Research Article

Energy-saving control model of

inverter for centrifugal pump systems

Advances in Mechanical Engineering

2015, Vol. 7(7) 112
The Author(s) 2015
DOI: 10.1177/1687814015589491
aime.sagepub.com

Yin Luo, Shouqi Yuan, Hui Sun and Yihang Guo

Abstract
The inverter control strategy is the key to pump energy-saving operation and should be established based on the current
system configurations and system requirements, which is not the case in practice. As a result, the characteristics of
pump system requirements and a combination pump with inverter were studied, and the mathematical models were
established. A new model for an optimal inverter control strategy based on the current system configurations and system requirements was then established, and a method combining golden section search and genetic algorithm was formulated to solve this optimal model. This model sets up an optimal inverter control strategy to increase the efficiency of
pump operation following a process line near the minimum requirements to improve operation conditions. The implementation difficulty of the control law was also reduced. Finally, the optimized model was applied to an industrial circulating pump system, and the result showed that the model can not only determine the optimal inverter control strategy
but also evaluate the current operation situation of the pump configuration and determine the energy-saving potential
for the current configuration, which can aid in the subsequent energy-saving reconstruction.
Keywords
Energy-saving technology, inverter control strategy, variable pressure water supply, pump system characteristics

Date received: 21 November 2014; accepted: 1 March 2015

Academic Editor: Duc T Pham

Introduction
Pumps are widely used in industrial and service sector
applications. Pumps consume approximately 10%
40% of electricity in these sectors.1,2 Pumping systems
are found to have a significant potential for energy efficiency improvements; using inverters in pumping applications, variable speed pumping has been shown to be
effective in reducing total pumping costs, particularly
in systems that require a wide range.38
Despite being capable of adjusting the rotation
speed of the pump, an inverter cannot achieve energy
savings directly. Energy saving can only be achieved
through the optimal operation control strategy.5,6,9,10
Energy-saving efforts are affected by the optimization
degree of the control strategy and the equipment configuration.911 As a result, the pump system should
possess an established inverter control law for energysaving operations.

The variable pressure control law1215 which followed the system characteristics could achieve the minimum supply for system requirements without throttle
loss. However, the present pump configuration tends to
promote the practice of sizing pumps conservatively to
ensure safety margins for the process, which could
cause the pump to operate under low efficiency. This
practice results in low operating efficiency and high
maintenance costs with high noise. Second, due to the
high price of the inverter, not all pumps are equipped

Research Center of Fluid Machinery Engineering and Technology, Jiangsu

University, Zhenjiang, China
Corresponding author:
Yin Luo, Research Center of Fluid Machinery Engineering and Technology,
Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China.
Email: luoyin6@gmail.com

Creative Commons CC-BY: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License
(http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without
further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (http://www.uk.sagepub.com/aboutus/
openaccess.htm).
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Advances in Mechanical Engineering

Lower inpeller life

Discharge
Recirculation
Low flow
High cavitation
tempertaure
Suction
rise
Lower bearing & recirculation
seal life

Best Efficiency Point

Head

Lower bearing &

seal life
Cavitaion

80%

110%

% Flow

Figure 1. Adverse effects of operating away from the BEP.

with this device, and thus, the adjustment capability of

a pump system may be insufficient to enable the pump
to operate within the minimum requirements.
The constant pressure control law which keeps the
pressure of pump outlet constant through the inverter is
the most common control law for pump systems. This
approach is easy to implement with closed-loop control.
However, the constant pressure mode would cause pressure loss which means energy wastage when operating
under small flow requirement, and the pump efficiency
is still not considered in actual operation.
Thus, the inverter control strategy should be established based on the current pump system configurations to achieve a supply that is close to minimum
system requirements to save energy, as well as to enable
the pump to operate in an efficient operation area considering the pump configuration with less switching frequency to prevent difficulty in implementation.
However, there are few studies about that, especially
lack of the establish methods of the inverter control
strategy.
In this work, a new model was established to achieve
an optimal inverter control strategy based on the current system configurations and system requirements.
This optimal inverter control strategy enables pump
operation in an efficient area following a process line
near the minimum requirements threshold to improve
operation conditions. The difficulty of implementing
the control law was also reduced.

and maintenance cost and reduces the risk of system

problems because of hydraulic excitation forces and
cavitation risk, as shown in Figure 1. Rules are thus
needed to define the allowable ranges and modes of
operation to reduce the risk of damage and excessive
wear.

