Emak and Emerson forge ventilation partnership 04 Oct 2016

Turkey’s Ministry of Transport awards Istanbul-based Emak Fan Industries the contract to install ventilation in the 9.22km-long Tandoğan-M4 Metro Line in Ankara.

Emak to supply 72 fans for Ankara Metro M4 extension

Emak, which will supply 72 fans for the tunnel ventilation system, selects a modular, dedicated motor and drive solution from USA-headquartered Emerson Industrial Automation for its latest smoke extraction fan project. Switching from another supplier, Emak chose a modular Powerdrive F300 system from Control Techniques and a dedicated smoke extraction motor from Leroy-Somer (both Emerson-owned companies).

“We found the Emerson products to be reliable and robust, which is essential for this application,” said Kübra Öner, Project Assistant at Emak. “In addition, Emerson was able to provide fast, solution-based service and support to meet the short lead-time demands of our project.”

The successful partnership in Ankara between Emak and Emerson is likely to lead to future collaboration between the two companies as Emak looks to expand its portfolio of global underground construction projects.

Control module for Ankara Metro ventilation system

“Our partnership with Emerson will continue on future projects,” said Öner. “Emerson Industrial Automation is a global organization which means we will have support for our products in any part of the world, without delay. Although it was product reliability and fast delivery capability that motivated us to choose Emerson for this project, their technical support and service at a local level is also highly valued.”

Established in 1968, Emak manufactures smoke extraction fans for metro railways systems, road tunnels, underground car parks, and for any other location where smoke or fumes could pose a safety risk.

Emerson’s Powerdrive F300 high power, modular AC drives have been developed to control all AC induction motors and sensorless permanent magnet motors on the market, serving applications from 1.1kW to 2.8MW. Designed to deliver optimum energy efficiency, flexible functionality and ease-of-use, the inherent modularity of the drives is preferred by Emak to a single large drive as it brings maintenance advantages. The modular design also makes stocking spare parts easier and more cost effective.

Benefiting from a very specific design, the FLSHT smoke extraction induction motors operating with the F300 drive are dual purpose for ventilation or extraction under standard conditions (-20°C – +40°C), and in the event of fire. Due to their customised windings, reinforced insulation, special bearings, lubricants, paints and finishes the EN12103-3 certified motors are able to withstand high temperatures of up to 400°C over two hours.

“The F300 will also bring functional benefits because it is also a dedicated fan application drive,” said Öner. “For instance, the on-board Fire Mode is a significant feature for us since it allows ‘run-to-failure’ in the event of a fire. The smoke extraction process is a critical application, so we need motor drive operation that we can count on during a fire event. We are very happy about using a motor and drive combination from the same company because this optimises performance.”

Emerson, which is headquartered in Missouri, USA, achieved worldwide sales of its power, automation and climate technologies totaling US$22.3 billion in 2015.

Construction of three extensions of the Ankara Metro totalling 41km, was restarted in 2012 after work was halted in 2003 as a result of financial problems. The M4 extension between Tandoğan and Keçiören was awarded by the Turkish Ministry of Transport to the Gülermak/Kolin consortium in 2011, with excavation completed using a mix of TBM and drill+blast.