Nedap supplied the lamp drivers for the UV wastewater purification plant in Chicago. As one of the largest UV waste water installations in the world, the plant can treat 1,700 million liters of wastewater.
The Terrence J. O’Brien Water Reclamation Plant (WRP) in Skokie, Illinois was upgraded with an UV treatment process. The system substantially improved the quality of water throughout the Chicago Area Waterway System, while protecting the region’s drinking water supply in Lake Michigan.
The patented Nedap technology is used to power the 900 state of the art low pressure high output UV lamps, in the most efficient way.
- Low number of UV lamps required
- Energy saving
- Ease of operation and maintenance
- Extended lamp life, reduction of waste
In the end, the decisive factor was our approach to energy consumption, especially our low-energy solution. This not only saves a great deal of money, but no less importantly, also reduces CO2 emissions, emphasizing Nedap’s focus on focus on more sustainable operation.
Most efficient UV driver technology
After investigating various approaches and technologies, officials determined that UV was the optimal solution for the plant and application. A low total cost of ownership and the fact that, with UV, there are no by-products to worry about were key factors in the decision. Nedap’s Low Pressure Lamp Drivers have a proven efficiency of at least 95%.
Full control with Nedap software
Dedicated Nedap software can be used by engineers to test the electronic platform and to fine tune the UV lamp settings in relation to the required UV levels. The embedded software has a diagnose functionality to report about lamp status, lamp failure, lamp driver temperature and other system operations. A perfect solution to improve the implementation processes and to reduce installation costs and time.
NR. 1 technology
Most efficient driver technology, requires less installation space. >900.000 electronic UV lamp drivers installed and in use worldwide.
Flexibility
Digital lamp selection and optimisation.
Reliable
Robust designs, resulting in optimal performance and an average service life of > 10 years.
Insights
Embedded software for system data reporting.
UV disinfection and industrial curing are highly sustainable processes that reduce the use of chemicals. UVC has been used as far back as the 1930s, but the technology remains relevant today – and Nedap is increasing innovation in the sector.
New developments in curing and disinfection are accelerating the growth of the UV market. At Nedap, we support UV businesses to develop new applications and further optimize processes for more sustainable disinfection and curing.
- Electronic lamp driver technology that excels in quality and energy-efficiency
- Smart technology that can quickly be adopted and deployed
- Accessible data, information, and insights
An incredible 75% of the lifecycle costs of UV solutions are energy usage. Using energy-efficient UV lamp driver technology is a sustainable solution, reducing a user’s carbon footprint and cutting costs.
Advanced electronic driver technology offers manufacturers more control over the power input versus UV output. This makes UV solutions more efficient at disinfection or curing when compared to traditional magnetic ballast technology.
The new generation of platforms, such as Nedap’s 4kW, use a PC lamp driver tool that makes it easy to configure, control and monitor lamp driver data. This provides developers with more effective tools to test the lamp driver and the overall UV solution, optimizing it during the design phase.
Water disinfection systems typically operate 24/7, with downtime dramatically impacting productivity and the people who rely on the resource.
Current monitoring systems alert operators if a UV driver goes down but don’t diagnose faults. Instead, special measurement tools are often required on-site to diagnose problems which can rapidly increase costs and increase downtime.
Nedap’s solution provides real-time monitoring, alerts, diagnosis, and fault finding. Service engineers receive instant access to performance information and insights without disrupting the operational processes controlled by Modbus.
Rapid troubleshooting is critical to ensure minimal downtime.
Remote diagnostics can dramatically reduce travel costs and time. Our customers supply UV solutions worldwide, including some of its remotest places. Remote monitoring technology provides real-time insights whenever they need them, from anywhere in the world. The app is a critical first step toward accurate remote diagnostics.
To protect the security of systems, the Nedap UV lamp driver App ensures that data is only read from the connected lamp driver and no control and change of settings of the lamp driver is allowed. No connection to the Internet is needed to read data from the driver. The communication between the lamp driver and smart phone is local via a point-to-point wireless Bluetooth connection.
Every lamp driver has a unique 3D barcode. Scanning the barcode creates a connection between the smartphone and the lamp driver, displaying data and lamp graphs through the app.
The UV Monitor app will be available in the App Store and Google Play store from February 2023.