Single-pump model
The range of the preferred continuous operation can be
defined according to some criteria; for instance, based
on the requirement that the efficiency must not fall
below 80%85% of the maximum efficiency of the
pump in question. The allowable ranges can be defined
by the efficiency must not fall below 70% of the maximum efficiency.
Considering the general centrifugal pump, the QH
characteristics can be expressed as follows
H = Hx  SQ2

Thus, the preferred operation range can also be

expressed as a curve section
H = Hx  SQ2

A pump should be operated predominantly close to the

best efficiency point in the preferred operation range.
This mode of operation facilitates the lowest energy

Q 2 QA , QB 

In this interval, with the head He, the flow range can
be recorded as
( q
Hx He
Sx

Qc (He) =

Mathematical model of the efficient

operation area for pump group

He 2 HA , HB 
He 62 (HA , HB )

With the flow Qe, the head range can be recorded as


Hc (Qe ) =

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HX 
HA 2
QA Qe

SQ2e

Qe 2 QA , QB 
Qe QA

Luo et al.

l1
H

l2

System characteristics

A
Operation zone

Efficiency area

n0

C
D

Multi - pump
characteristics
Single pump
characteristics

nmin

Figure 2. Efficient operation area for the variable speed pump.

When the pump is operated by an inverter, the range

of speed regulation should be constrained. With an
excessive speed range, operation efficiency and reliability will decrease. Thus, considering the factors of operation, the speed regulation range is constrained. The
preferred operation range can be expressed as shown in
Figure 2.
According to the affinity law in pump theory, l1 and
l2 are set as similar lines in Figure 2. A, B, C, and D are
the boundaries of the operation zone, and l1 and l2 can
be expressed as
Hl1 =

HA 2
Q ,
QA l1

Hl2 =

HB 2
Q
QB l2

When the head He is needed for this water supply

system, the boundary can change as
(
Qmin =
(
Qmax =

QA
Qc

QB
QB

He
HA

q
He
HA

He  HC
He \HC
He \HB
He  HB

Hmin =

2
HX
kmin
HB 2
QB Qe


Hmax =

HX 
HA 2
QA Qe

SQ2e

SQ2e

Qe \QD
Q  QD
Qe  QA
Q\QA

solutions to variable demand requirements. As a result,

the configuration equipped with an inverter is common
in engineering practice.
The operation point of each pump is derived from
the intersection of the system characteristic with the
combined characteristics of all pumps in operation. In
parallel operation, each unit has to pump against the
same pressure difference imposed by the system. Thus,
the combined characteristic of the pumps is obtained
by adding the flow rates of all operating pumps at constant head. This method can also be used for the operation area by adding each single-pump operation area in
a head, as shown in Figure 3.
The mathematical model can be shown as follows:
When the head He is needed for the water supply system, the boundary can be changed according to equations (5) and (6)
"
QZ =

When Qe is needed for this water supply system, the

boundary can change as


Figure 3. Efficient area of a parallel operation pump group

with single inverter.

7
8

Parallel operation pump group model

The advantages of multiple pump parallel combinations
are flexibility, redundancy, and the capability to meet
changing flow needs efficiently in systems. In particular,
adjustable speed drive tends to be more efficient

x
X

wi  QCik (He ) +

i=1
n
X

wi QCik (He ) +

i=1

n
X

wi  QVikmin (He ),

i=x
n
X

wi  QVikmax (He )

i=x

where n is the number of pumps, x expresses the constant speed operation pump, i denotes the ith pump, k
is the kth type of pump, and wi is the switch vector. In
the configuration of the ith pump selection, if the pump
is in operation, we use 1; otherwise, the value is 0.

