WEG, a leading global manufacturer of motors and drive technology, has provided a highly efficient solution for operation of its new refrigeration unit at the Mafresa facilities. The Iberian pork producer located in Fregenal de la Sierra, Badajoz, is using the new cold stores for Iberian pork sausages, shoulders and ham. INITUM EFJ ASESORES, a WEG distributor in Extremadura, recommended that Mafresa refrigeration installer, Jacinto Redondo S.L., use five W22 Magnet IE4 electric motors for the compressors used for the company’s cold production.

“For companies that use industrial refrigeration, it’s crucial that their cold production equipment works at maximum efficiency, or rather with a fully optimised COP (Coefficient of Performance). In the food industry, refrigeration can represent more than 80% of a company’s total electricity usage. As such, the aim is to provide a solution which meets all the refrigeration requirements of all departments, but with the lowest possible kWh consumption,” explains Francisco Javier Álvarez, Industrial Engineer and Co-founder of INITUM EFJ ASESORES.

The W22Magnet IE4 electric motors are ideally suited to meet these requirements and standing out due to their high efficiency and constant torque across the speed range. They also help to reduce maintenance costs, improve sustainability, increase productivity and extend the useful life of all the equipment. The W22 Magnet IE4 solution combined with CFW11PM for 160 kW and 75 kW compressors, in addition to the 11 kW and 22 kW WEG CFW700 drives used in the Mafresa primary and secondary circuit pumps, enables the system to produce an instantaneous 2,000 kW refrigerating capacity. The WEG solution delivers maximum system efficiency with a COP of 4 (for water cooling) and as high as 8 for water heating, guaranteeing power, torque, performance and above all efficiency. This means Mafresa can control its energy consumption due to the optimum operation of the compressor.

To establish the specifications for the WEG solution, INITUM EFJ ASESORES produced a technical document that refrigeration installer, Jacinto Redondo SL, presented to Mafresa before the project was awarded. With this document, WEG and its distributor not only offered a completely different and innovative solution, but also an additional service, which clearly demonstrated an interest in winning this project. 

“Energy efficiency was key in this application and the study data was very revealing. According to the study, installing a traditional squirrel-cage open motor system with a drive wasn’t the best option since it was estimated that the WMagnet solution would deliver energy savings of between 14% and 20%. Moreover, the monitoring system we are installing will enable Mafresa to verify all the estimations as well as perform rigorous system controls,” remarks Jacinto Redondo. 

The study estimated annual savings of EUR 27,400 in energy costs by using the four W22 Magnet motors with CFW11PM converters for the 160 kW compressors. Based on 5,840 hours of operation each year, each 160 kW WMagnet unit plus CFW11PM converter operating between 1000 rpm and 3600 rpm would save EUR 6,850. Based on this data, the cost of investment would be paid back in approximately 18 months.

Once Mafresa awarded the project, INITUM EFJ ASESORES and WEG engineers continued collaborating with Jacinto Redondo S.L. to ensure that installation of all the system components would be simple, quick and efficient. 

The new Mafresa facilities also contains a fifth W22Magnet IE4 motor with CFW11 converter for its other 75 kW compressor used to harness the residual heat from condensation and transfer it to the SHW system, achieving in this instance a COP of nearly 8 points. As part of this project, INITUM EFJ ASESORES also supplied WEG open-frame switches for the main panel, and various panels manufactured by Autrial (part of the WEG group), such as a 12-metre long motor control panel for the refrigeration unit, a control panel with 11 x 11 kW WEG CFW700 drives, a motor control panel with 2 x 22 kW WEG CFW700 drives and 22 WEG CFW700 drives for self-contained unit conversion.

The entire WEG solution for Mafresa’s new refrigerated unit facilities has been designed according to the European ECODESIGN standard (Directive 2005/32/EC) establishing a framework for the setting of ecodesign requirements for energy-using products.

“We are extremely satisfied with the WMagnet solutions specified by INITIUM EFJ ASESORES S.L; while it’s still too early to confirm the estimates of the technical document, we have begun to see the improvement in our energy efficiency. Furthermore, this project has reflected the team work between our installer, Jacinto Redondo S.L., INITIUM EFJ ASESORES S.L. and WEG. The added value provided through the follow-up and service has been magnificent,” says Alfonso Rodriguez Valdelomar, Managing Director of Mafresa. 

The new Mafresa 300m2 refrigeration units use four WEG W22 Magnet IE4 electric motors for 160 kW compressors

WEG also supplied 11 kW and 22 kW CFW700 drives in the central refrigeration panel manufactured by Autrial, a WEG Group company