Application of Xindashida AFE Inverters in Centrifuges for Sugar Refining Equipment in the Food and Beverage Machinery Industry
2025-06-03
Application of Xindashida AFE Inverters in Centrifuges for Sugar Refining Equipment in the Food and Beverage Machinery Industry
Project Background
As one of the world’s leading sugar producers and the second-largest exporter of sugar, the Thai government has pledged to provide strong support for the sugarcane industry, encouraging sugar mills to adopt new machinery, parts, and advanced technology and maintenance solutions in order to boost local sugar production.
Leveraging its feature of maximizing energy utilization, the AFE frequency conversion system—comprising the rectifier-regenerative unit AS510 and the inverter unit AS520—helps port cranes efficiently handle bulk cargo and container handling operations. But the powerful CP’s capabilities don’t stop there; recently, it has been successfully applied to centrifuges used in sugar mills in Thailand for sugar separation.
Customer needs
The centrifuge has the following characteristics:
01
The centrifuge has relatively high starting torque requirements, making it rather difficult to start.
02
The centrifuge has a large moment of inertia, and during deceleration, it generates renewable energy.
03
The centrifuge load requires rapid acceleration and deceleration.
04
Suddenly adding a load during operation
05
Requires load-on-startup.
The inverter needs to ensure smooth starting of the centrifuge, enable rapid start-and-stop operations, effectively handle sudden load increases, and improve energy efficiency.
Xinshida Solution
Scheme Description
Prior to this, Xindashda’s solution—replacing the earlier DC speed-control system with a high-voltage variable-frequency drive for sugarcane crushers proposed for a Thai sugar mill—had already been successfully implemented locally in 2015. This time, Xindashda has once again focused on key process milestones and introduced a variable-frequency drive solution for centrifuges used in the sugar-melting equipment, which is positioned in the later stage of the entire sugarcane-to-sugar production process.
Basic Flowchart of Sugar Production from Sugarcane
Scheme advantages
The Xinshida AFE variable-frequency drive system has the following technical advantages:
● The AFE employs controlled rectification technology, enabling four-quadrant operation and renewable energy feedback to the power grid.
● AFE employs vector control technology to enhance control performance and reduce control harmonics.
● The AFE provides a stable DC voltage to the inverter;
● Equipped with an LCL filter as standard, which further eliminates harmonics and prevents grid pollution.
● AS520’s unique GVC control technology delivers high torque at low speeds, eliminating the difficulty of starting centrifuges.
● Reducing the acceleration and deceleration time enables rapid start-up and stop of the centrifuge, thereby improving production efficiency.
● Directional torque compensation effectively handles sudden load increases and loaded starts.
In addition, the motors used in centrifuges are often specialized motors. Particularly when retrofitting older equipment, it can be difficult to obtain precise motor parameters on-site. However, the GVC control algorithm developed by Xinshida is insensitive to motor parameter variations; by simply inputting the motor’s power and voltage ratings, highly accurate motor control can be achieved. Maintenance of centrifuge motors after damage can be quite cumbersome, which underscores the need for inverters to provide robust motor protection features. The GVC control algorithm allows users to set limits on the motor’s maximum operating current, thereby offering precise protection for the motor. Xinshida’s unique GVC control algorithm is capable of controlling both asynchronous motors and permanent-magnet synchronous motors.
Scheme Composition
In the centrifuge used for honey separation, due to its relatively large rotational inertia, regenerative electrical energy is generated during deceleration. By adopting an AFE variable-frequency drive system, the excess electrical energy can be fed back into the power grid. The AFE front end is equipped with an LCL filter and a pre-charge circuit. The configuration of the centrifuge motor and the AFE variable-frequency drive system is shown in the table below.
Precharge circuit:
Eliminate inrush currents on the variable frequency drive and the power grid.
LCL filter:
Optimize the power quality generated by the entire system and reduce harmonic currents flowing into the power grid.
AS510(AFE):
The AFE is the system’s power supply and energy feedback unit, providing a stable DC voltage and returning electrical energy.
AS520 (Inverter Drive):
Multiple drives can operate in parallel, providing reliable driving capability for different loads.
AS710M unit appearance
Primary diagram of the control system
Associated products
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Project Results
The application of this AFE variable-frequency drive system to centrifuges in sugar mills has opened up a new direction for centrifuge applications in sugar mills. Replacing the traditional energy-consuming braking method, this system enables low-speed, high-torque startup under load. Moreover, the AFE’s energy feedback capability effectively prevents energy waste and significantly improves system efficiency.