Mathematical model of the operation

demand area for a pump system with
inverter
A pump system with inverter configuration has strong
regulating capability. With increasing speed of the regulating device, the capability of the pump system will

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Advances in Mechanical Engineering

HS

HDmax

HDmax

HDmin

HDmin

QDmin

QDmax

Figure 4. Operation area of the pump system with inverter.

be enhanced. A pump system with inverter is likely to

be capable of operating at the least demand line, which
requires almost no additional energy consumption during regulation. The least demand line is the ideal
method for energy saving. The least demand line is
often equal to the system characteristic of no throttle
loss.
However, not all pump systems with inverter can
achieve such ideal conditions. Thus, a pump system
cannot supply sufficient energy to support normal system operation if operating at the minimum requirements. As a result, the constant pressure water mode is
widely used for its high reliability and easy implementation. Although its energy-saving effect was unremarkable, this application is the bottom line of variable
frequency speed control technology for energy saving.
The operation demand area can be represented as a
shadow area, as shown in Figure 3. The red line is
needed for the constant pressure water supply mode
control, which can be expressed as H = HDmax. The
blue curve is the minimum requirement process control
line, which can be expressed as H = Hst + KQ2.
The demand area in shadow can be expressed as
follows:
To implement the optimal operation strategy successfully, the high efficiency area of the candidate pump
should cover the shadow area in the design flow section,
as shown in Figure 4. The pump can then be operated
to achieve the desired water supply.
As shown in Figure 5, this relationship can be
expressed as follows:
For every flow requirement Qe, the supply boundary
can be expressed as


HR max = Hst + KQ2D max

HR min = Hst + KQ2e

HRmin

QDmin

10

HS

HRmax

QDmax

Figure 5. Feasibility relationship between the regional

configuration scheme and regional demand.

H
Hs1

Hs2
A

Qmin

Qmax

Figure 6. Minimum system requirements with static head

change.

A static head is an uncommon system characteristic,

but some special cases, such as water intake pumping
stations, exist. Hs2 refers to the system characteristic
curve with the minimum design water-level difference,
whereas Hs1 denotes the system characteristic curve
with the maximum design water-level difference. The
operating control line within the range of the pump system can almost guarantee that the system will work
normally. The minimum system requirements are
shown in Figure 6.
Changes in the static head enable the system to meet
the demand of water supply successfully. The supply
boundary also changes according to equation (10). The
pump can then operate at the maximum demand zone,
as shown in Figure 7.

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Luo et al.

Optimized condition selection mathematical model

H
B

HS1

A
HS2

Optional operating area calculation model. From the

energy-saving and reliable operation perspectives, the
optional operation area should meet the following
criteria:
1.

D
C

2.
Qmin

Qmax

Figure 7. Maximum system requirements with static head

changed.

3.

This relationship can be expressed as follows



HR max (x) = Hst (x) + KQ2max

HR min (x) = Hst (x) + KQ2

Hst (x) 2 Hs1 , Hs2 

11

where the Hs1 curve is expressed as Hs1 = Hst1 + KQ2

and the Hs2 curve is expressed as Hs2 = Hst2 + KQ2; x
expresses the dynamic static head.

Optimized condition selection model

Modeling theoretical basis and model composition
On one hand, the optimization operation principle is to
enable the system to operate under different conditions
in a highly efficient operation state. On the other hand,
the principle is aimed at reducing the energy consumption during regulation, that is, the pump operation control process line should be as close as possible to the
minimum requirement line. This condition requires the
intersection of the pump high efficient area and the
minimum requirement line. Thus, the inverter control
law should enable the system to meet the requirements
under the high efficient area of the pump.
As shown in Figure 8, the efficient operation area
and operation demand area were calculated according
to the configuration system and operation characteristics. The optional operating area was then selected to
achieve energy-saving and reliable operation.
Finally, an optimization model was used for optimization selection from the optional operating area based
on the energy cost and switch number. The inverter
control law was established through the implementation of this process from the maximum to the minimum
required flow.

