Double Drive System at Main Conveyor Chain Implementation Project

Role and Responsibility

In this project, I am responsible to design and convert the conventional single drive
conveyor chain to double drive conveyor chain system. I do survey and study on the
double drive application that available in market then try run using prototype to find
out the feasibility and reliability of the application.
1. Introduction
The crucial part of rubber glove manufacturing process is the main drive conveyor
chain. This main drive conveyor chain is the heart to the whole production machine.
It moves all the formers into all process cycles to produce gloves.
The production lines have now been modified and increased the production output
from 18,000 pcs/hr to 26,000 pcs/hr by running the conveyor chains in faster speed.
However, the conveyor chains and main drive motors are still the same. Hence, the
load factor for main drive motors has increased due to the increasing in motor speed
and former weight.
Currently, one main drive motor is running a 942 meter length conveyor chain; the
total weight of the conveyor chain complete with formers is around 56318kg. In table
1 shows the overall performance for main drive motors in the factory. The load factor
for production line 18 until 25 is almost 80% of the full load.
Line

Freq

Amp

18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25

48
48
48
48
50
53

22.54
22.28
14.75
21.35
19.87
20.94

1
2
3
4
5
6

40
36
41
36
31
35

8.08
9.13
7.16
7.02
7.29
3.84

Input

Motor

Output

Motor

Load

Power
12.16
14.64

torque
72
88

voltage
396
399

Power
10
12.59

factor
80
91

6.84

46

399

6.53

47

700.1

12.55
12.38
14.33

80
82
78

398
404
409

11.55
13.16
13.2

82
80
92

799.9
644.1
684.1

3.11
3.46
2.72
2.08
2.25
1.32

35
42
30
55
53
27

335
303
340
249
202
238

3.08
2.95
2.02
2.27

35
44
39
43

148.4
233.3
401.6
389.6

W/h
706.3
615.5

8
14
15
16
17
10
11
13

40
28.5
28.5
28.5
28.5
10
24
30

20.95
15.08
16.39
19.21
15.81
12.94
16.3
11.29

9.54
5.43
5.38
6.93
5.77
1.88
5.45
3.57

152
110
81
102
106
80
119
68

337
244
243
243
245
98
209
257

8.22
4.58
5.52
5.77
5.03
1.26
4.34
3.24

142
111
86
92
120
88
121
78

1250
618.4
154.6
145.1
488.9
721.8
77.25
684.6

Table 1: Main drive inverter reading for every production line

2. Objective:
Currently main drive motors are having high load factor and high operating ampere
due to main drive motors are running in a very heavy load causing motors are in high
temperature condition. Hence, this project purpose is to:
1. Reduce load factor for main drive motor, by using double main drive motors
to distribute driven load evenly.
2. Synchronize system for both main drive motors, to avoid chain out issue.
3. Concept and Design for Double Drive System
To reduce down the load factor for the main drive motors, the concept is to add in
additional main drive motor to share the load. By running with two units of main
drive motor, theoretically the load will be shared among motors. Hence, the operating
ampere for main drive motor will be lower down and the motor life span can be
extended.
Currently main drive motors are controlled by inverters (variable frequency drive
VFD) where inverters provide frequency to motors to run in different speed based on
the frequency setting. Therefore, the design for double drive system come out with
using one unit of inverter as the supply source to two units of main drive motor. The
inverter is giving the same frequency signal to both main drive motors. Thus, motors
will run in the same speed. The main purpose of using this design is to reduce the
control system complexity. It can save up the troubleshooting step to align both
motors speed.
3.1 Inverter Sizing Design

With this double drive system design, one additional main drive motor which is same
HP to existing main drive motor will be added into the production line main conveyor
chain. The existing main drive motor is 20HP. Hence, an additional 20HP will be
added.
To run both main drive motors with 20HP respectively, the existing inverter which
provides 15kW output is not sufficient to run two units of 20HP motor
simultaneously. Therefore, inverter must be sized properly based on its connected
motors.
I. The total HP of the connected motors to the inverter is 40HP.
II. Referring to NEC Table 430.250 the full load current for one 20HP main drive
motor is 27Amp.
III. Adding up both main drive motors the total of full load current will draw from
inverter is 54Amp.
IV. The estimate output power from inverter during full load is as below:

Power = (3 x 415V x 54Amp x 0.8) /1000 = 31kW

Typical induction motor exhibit a full load running power factor of 80

to 90 percent

V. Therefore the most suitable inverter size available in market is 37kW.

Hence, for the main conveyor chain system, the application design is by using one
unit of 37kW inverter to control two units of 20HP motor. The double drive system
design circuit diagram is in Appendix.

