station in the world. We are happy to support our customer in the energy transition and this project with a drive system that sets a benchmark – a world-leading 2-pole electric motor with an efficiency of above 98 per cent”, says Hermann Kleinod, CEO of Siemens Large Drives Applications (LDA).

The motor will be manufactured at the Siemens Dynamowerk Berlin, Germany, which is the oldest manufacturing plant of Siemens having existed for 115 years.

You can find more information about Siemens LDA and its “special” 98% efficient electric motor machine on its website.

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