Optional operating area must meet the

system requirements and ensure that the pump
can supply enough head for each required flow
point.
Optional operating area should cover the preferred operation range. This mode of operation
is suitable to bring about the lowest energy and
maintenance cost. If the preferred operation
range is unsuitable for the current requirement,
then the allowable operation range should be
chosen as the main optional area.
Optional operating area should consider the following factors: the difficulty in starting up the
pumps, the significant increase in frequency during switching, and the fact that maintenance
cost increases as the number of pump switches
increases.

The optional operation area can be calculated based

on these criteria:
Step 1. Determine the flow demand Qe and the current switch conditions w0i . w0j of 1 indicates that the
pump is in operation, and 0 shows that the pump is
off.
Step 2. According to the flow demand Qe, the model
calculates the available area based on the requirement characteristics, as shown in equations (10) and
(11). Finally, the available area HR can be
calculated.
Step 3. According to a certain optimization rules,
Hei is chosen from HR. The model then calculates
the efficient operation area for pump group Qzi and
the switch conditions based on equation (9), such
that numerous schemes are created.
Step 4. According to the flow demand Qe, the model
ensures that the scheme is available. The available
switch conditions and the variable control switch
schemes suggest that the variable speed pump selection can be expressed as kij, where 1 indicates that
the pump is in operation, and kij indicates that the
jth pump is selected as the variable speed pump.
Step 5. We classify the available state in accordance
with the number of pump switches. A value less
than 2 is preferred.
The number of pump switches can be expressed as

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Advances in Mechanical Engineering

Pump
Configuration

Operation
demand
area

Efficient
operation area

Opeartion
Characteristcs&
Demand zone

Compare
Demand Flow
Optional
operating area

Optimal
scheduling

Energy cost

Switch
number

Min ?

<=1?

Supply head

Invert control
law

Figure 8. Modeling progress.

dH (w, w0 ) =

n 

X


wj  w0j 

12

j=1

where I is the number of pumps, wi is the operating status of pump i for the next step, w0i is the present operating status, and wi and w0i are both switch variables.
Finally, for every Hei 2 HR, some switch control
scheme wij and variable control switch schemes kij are
available.
Optimal evaluation model. Based on the current switch
conditions, a lower switch number yields more preferable results. For Qz, the switch conditions are used as
inputs by the optimal evaluation model to calculate the
current power consumed to prepare for the optimal
selection.
Evaluation objective function. In a typical pumping system, an inverter control law focuses on the effect of
energy savings. The evaluation objective is the energy
consumption of the pump unit.16
The commonly used model considers the shaft horsepower of the pumps as objective function because the

energy consumption of the motor and inverter is significantly less than that of the pump. The objective function can be mathematically expressed as
f1=

I
X

wi Pi (Qi , ki )

13

i=1

where f1 is the total shaft horsepower to be minimized;

I is number of pumps; and Qi and ki are the discharge
flow and pressure head, respectively, of pump i under
certain operating conditions. Pi is the shaft horsepower
of pump i under this condition, which can be expressed
as equation (14) according to the characteristic of the
pump and the affinity law. pi is the conversion
coefficient
P(Q, k) = p0 k 3 + p1 k 2 Q + p2 kQ2 + p3 Q3

14

Constraints. To meet some of the water supply

requirements for the pump system,17 the desired water
supply index, which is known for the pump system, can
be expressed as (HST, Qe) in a mathematical model.

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Luo et al.

Table 1. Configuration and the parameters of pumps.

