Global Renewables cuts landfill waste with Brevini planetary box 16 August 2013

Global Renewables is reporting that 12 planetary gearboxes supplied by Brevini Power Transmission and installed in its waste treatment plants are still going strong.

In March 2007, Global Renewables signed an agreement with Lancashire County Council and Blackpool Council to process the household waste of 1.4million Lancashire residents for a period of 25 years, and reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.

At the time, this was the UK's largest waste PFI contract and required the company to treat over 300,000 tonnes of household and garden waste per annum at its then revolutionary new processing facilities.

Both facilities use the patented UR-3R Process, whereby general household waste is sorted and inorganic recyclable material recovered. After sorting, the residual waste – mainly organic – is sent to a system of six large percolators.

The percolators separate and wash the waste, which is sent to a compost hall where it is transformed into organic growth medium (OGM) for agricultural use. In turn, the water from the percolators, which is rich in organic materials, is drained off and sent to digesters to break down and create methane.

Brevini UK was approached to design a drive solution for the 12 percolators, which operate in an extremely harsh environment 24/7, with reverse loading every 15 minutes. The drives needed to last the length of the contract, so Brevini was asked to design a solution with a 30 year service life.

Brevini sales manager Dave Brown was able to design a planetary solution, which used five stages to deliver a reduction ratio of 1,798:1, supplying up to 1000kNm of torque at 0.8rpm.

Each gearbox was driven by a 55kW electric motor; these were subsequently fitted with an inverter drive to further increase site efficiency.

"Planetary solutions are perfect for applications that require high reduction ratios for slow and steady movement with high-torque transfer," comments Brown.

"Each reduction stage features three planetary gears inside a toothed outer ring, which means that the load is spread over many contact points. This leads to less point pressure, which reduces wear and minimises the risk of damage."

The added bonus is that the reduced pressure means less internal friction and thus greater efficiency, meaning a smaller motor is required which results in lower running costs.

Since the gearboxes have been installed, the percolators have operated efficiently and the waste treatments plants are continuing to help reduce the amount of waste which is being sent to landfill in Lancashire.

Brian Tinham

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