Location: Preston, UK
Industry: Pet food production
Partner: CP Automation
Timeline: 2023
Background
GA Pet Food Partners started out in 1972 as a mixed arable and livestock farm. Today it is a family-owned and run business specialising in the production of private label pet foods. It has grown continuously over the years, opening new facilities and installing new equipment to produce and prepare dry pet food products for its customers. This includes installing a series of motors, which are inherently vulnerable to harmonic noise. So, when designing a new water treatment plant at its Preston site, GA knew that it would need to incorporate harmonic mitigation into the plans to prevent unplanned outages.
Challenge
The new site was to contain at least 40 drives, introducing risks associated with harmonics and adverse noise. Based on earlier expansion projects that compounded power quality issues in its facilities, GA’s engineers were keen to resolve these issues before they could arise. The need was also regulatory as the latest Engineering Recommendation G5/5 raised the limit on the measurement of voltage harmonics, total harmonic distortion (THD) and sub-groups from the 50th harmonic (2.5 kHz) to the 100th (5 kHz). The pet food manufacturer therefore turned to power quality specialist CP Automation for support in designing harmonic mitigation into the future facility.
Solution
CP Automation supplied GA with five Comsys P300 active dynamic filters (ADF); three used in the design of the new water treatment facility, and two retrofitted by GA’s engineering team to replace legacy units. The filters measure the harmonic load on the mains and generate the exact inverse to cancel out any noise. In doing so, they can correct power factor, which is vital as power factor capacitors are highly vulnerable to harmonics and the insulation failure they cause. This solution not only improves resilience against noise but also reduces the current drawn from the mains, meaning less power is consumed.
Result
GA says the P300 filters made it easier for them to resolve power quality issues constructively and cost-effectively, and that being able to combine power factor and harmonic correction will help them to maintain uptime while complying with industry standards on harmonics. In addition, the two filters retrofitted for another site provided a 50% reduction on footprint thanks to the P300’s compact build. This was especially important for GA, as it freed up floorspace for additional equipment while protecting its sites from harmful power quality issues.
The P300 units are an investment in GA’s future growth, freeing-up floorspace for additional equipment while protecting its sites from harmful power quality issues.