Water jet soft start saves up to 20% energy

KMT Waterjet Systems has introduced a new 'Soft Start' feature for its intensifiers for waterjet cutting applications and can save up to 20% in energy when the pump is first activated.

KMT Waterjet Systems has introduced a new Soft Start feature for its intensifiers for waterjet cutting applications.

These include the new Streamline SL-V range.

Soft Start provides users with up to 20% energy savings in power consumption when the pump is first switched on, for a 37kW pump only 63A start up current is required compared with 80A without Soft Start.

In conventional star-delta wirings where two electrical contactors are arranged before the pump's motor, The first brings the motor up to half speed and within four seconds and the second contact brings it up to full speed.

This effectively short circuits the motor and can draw a large load on the supply, The new 'soft start' does the same job of bringing the motor up to speed, but in a smooth and continuous way.

The maximum current draw whilst starting the pump is only 63A.

For smaller companies, the 20% reduction can be critical if total available amperage within their premises is limited to around 100A.

Furthermore, with peak usage as the basis of electrical bills, the limit on power consumption during pump start up will ensure further savings.

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