Nedap’s next-generation lamp driver platform has updated integrated software. This gives operators more data and control over settings and parameters compared to previous models. However, this can lead to more complexity. To make data relevant for users, it’s essential to provide easy access and deliver relevant insights. In this way, data leads to a more sustainable and cleaner operation.
Do you want to know more about how to use the Nedap UV Monitor app?
Contact us or download the manual (PDF) below:
How more sustainable operations helps create better profits
With rising energy costs, supply chain pressures and increased social interest in sustainable production, it’s more important than ever that the equipment you use high class perform while reducing your carbon footprint. By reducing the carbon footprint, businesses also save energy costs, which helps create better profits.
That’s where our technology comes in. When selecting an UV lamp driver, of course, the initial cost is a crucial consideration. End users must factor in the total cost of ownership – not simply the upfront cost of a lamp driver. The energy and maintenance costs need to be considered – longevity is key here. Using smart UV lamp driver technology helps to create a more sustainable operation, reducing carbon footprint and saving costs at the same time.
Parameters that determine the total costs over a longer period of time are:
Initial costs of the lamp driver and additional costs (for example line filters etc.)
Efficiency of the lamp driver
Price of industrial energy
Estimated operating hours of your application
Total lamp power that is used
Product lifetime
Based on benchmark research, UV systems with Nedap UV lamp drivers are up to 5% more energy efficient than other drivers in the market, due to higher Lamp driver efficiency, lower Total Harmonic distortion (THD) and higher Power Factor (PF). With the current energy prices, this results in substantial operational cost savings. Depending on the price of industrial energy, the operating hours per year, and the lamp power used (kW) you can calculate the energy savings for end-users of your application.
- Industrial energy price: $ 0,1075 per kwh and € 0,150 per kwh (August 2022)
- 6000 operating hours
- 5% efficiency increase
- 60 kW total lamp power
When the total lamp power in your application is 10 kW, a 5% efficiency increase results in 3500 kWh savings per year. If your UV application uses a total of 60 kW of lamp power, this results in 21,000 kWh (6x 3500) savings, and €3,160 (6x €526) or $2,262 (6x $377) per year . A reduction of 21,000 kW also equals a reduction of 4200 kg CO2 (source: European Environment Agency).
The initial price of your UV solution may be higher using a premium UV driver, but your customer will experience substantial energy costs savings. The payback period is the time between the initial investment date and break-even point, the moment you save money compared to a competitive product. This depends of course, very much on the UV application.
When defining the costs of UV solutions, consider how you can save costs by reducing the number of additional components you need.
Nedap offers drivers with:
Internal fuses
Low inrush current
Integrated components to fulfil EMC (EMI) and THD requirements
Heat detection sensors and integrated fan tray power supply (4kW rack)
Power factor correction
Ground fault detection (also in lamp idle mode for 800W and 2x1000W drivers)
First, your UV systems offer you more UV, due to better efficiency. Secondly, Nedap’s high-quality UV lamp driver increases the lifespan of UV lamps significantly – an important reason for all major lamp manufacturers to recommend Nedap’s lamp driver technology. Both features lead to a more sustainable operation.
Download the PDF version of the article here:
UV applications offer optimal solutions for water treatment, air and surface disinfection, and curing. To operate UV lamps, lamp drivers, also called electronic ballasts are commonly used. Depending on lamp type, the drivers take care of pre-heat, ignition, and warm-up of the UV lamps. Selecting the right UV lamp driver can optimize efficiency, prevent mains power supply problems, and improve ease of installation. Far from simply acting as a lamp driver, it improves the total cost of ownership and sustainability of your application, and, as a result, its viable use cases.
When selecting a high-quality UV lamp driver, there are several aspects which must be considered. In many cases, these aspects may only become apparent after the lamp driver has been in use for some time – the difference between a high-quality UV lamp driver and a poor one is not immediately obvious. We’ve listed some important criteria below:
Image source: IUVA 2019 Sydney Nedap – Powering UV sources
Of course, the initial cost is a crucial consideration, but businesses must factor in the total cost of ownership – not simply the upfront cost of a lamp driver. The energy and maintenance costs need to be considered – longevity is key here.