Serial number

Pump model

Qden (m3/h)

Hden (m)

Qmin (m3/h)

Qmax (m3/h)

N (r/min)

1#
2#
3#
4#

20SA-10
20SA-10
20SA-10
20SA-10

2850
2850
2850
2850

58
58
58
58

1710
1710
1710
1710

3848
3848
3848
3848

960
960
960
960

For parallel-connected pump systems, the constraints

can be expressed as
Qe =

n
X

Qi

15

i=1

HST = Hi

16

For every Hi 2 HR, the switch control scheme wij

and variable control switch scheme were used as input
in this model. The minimum shaft horsepower of the
pumps for every scheme can then be calculated.

Model solution method

The golden section search method was adapted to optimize the supply head.20 The golden section search is a
technique for finding the extreme (minimum or maximum) of a strict function by successively narrowing the
range of values inside which the extreme is known to
exist. The technique derives its name from the fact that
the algorithm maintains the function values for triples
of points whose distances form a golden ratio.
In this optimization process, the available area HR
was selected as the optimization interval. The minimum
shaft horsepower in the selected supply operation point
was selected as the objective function value. Thus, in
either case, we can construct a narrower search interval
that is guaranteed to contain the function minimum to
achieve the head optimization selection. The genetic
algorithm was selected as the optimization method for
the minimum shaft horsepower at the selected supply
operation point because of its suitable characteristics
for adaptability to complex optimization problems.18,19
In this optimization problem, the single-objective
approach developed by Mackle was adopted for its simplicity. The fitness function consists of the energy consumption cost and penalties for the constraints of the
system. All these factors were linearly weighted.

used for the mother liquor evaporation process. Four

same-model pumps with single-stage and doublesuction combined parallel were initially used in the
pumping system. The pump model is shown in Table 1.
The 4# pump was used for emergency.
The operation characteristics of these pumps are as
follows:
QH characteristics
H = 70:39 3 k 2  1:78e  6 3 Q2
where k is the speed regulation ratio. If the pump
operates at constant speed, k is equal to 1.
QP characteristics
P = 230:5 3 k 3 + 0:1025 3 k 2 3 Q
+ 5:826e  6k 3 Q2  2:1e  9 3 Q3
Only one set of variable devices (inverters) is
equipped in the system. The minimum speed regulation
range (kmin) is 0.75. he evaluation objective function
can be established based on the QP characteristics
according to equations (12) and (13).
The pump efficient area mathematical model can be
shown as follows:
For a single pump operating at variable speed, if the
head He 2 [16.4, 60.1] is needed for this water supply
system, the boundary can change as
8 q
< 29:74He
He  25:4
1:789e6
q
Qv min =
: 2400 3 He H \25:4
e
60:1
8 q
< 70:39He
He  38:8
1:789e6
q
Qv max =
: 4200 3 He H \38:8
e
38:8
For a single constant speed pump, He 2 [38.8, 60.1]

Application
Profiles of the pump station
A sample model is a circulating water pumping station,
one of the most important facilities in an alumina plant

r
70:39  He
Qv max = Qv min =
1:789e  6
For this pump group, the efficient area can be
expressed as

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Advances in Mechanical Engineering

10000

Q (m3/h)

8000
6000
4000
2000
0

6
7
Month

10

11

12

Figure 10. Annual water demand law.

Figure 9. Operation area of the pump system with inverter.

"
QZ =

3
X

wi 3 QC (He ) +

i=1

wi QC (He ) +

wi 3 QVmin (He ),

i=x

i=1
1
X

1
X

n
X

wi 3 QVmax (He )

i=x

For this pumping system, the basic demand characteristic obeys equation (10), the maximum design flow
is 8500 m3, and minimum design flow is 1500 m3
Hdem = 31 + 3:51 3 107 Q2

17

Figure 11. Statistics of water law.

Then as shown in Figure 9, the operation demand

model can be expressed as


HR max = 56:4
HR min = 31 + 3:51 3 107 Q2e

Qe 2 1500, 8500

The annual water law is shown in Figures 10 and 11.

