Decentralization of electrical systems - one way to optimize investment costs and plant management

A description is given of the new scheme for a decentralized electrical system based on the example of equipment at the Neuwied Works of Dyckerhoff Zement GmbH. The costs of an electrical system are determined essentially by the structure of the system. If the appropriate equipment and units for power supply, switching, protection and monitoring are assigned to each consumer the result is a decentralized distributed system, the objects of which are only linked by a power bus and an information bus. A report is given of the experience obtained with a system of this type using the example of the cement transport, silo storage and loading plant for ultrafine binders, with a total of 240 drives and 60 measuring points. Reduced expenditure on materials and engineering while retaining high quality and functionality led to substantial cost savings. The operating results achieved with the new scheme, which proved to be highly acceptable to the staff, included a particularly high level of availability.