4. Double Drive System Prototype Test Run

A double drive system prototype that mimics the circuit design is constructed and to
test run on the performance. This prototype consists of one unit of 3.7kW inverter
connected with two units of 1HP motor as shown in picture 1. The inverter is tested
with different frequencies to observe the motors performance as shown in picture 2.

Pic 1: double drive system prototype with one unit inverter to run two units of motor

Pic 2: The speed of both motors is tested using one conveyor chain in different
frequency values
Initially, both motors are running in low frequency, the conveyor chain is driven
normally. The gap between upper and bottom layer conveyor chain is wide as shown
in picture 3. Both motor amperes are measured using clamp meter and the value is
0.3Amp respectively as shown in picture 4. Adding up both motor amperes should be
0.6 Amp. The inverter ampere reading is 0.8Amp as shown in picture 5. This is due to
the decimal error in clamp meter where causing the ampere between motors and
inverter has slight different.

Pic 3: both motors are running in low frequency value

Pic 4: both motor amperes are measured using clamp meter

Pic 5: inverter displays the outgoing ampere is 0.8A

When the inverter frequency value has been increased gradually until 50Hz, the
motors start to run in different speed where the gap between upper and bottom layer
conveyor chain become narrow. This means that one unit of motor is running slightly
faster than another causing bottom conveyor chain to be tighten and upper layer
conveyor chain become loosen as shown in picture 6. Hence, this prototype can
conclude that both motors have different motor slip.

Pic 6: motor on the left hand side is running slower than motor on the right one
5. Design Constraint

Double main drive system will initially run in the same speed for both motor if the
mechanical structure for the machine is well tuned. After running for some time, the
conveyor chain will elongate due to continuous heating and cooling process. Then, the
chain will start jerking; one motor will run slightly faster than other. The mechanical
part should do alignment to balance up the load between motors by changing the
sprocket ratio. However, this condition is continuous, meaning that every time when
chain start jerking a new sprocket has to replace to slow down the faster motor.
To reduce further on the chain elongation issue, the double drive conveyor chain
comes with one tensional load and one spring to absorb the elongation as shown in
picture 7. However, this system will potentially be more worsen. The tensional load
will absorb the chain elongation effect by lowering down the dead load and the spring
will pull back further to tighten back the chain if the chain elongated. But, tensional
load will react faster than spring system to absorb the elongation part. If the tensional
load is after the faster motor (A), then the conveyor chain will become loosen even
faster at the bottom part as shown in picture 7. Spring has little reaction of elongation
on this situation. Then the situation will happen where the conveyor chain on spring
system part become tighten and on the tensional load will become loosen. Hence, the
load in the whole conveyor chain will no longer be even.

Pic 7: Side effect if one motor run slightly faster than other in spring and tensional
load system
If one main drive motor was burned and repaired by rewinding, the performance of
both motors will not be the same, the rewinding motor will have lower efficiency and
the speed may not be the same anymore. Hence, it may cause load uneven issue too.
6. Future Study

To eliminate the design constraint, the double drive system concept has to be changed.
Instead of providing same speed to both motors, the new design is by using two units
of inverter to run two units of main drive motors.
Both inverters will communicate with each other on the load factor, torque and speed.
To link up both inverters, master-slave design should implement. One inverter will act
as master that providing frequency to main drive motor and provide torque and load
factor data to slave inverter. Slave inverter will base on the signal provided and adjust
the frequency provide to the downstream main drive motor.
Hence, master inverter will make sure its downstream main drive motor running in
constant torque and speed while slave inverter will vary the torque and speed to
support master main drive motor.