Custom-engineered, fully automated pump control systems of relays, timers, and controllers have been the domain of large municipalities and industrial pump users due to their high cost and complexity. Smaller pump users have had the recent benefit of solid-state pump controllers, but they don’t address all of the problems encountered in automated pumping systems.
A PID control loop is built into the drive. This eliminates the time and expense of locating, wiring, and calibrating an external PID controller. The PID is set up through a simple, menu-driven keypad. Simply enter the requested system pressure and three control values and you’re set.
Built-in minimum speed setting means you can satisfy submersible motor manufacturers’ minimum speed requirements for four-pole motors and two pole motors with the touch of a button. Full torque from zero to full speed makes driving positive displacement pumps a breeze. You won’t have to oversize the drive and motor to get adequate torque at low speeds.
Whether it’s no-flow conditions such as loss of prime or an over-pumped well, or broken discharge lines, high system pressure, or motor overloads, Unico has you covered. All appropriate alarm functions have timed overrides so nuisance trips can be tuned out of your system. In addition, all necessary alarm functions are automatically overridden during start-up and line filling.
In systems where one pump is not able to provide coverage for the necessary flow range, the drive is able to enable/disable up to eight secondary pumps. It automatically controls the speed of the first pump until it’s unable to satisfy demand and coordinates a smooth transition when it starts pump two, then adjusts the speed of pump one to maintain constant system pressure. When demand in the system falls off and additional pumps are no longer needed, it controls the shut down of the secondary pump(s) and provides a smooth transition back to pump one variable-speed operation. The secondary pumps are also protected from no-flow conditions such as loss of prime, over pumping a well, and deadheading.
Unico drives were designed for the harsh environments of pumping applications. Go ahead and hang them outside on a pole. Summer or winter. their compact, rugged NEMA 3R dust and rain-tight enclosures are up to the task. Our unique mechanical design allows our drives to be mounted inside the enclosure while their heat sinks are outside the enclosure, so their heat is dissipated externally.
