Danfoss’ customer, Johnson Controls, put together a broad solution for lighting, heating and cooling systems in the facility. Danfoss VLT Series drives became embedded in the new variable volume air handling solutions, replacing the old constant volume motor starters. The VLT drives were also installed on the secondary pumps in fan pumping systems. The application was complex, with about 25 air handlers in multiple zones.
Although Danfoss wasn’t the first choice for the project, the hard work of sales staff and the support of the organization won the customer over and resulted in an order of about 50 drives.
Chip Aranowski, Sales Manager for Danfoss, says the challenges Johnson Controls faced for this application were ones that he knew Danfoss could solve. The first was the fact that the fans were driven by 1200 RPM motors, which require a larger drive. These motors start up more slowly and place a greater strain on the system than 1800 RPM motors, which are more typical in these applications. 1200 RPM motors are rare, and it is especially unique to see so many in one application. The application had to be reassessed in the middle of the project to compensate for the motor type.
The second issue for the customer was one of space. In existing buildings, the mechanical or electrical equipment room is often very short on empty wall space. The traditional drives package requires drives to be mounted in horizontal, side-by-side cabinets that take up a large area. At the time, there were few (if any) drive manufacturers other than Danfoss that offered a narrow vertical configuration for drive installations. This unique capability was a prime consideration in choosing Danfoss, whose tall and skinny integrated drive package fit where side-by-side configurations wouldn’t.
Danfoss was also able to adhere to a strict delivery time requirement, which became another key factor in winning the order.
The Kennedy Center, located on 17 acres overlooking the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., is America’s living memorial to President Kennedy as well as the nation’s busiest arts facility, presenting more than 3,000 performances each year. The Kennedy Center opened to the public in September 1971.