Due to the importance of some of the use cases of UV applications, the reliability of lamps and their drivers is paramount. Poor reliability can affect the integrity of the UV system and the entire facility it is being used in.
A well-designed lamp driver will generate lower temperatures, which will reduce the failure rate of the driver. As a rule of thumb, every 10-degree temperature decrease doubles the lifetime of the driver.
Lamp drivers can introduce higher frequencies into the mains power line, disrupting the mains power. The higher frequencies can cause additional power losses by only generating unwanted heat in the power grid. Nedap drivers have special filters built into the UV driver to minimize the total harmonic distortion (THD).
This is determined by the “real power” you receive from the mains as opposed to the “apparent power”.For lamp drivers, or indeed any electronic device, businesses should look for a factor that is as close to one as possible. Nedap UV lamp drivers deliver a Power Factor of 0.99, while other designs may be as low as 0.7.
Lamp drivers are needed to regulate the power delivered to UV lamps so they can achieve the optimal UV level. Using the highest grade critical components will deliver higher levels of reliability. All Nedap drivers are CE and UL/cUL approved.
First, if your UV systems wastes less energy, due to better efficiency, it will have a smaller carbon footprint. Secondly, the Nedap high-quality UV lamp driver increases the lifespan of UV lamps significantly – an important reason for all major lamp manufacturers to recommend Nedaps lamp driver technology. Both features lead to a more sustainable operation.
The quality of UV lamp drivers is so important because of the critical nature of UV applications for various use cases. These include water treatment, air and surface disinfection, and UV curing.
UV light is an effective method for treating water by destroying bacteria and viruses. Intelligent UV lamp drivers can be used for efficient and eco-friendly applications. UV and advanced oxidation technologies are ideal for developing sustainable water treatment solutions.
UV light can be used to disinfect surfaces and inactivate airborne pathogens, and is used in various industries and high-contact areas. UV disinfection improves hygiene and storage conditions by reducing the germ load. UV lamp drivers can adjust UV output to achieve desired disinfection levels.
High-intensity UV light can also be used in a photochemical process that instantly cures inks, coatings, or adhesives. Not only is this fast, but it is also more practical as it reduces logistical complexity and no harmful solvents are released.
There are two groups of drivers that are used depending on the specific type of UV project: Low-Pressure UV Lamps and Medium-Pressure UV Lamps.
Low-pressure lamps, limited to 1000W, provide exactly the right wavelength of light to fight bacteria and have several advantages compared with medium-pressure lamps. The conversion rate from electrical to UV energy for low-pressure lamps stands at around 34 to 38 percent. This means they deliver a higher rate of efficiency than medium-pressure UV lamp drivers, where the conversion is around 12 percent.
While the higher efficiency level of low-pressure lamps may be advantageous in certain circumstances, medium-pressure lamps can achieve higher levels of electrical power – as high as 36 kW. As such, medium-pressure lamp drivers are likely to be more suitable for projects that have limited space and need a high UV level, as in some space-restricted water disinfection systems.
Medium-pressure lamp drivers also produce light of multiple wavelengths, which is beneficial for advanced oxidation. Besides attacking the DNA of bacteria, they can also be combined with other solutions to help with the breakdown of chemical substances.
The efficiency of UV lamp drivers is crucial for several reasons. Firstly, poor quality lamp drivers can result in damage to the UV lamp from over-voltage or component stress. Before the advent of electronic lamp drivers, many businesses relied on electromagnetic devices, which were inefficient, offered less control in terms of power, and required extra attention in terms of their mounting and space requirements.
At Nedap, we are proud of the efficiency and power output levels we are able to achieve with our UV lamp drivers. We advise you to select UV sources with higher levels of energy efficiency, lowering costs for your customers business over the lifetime of a product, reducing carbon footprint, and improving your product reliability. Initial low-cost lamp driver systems offering limited features with regard to the power factor, THD, and efficiency will lead to higher operational costs during the lifetime of your UV systems.
Nedap’s driver technology is already employed to improve the safety of drinking water and optimize the printing process for millions of customers around the world.
Are you looking for a premium product at the right price? One that achieves the highest levels of efficiency and longevity in the market? Find out how Nedap can move your business forward with smart lamp driver technology.
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