Well suited for the mining and minerals sector, the new Danfoss iC2-Micro Drive has been released into the African market by industrial products provider BMG – which is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary this year.

The advanced drive system has been designed with new features for easy replacement of the VLT Micro Drive FC 51.

“The new versatile iC2-Micro Drive, that delivers superior motor control and mechanical brake performance, is more intelligent and powerful than its predecessor and is easier to use, install and commission,” explains BMG Electronics business unit manager David Dyce.

He adds that the iC2-Micro Drive, with reduced complexity and greater functionality, offers improved performance and energy efficiency over the VLT Micro Drive FC 51, ensuring a seamless retrofit for existing applications, as well as for complex tasks.

The compact unit, with a small footprint and side-by-side mounting, can be installed in tight spaces and is able to withstand a wider operating temperature range, for safe use in harsh mining environments.

These drives are available in various power ranges, including alternating current (AC) models of single phase voltages of between 200 V and 240 V including variants suitable for powers of between 0.37 kW and 2.2 kW, as well as models of three-phase in voltages of between 380 V and 480 V AC including variants suitable for powers of between 0.37 kW and 22 kW.

“They can operate reliably at full load for ambient temperatures up to 50 °C,” notes Dyce.

Further, the drives come standard with coated circuit boards and controlled airflow movement to reduce the possibility of corrosive contaminants coming into contact with the drive’s circuitry.

The drive’s fan system has built in on/off control to reduce noise and save energy, while the fan is also removable for simplified drive maintenance.

“A key feature of the iC2-Micro is the integrated proportional integral derivative controller that enables users to programme closed loop functions directly into the drive, improving its speed and process control capability,” he says.

Advanced control algorithms and digital signal processing ensure more precise control over motor speed and torque, resulting in improved efficiency of the system and reduced energy consumption.

“We highly recommend iC2- Micro Drives to our customers in the mining sector needing to upgrade existing drives, or who are in the process of selecting drives for a new project.”

Other new features include torque open-loop control, locked motor detection and permanent-magnet motor control.

This system, with permanent-magnet motor compatibility, provides efficient motor control in open loop under VVC+ throughout the power range, and is available in two versions, with or without the radio frequency interference filter.

Integrated energy efficiency features, including an automatic energy optimiser and sleep mode, can reduce energy consumption by up to 30%, reports BMG.

In addition, the iC2-Micro Drive has new safety features, including enhanced overcurrent protection and short circuit detection, which protect the motor and drive from damage in the event of a fault.

The iC2-Micro Drive comes standard with an intuitive, user-friendly interface with display and keypad, and the local control panel also has a standard potentiometer for local speed adjust- ment.

The variable speed drive can be quickly and easily installed and configured.

The drive can also be programmed with the Danfoss ‘MyDrive Insight’ commissioning and monitoring tool.

“This software enables users to perform off site commissioning and backing up of the drives programme,” says Dyce, adding that it also enables hot commissioning.