Issue 9 - faculty.ait.ac.th - Asian Institute of Technology

Energy Efficient Drive Control System for Automatic
Winding Machines
Fluidised Bed Dryers for Tea Industry
SMI Newsletter, April - June 2001, Volume 3, No. 2
Textile
News
High-speed machinery is essential to produce high quality yarn at low cost. However, it consumes large amounts of power. In
modern textile mills, automatic cone winding machines (used in post-spinning) consume about 15 percent of the total energy
consumption of a spinning mill. In the winding process, broken yarn is joined by a spilicer in the autocone winding machine.
The broken ends are sensed by an inverter and a vacuum sensor in the splicer, and brought together pneumatically to splice.
The splicer is regulated by a suction motor that monitors the pressure required to pick-up the broken ends.
The South India Textile Research Association (SITRA), Coimbatore, India has developed an energy efficient drive control system
‘SITRA Enerconer’ for automatic cone winding machines. The SITRA Enerconer is expected to save about 16 percent of
the total spinning autowinding machines energy consumption.
Techno-economic Data:
Electricity consumed by autowinder per day approximately 500 kWh
Possible power saving using SITRA Enerconer 16%
Energy Saving using SITRA Enerconer 80 kWh/day or 24,000 kWh/year
Saving (US$ 0.114 / kWh) US$ 2,740 / Year
Investment US$ 3,260
Pay-back 15 months
For further information, contact: The Director, SITRA, PB.No. 3205, Coimbatore Aerodrome Post, Coimbatore 641 014, India.
Fax 91 422 571896. Email: sitra@vsnl.com.
Technology Fact Sheet
Drying is the most energy intensive operation in black tea production. In many factories, three-stage conventional
dryers are used for drying. Fluidized bed driers are more energy efficient than conventional dryers. In a fluidized
bed dryer, the fermented tea is quickly pre-dried on perforated trays. During the second stage, the tea
“bubbles” over a series of trays that carry the tea to the third and final stage – the fluidisation zone. Dried tea is
“steered” onwards and discharged. The fluff is trapped by the first circuit. This new dryer provides a lower drying
temperature which ensures a gradual removal of moisture and a uniform drying of the tea – from the surface as
well as the core of the tea particles.
A Technology Fact Sheet (TFS) on energy efficient and environmentally sound technologies is currently under
preparation. A TFS of a fluidized bed dryer is shown in the table.
Continued in page 4…..
We welcome industries, E 3 ST suppliers, consultants, NGOs, and R&D Institutions
to share information on E 3 STs in Brick, Ceramic, Desiccated Coconut, Foundry,
Tea and Textile sectors. To obtain blank TFSs and further details, contact the
SMI in Asia project (address given on page 8).
Tea
3