Study on energy savings applying highly efficient permanent magnet motor with two degrees of mechanical freedom in concrete industry

The cement and concrete industry in South Africa has been growing rapidly for the last couple of years. This is due to the development of the construction industry with its need in concrete products like: concrete pipes, culverts, manholes, slabs, piles, etc. Since the role of electric machines in the concrete industry is vital, this paper focuses on presenting the design of an energy efficient concrete mixer drive. The novelty of the proposed synchronous permanent magnet motor is in its ability to develop helical movement of the rotor. This allows the mixer blades to mix concrete compound effectively with minimal energy consumption. The machine was analysed in 3D FEM and Matlab®/Simulink® software. Efficiency and rated power were also determined. The energy consumption of the proposed synchronous motor drive is compared to that of a conventional induction motor. Conclusions about the effectiveness of using the proposed machine in concrete mixers were made. The advantages of the proposed motor over conventional induction drives used in industrial mixers are also presented.