The DelMonte vegetable processing facility in Crystal City, Texas, is a cannery for spinach, carrots and beets. Located 40 miles from the Mexican border, the plant has been in operation since World War II. The facility's capacity for canned spinach currently approaches 800,000 cans per day, so it needs dependable equipment.
The plant uses two 15 hp 460V AC drives for recirculating water through a washing tank. The variable speed drives allow accurate speed control, which was previously accomplished by opening and closing pump valves. In addition to varying speed for the process, there is short term payback in energy savings. Because of the Affinity Laws, which state that HP varies with the cube of the speed, slowing the pump down 20 percent theoretically saves 50 percent in energy.
DelMonte chose a Nema 4/IP66 drive for its wash down capabilities and ease of programming. The AC drives are also UL rated for indoor and outdoor use, which makes it possible to place the drives closer to the motors. A big, expensive enclosure is not needed to protect the drives. The motor leads are shortened, which means less installation costs for conduit and labor, and the motors run more efficiently as well.
These pictures were taken on March 11, 2009, at Del Monte, Crystal City, TX. These drives turn large drums that steam the spinach before it enters the plant. They have been there for two years.