ThyssenKrupp Elevator America has released a kit that allows traditional elevators to be refitted with energy-efficient, gearless technology, which also captures and reuses waste energy.
Traditional geared machines utilize a motor generator to convert power. This system requires additional moving mechanical parts that create friction, thereby reducing the efficiency of the machine. The Geared to Gearless system works by using a high-efficiency motor directly integrated with the drive sheave, eliminating the geared assembly and achieving up to 95 percent machine efficiency, according to the company.
The gearless product includes a regenerative drive to capture waste energy from the system. The drive feeds the captured energy back into the building’s power grid. This allows ThyssenKrupp’s technology to help customers attain their own sustainability goals for energy reduction.
Along with the reduced energy consumption, other environmental benefits offered by the Geared to Gearless product include improved indoor-environmental air quality, reduced dust in the machine room, increased reliability – a good way to increase overall efficiency – and quieter running, says ThyssenKrupp.
In December last year, four ThyssenKrupp double deck high-speed elevators at the 492-meter-tall Shanghai World Financial Center received the VDI 4707 energy efficiency class A rating.