~ WECM range: Moving air with efficiency ~
Industrial motor manufacturer, WEG, has launched the WEG Electronically Commutated Motor (WECM) range. The motors have been developed to meet the safety and reliability needs of exhaust and ventilation systems — providing energy consumption rates for a variety of air movement applications.
The WECM range has been developed in line with WEG’s product-wide ethos to provide market leading energy efficient motors and drives. Incorporating accurate speed control, the new WECM range can significantly decrease power consumption, thus providing energy and cost savings for the user.
Available in single or three-phase versions, with power ratings up to 4kW, the WECM line has been designed to ensure compliance with all applicable IEC and European standards for electric motors and drives. Furthermore, WEG’s entire motors and drives range is available in compliance with Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/1781, requirements for electric motors and variable speed drives, which took effect from July 1, 2021.
The WECM is a brushless motor design with permanent magnets and an integrated inverter. The inverter enables the user to vary the motor speed according to the demands of the application. Speed control can be selected in either local or remote modes using dip-switches housed inside the drive cover, with speed adjustment possible from 200 to 1500/1800 revolutions per minute (rpm) or 500 to 3000 rpm.
The WECM motor reaches the anticipated IE6 level of efficiency, the highest in the market, if considering 20 per cent lower losses than the IE5 levels defined in the standard IEC TS 60034-30-2 Rotating electrical machines – Part 30-2: Efficiency classes of variable speed AC motors (IE-code).
Speed variation utilising the WECM motor not only reduces energy consumption, but also reduces costs when compared to a separate motor and inverter. What’s more, because the inverter is integrated into the motor, there is no terminal box or cable required between the motor and inverter. This allows for a more compact solution.
“Aside from its energy saving advantages, the WECM range offers users impressive ingress and environmental protection,” explained Marek Lukaszczyk, European & Middle East marketing manager at WEG. “This is particularly important for many of the applications in which the WECM is utilised, such as kitchen ventilation where the 60°C ambient rating of the WECM excels, or in agricultural applications where the IP55 rating of the motor and drive ensures reliable protection against ingress of water and dust in aggressive environments.”
Boasting low noise levels below 50dBA, low vibration levels and high efficiency across its operating speed range, the WECM is the ideal ‘plug and play’ solution for those users seeking a market leading electronically commutated motor.
The WECM range has been developed primarily with the HVAC-R industry in mind, incorporated, for example, into axial, radial and centrifugal fans and air handling units, thus helping fan manufacturers comply with Commission Regulation (EU) 327/2011 ecodesign requirements for fans driven by motors with electric input power between 125W and 500kW. For more information on the WECM range and its capabilities, contact your local WEG branch at www.weg.net.