These values are obtained from the water demand curve
based on historical data.

Optimization inverter control law and the result

analysis
The pump station is equipped with four units of the
same-model pump. Based on the equipment and the
optimized condition selection model, the single-inverter
control law is shown in Figure 12.
As shown in Figure 12, the efficient area of singleinverter control with the same-model pump can cover
the entire operating area, and the non-efficient flow
area can be found from 1500 to 1800 m3/h, from 4200
to 5200 m3/h, and from 7026 to 7923 m3/h. According
to Figure 11, these three regimes comprise the main
operation area. From this point, the equipment is
unsuitable for this application.

Figure 12. Single inverter with same-model pump control law.

Through the above situation, the range of efficiency

has to be expanded by adopting the following
measures:
First, an assembly pump group with two frequency
converter configuration conditions may be adopted
to achieve better results.

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Luo et al.

Table 2. Configuration and parameters of the pony pump.

Serial number

Pump model

Qden (m3/h)

Hden (m)

Qmin (m3/h)

Qmax (m3/h)

N (r/min)

5#

14SH-9B

1425

58

855

1853

1450

Figure 13. Multi-inverter with same-model pump control law.

Figure 14. Single inverter with multi-model pump control law.

Second, some scholars suggest the addition of a pony

pump to increase operation efficiency and operating
adjustability.21,22
For the first scheme, two inverters are used for the
system. The control law is shown in Figure 13.
As shown in Figure 13, the efficient area of multiinverter control can cover almost the entire operating
area, except [1500, 1800]. This control law can achieve
the minimum requirement operation because of its
strong regulation capability. Moreover, according to
the water law statistics, [1500, 1800] is not the main
operation demand. From these points, this scheme may
be ideal. For the second solution, a pony pump with
half capacity is employed, and the relevant parameters
are shown in Table 2.
The operation characteristics of the pump are as
follows:

Figure 15. Shaft power of the operation.

r
71:17  He
Qv max = Qv min =
7:488e  6

QH characteristics
2

H = 71:17 3 k  7:488e  6 3 Q

where k is the speed regulation ratio. If the pump operates at constant speed, k is equal to 1.
QP characteristics
P = 146:4 3 k 3 + 0:05 3 k 2 3 Q
+ 4:4e  5k 3 Q2  1:44e  8 3 Q3
For this constant speed pump, He 2 [45.4, 60.1]

The operation area should also change. The singleinverter control law with pony pump is shown in
Figure 14.
As shown in Figure 14, the efficient area of singleinverter control with pony pump can cover the entire
operating area. From this point, this equipment was
applicable for this application. This control law can
achieve the minimum requirement operation in the flow
area of 40006000 m3. Thus, from an energy-saving
operation perspective, this approach may not be ideal.
As shown in Figure 15, the shaft power under different flow requirements of the three schemes can be

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10

Advances in Mechanical Engineering

Table 3. Total energy consumption under different schemes.

Scheme

Power consumption (kW h)

Energy-saving rate (annual) (%)

Original scheme
Single inverter configuration
Single inverter with pony
Two inverter configuration

9,075,400
1,329,500
1,434,100
1,504,800

14.6
15.8
16.6

Table 4. Total energy consumption under different schemes.

Scheme

Electrovalence (million Yuan)

Save

Investment cost

Payback time (year)

Original scheme
Single inverter
Single inverter with pony
Two inverter

5.45
4.65
4.6
4.54

0.7977
0.84138
0.91572

1.5
1.75
3

1.8
2
3.3

25

Single inverter

Single with pony

mul

20

Gain (MIllon RMB)

