Building a new car factory involves far more than simply housing large produc­tion lines under one roof. Both people and machines need the right working condi­tions — above all, fresh air and comfort­able temper­a­tures. Venti­lation and air condi­tioning systems in the produc­tion halls ensure the quality of the air. But which fan tech­nology should these air handling units (AHUs) use — AC or EC? A Korean auto­mo­tive manu­fac­turer faced this ques­tion while plan­ning its elec­tric vehicle plant. The require­ment: Modern elec­tric vehi­cles also need a modern and energy-effi­cient produc­tion facility.

AC Tech­nology: Only Cheap at First Glance

AHUs for a new elec­tric car factory? That sounds like a case for EC tech­nology. But the orig­inal request for proposals called for locally manu­fac­tured AC fans — a tech­nology the auto­mo­tive manu­fac­turer has tradi­tion­ally relied on. And this is no excep­tion in Korea: AC fans and belt-driven systems are widely used there, have a proven track record, and are cheaper to purchase. But the truth is also that AC fans consume signif­i­cantly more elec­tricity for the same output. This makes the tech­nology more expen­sive in the long run — espe­cially as energy prices rise world­wide. There­fore, simply looking at the data sheet was not the deciding factor. 

The Korean equip­ment manu­fac­turer Cheong Nam Air Condi­tioner Inc. entered the bidding process with a revised AHU solu­tion. Instead of the AC fans orig­i­nally spec­i­fied, the company opted for effi­cient EC tech­nology from ebm-papst — and was awarded the contract. A total of 52 RadiPac 3C units were selected for the AHUs. On both the supply and return air sides, they are arranged in a FanGrid config­u­ra­tion.

EC tech­nology that pays off

But what makes the RadiPac 3C so effi­cient? Several factors work together: The EC motor ensures energy-effi­cient oper­a­tion, the opti­mized aero­dy­namics keep flow losses low, and the speed can be contin­u­ously adjusted to current demand via Modbus. Instead of running contin­u­ously at full power, the fan delivers only as much air as is currently needed in the produc­tion halls. Thanks to its low-vibra­tion design, it also remains pleas­antly quiet. The compact design of the EC centrifugal fan is a further attrac­tive attribute: The impeller, motor, and elec­tronics form a ready-to-install unit that takes up very little space in the AHUs.

Commis­sioning is also straight­for­ward and requires no complex program­ming. The brush­less motor and inte­grated protec­tion func­tions against over­heating and vibra­tions also contribute to low-main­te­nance and reli­able oper­a­tion. What costs more initially is cheaper and safer in the long run. And there’s even more poten­tial when it comes to energy effi­ciency. Digital solu­tions like NEXAIRA.Core can comple­ment the RadiPac 3C — for example, when it comes to moni­toring or AI-powered analytics. For the auto­mo­tive manu­fac­turer, the deci­sion to adopt EC tech­nology there­fore pays off twice over. It saves energy and money today and its air handling units can be expanded in the future. In this way the future of mobility at the Ulsan plant doesn’t just begin on the assembly line — it starts with the air flowing through the produc­tion halls.