Always at the right energy level thanks to DSE

Dambach focuses on sustainability and resource conservation in the further development of its products. The basis for this is generally a closely interlinked interaction between control technology and mechanics. "For more than five years, Dambach has been working on the use of storage technologies in conjunction with a wide range of applications in warehouse technology," says Dirk Lorenz, Head of Control and Modernization at Dambach Lagersysteme. "Only through detailed knowledge of all the mechanical properties of a machine can optimum control concepts be developed. Conversely, findings and trends from control technology can influence the mechanical design of a machine". Typical representatives of this approach are the Dambach Compact Shuttle (DCS) as a device and the Dambach Smart Energy Management (DSE) as a device on a machine.

Power caps supply shuttles with energy

Equipped with robust 400 V drive technology, the DCS is designed for transporting a wide range of pallet formats and offers a high level of system reliability, even with old or damaged load carriers. The Power Cap energy storage units replace cables or batteries and thus supply the shuttles with energy for autonomous operation at channel depths of up to 40 meters. Dambach uses three storage sizes depending on the channel depth, so that Power Caps are also available for 15 and 22 meter depths.

"Our energy and resource management systems are available to anyone interested and can be purchased directly from us."

Dirk Lorenz, Dambach Lagersysteme

Dynamic reloading in a few seconds

As Dirk Lorenz emphasizes, the maximum loading time of the shuttles is only 12 seconds: "We load dynamically during operation and therefore only for long enough for the shuttle to carry out the next movement safely. Normally, this only takes around six seconds. This technology enables us to operate 24 hours a day without interruption in deep-freeze applications, for example". In general, the DCS are suitable for use in the extremely wide temperature range from -30 °C to +40 °C. To date, 100 shuttles with Power Cap technology are already in use worldwide.

DSE increases grid independence even during peak demand

Dambach offers its SRMs in the Mono, 18 m and EKT series with innovative DSE energy management. DSE stands for Dambach Smart Energy Management. Lorenz: "In this version, the SRMs are fully electric hybrids: Only 15 to 20 percent of the power currently required is taken from the conventional supply network, with the much larger remainder coming from the high-performance energy storage system integrated into the SRM. The DSE significantly improves the efficiency of an automated storage system. The storage and retrieval machines are therefore significantly more efficient, without any loss of performance.

Photo: Dambach

First installation of DSE

The DSE is currently proving itself successfully in the world's first installation in a high-bay warehouse at Boehringer Ingelheim. Four stacker cranes, each 32 meters high, are equipped with the system. The performance values achieved with DSE are impressive: the stacker cranes travel at speeds of up to 3.5 m/s, lift at 1 m/s and achieve a travel acceleration of 1.2 m/s². This is achieved with a very positive energy balance, as the peak power required from the mains is reduced to a fifth.

The performance of the storage and retrieval machines can be increased by using the existing mains supply. The additional energy required for this is taken from the power caps, which are charged by recovering energy when the stacker cranes are braked and the load is lowered. The recovered energy is then used for the drives in addition to the energy from the mains.

One third less energy consumption

DSE is particularly suitable for applications at locations with a weak energy infrastructure or grids that are only designed for low power peaks and are susceptible to faults and where energy saving through grid recovery is not possible.

By intelligently recharging the energy storage units partly from the grid and partly from energy recovery, the peak current drawn from the grid is reduced by a factor of five. The recovered energy is reused locally. Overall, energy consumption is reduced by a third.

Thinking about the future

According to Lorenz, the DSE makes sense for use in highly developed industrialized countries: "At the latest when the large nuclear power plants are finally shut down due to the energy transition, our grids will be more sensitive, and then there could be demands that no longer tolerate pulse loads such as those produced by RBG. He emphasizes: "We have created systems that can work autonomously and are not dependent on superimposed systems. Companies can noticeably and sustainably improve their energy balance with this type of energy supply."

Reinhard Irrgang