calculated using the optimal control law model. Based

on shaft power data shown in Table 3, the multi-inverter control can gain the best energy-saving effect, and
the signal inverter with pony pump also has an advantage over the form scheme.
For the economic analysis, the implementation costs
and the energy consumption within a certain period
must be calculated according to the flow demand principle of the pumping system. This study uses a 1-year
operation condition as shown in Figure 10. Based on
Figure 15, the annual power consumption can be
computed.
Given that the common industry electrovalence
amounts to 0.6 Yuan and that the configuration of the
invert with 10 kV and 710 kW amounts to 150 million
Yuan, the transition pump, high-voltage electromotor,
and installation costs amount to a total of 25 million
Yuan. Table 4 shows the general expenses of these different schemes based on the costbenefit ratio. By
assuming that the machine is free from any compromise, the relationship between time and gain can be
observed as shown in Figure 16.
The same figure shows that the single-invert configuration scheme achieves the optimum profit with a
working period of less than 5 years. However, the single invert with pony pump configuration achieves the
best gain with an operation time that exceeds 20 years.
Therefore, the single invert with pony pump configuration is applied in this energy-saving project. Finally, the
comprehensive energy-saving rate is 14% by the thirdparty testing.

15

10

0
0

10

15

20

25

30

Year
-5

Figure 16. Relationship between time and gain.

Figure 17. Multi-control laws for single invert with pony pump
configuration.

Comparative analysis between optimal invert control

law with other law
The most popular invert control law is the constant
pressure mode and the variable pressure mode followed

minimum requirement line. All the invert control laws

are shown in Figure 17. As the constant pressure mode
would cause lots of waste in pressure, which would

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Luo et al.

11

cause serious energy waste obviously, as a result, the

constant pressure mode was not considered in scheme
comparison.
The shaft power under different flow requirements
of the three schemes can be calculated using the different control law models as shown in Figure 18. In most
operation area, the shaft power was almost the same;
however, in some area, the minimum requirement
might be smaller than the optimal law.
For the economic analysis, the flow demand principle of the pumping system is also shown in Figure 10.

Then the annual power consumption is computed in

Table 5.
From Table 5, the minimum requirement control
might get better energy-saving effort than optimal
invert control law. So it may be ideal for energy saving
following minimum requirement control. But the optimal invert control law could also achieve good results.
At the same time, the capability for efficient operation
in the whole flow range for minimum requirements was
just about 61.5%. Which means it could not enable
pump to operate in reliable condition, whereas the optimal control law could cover 100% for the whole flow
range in efficient and reliable condition as shown in
Figure 19. In short, the optimal invert control law
could ensure the pump meet the basis of high efficiency, reliable to save energy as far as possible at the
same time.

Conclusion
In this work, a new model for an optimal inverter control strategy based on the current system configuration
and system requirements is presented. The main conclusions of this study are as follows:
Figure 18. Shaft power of multi-control law with pony pump
configuration.

1.

The optimal inverter control strategy should

cause the pump operation in an efficient area to

Table 5. Total energy consumption under different controls.

Scheme

Power consumption (kW h)

Energy-saving rate (annual) (%)

Original configuration
Optimal invert control law
Minimum requirement control

9,075,400
1,434,100
1,461,100

15.8
16.1

Figure 19. Efficient area operation ability of multi-control law with pony pump configuration: (a) region of efficient operation and
(b) ability of efficient operation.

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12

Advances in Mechanical Engineering

2.

follow a process line near the minimum requirement line to improve the operation condition,
such that the implementation difficulty of the
control law is also reduced. As a result, for different pump system configuration modes or different requirement laws, the inverter control
strategy should vary.
By optimizing the model calculations, the optimal inverter control strategy can be obtained,
and the current operation situation of the current pump configuration can be evaluated to
identify energy-saving potential opportunities
for the current configurations and prepare for
the subsequent energy-saving reconstruction.

Declaration of conflicting interests

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests
regarding the publication of this article.

Funding
This project was supported by The National Natural Science
Fund (No. 51409125 ), the China Postdoctoral Science
Foundation (No. 2014M551515), Priority Academic Program
Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions,
Jiangsu University fund assistance (No. 13JDG082), Jiangsu
postdoctoral research grants program (No. 1302026B), and
University Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province
(No. 14KJB470002).

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