Barrel wash control

The issue

When a Leicestershire based sand & gravel plant discovered premature wearing of the tyres on its barrel wash, Drive Solutions Centre partner, Lawrence Electrical were called upon to investigate.

Lawrence identified the tyres underneath the barrel wash were prematurely wearing and at different rates, in spite of the fact that the machinery was driving at a constant speed.

A solution was developed, which included linking the drives together, something that had not been achieved previously. This resulted in there being one drive for each motor.

The solution

• Installation of one E740 for each motor
• Both drives were linked so they could match the speeds (which were dependent on the current draw)
• Solutions ensured both drives were taking the same amount of load

The outcome

• Energy savings were made as the solution enabled a reduction in the speed of the drives
• Reduced downtime as there was a reduction in mechanical wear due to speed alignment
• A further reduction in mechanical wear due to the inclusion of a start/stop control