Schneider Electric Launches Altivar 212 Dedicated HVAC Variable Speed Drives

Schneider Electric, the global specialist in energy management, announced the launch of the Altivar 212 (ATV212), a dedicated HVAC (Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning) variable speed drive for pumps, fans and compressors. The product is launched during the Schneider Electric Inspiration 2011, on May 20, 2011, at Suntec Singapore.

Schneider Electric's Altivar 212 variable speed drive is designed especially for building management systems (BMS) with central air-conditioning systems (heating or cooling), intended for 3-phase asynchronous motors from 0.75 kW to 75kW, between 1 to 100 hp. The ATV212 can be integrated within the building supervision network using 4 embedded protocols, and is capable of instant detection of system failure, such as belt breakage, pumps running dry, phase failure, and so on.

The ATV212 has a number of safety features, including the ability to detect belt breakages, and a Fire Mode for smoke extraction in the stairwell or car park in case of fire, to reduce smoke inhalation by users. The drive is easy to set up, implement, and diagnose, with automatic reboot, damper management, and preset speeds for automatic control sequences.

"With the advent of global warming and the need for energy efficiency, Schneider Electric is proud to introduce the Altivar 212 variable speed drive for HVAC systems, destined for the management of efficient heating, ventilation and cooling in purpose-built buildings and facilities," says Mr Karim Lamrabtine, global product manager, Schneider Electric. "The facility and building manager today looks at systems, solutions and components that are designed with ease of use, management, and energy efficiency. We will continue to refine and innovate our building management solutions with such customer desires in mind."

The Altivar 212 variable speed drive integrates an advanced patented technology which makes it possible to increase the energy efficiency as it reduces the total current harmonics distortion (THDI) to be less than 35%. This THDI efficiency is achieved without using any additional components such as DC chokes. The advantages for the users are to save energy (OPEX) and also to optimize the global cost of its installation

(CAPEX).