Topics 18 March 2022
Today’s Technology for Tomorrow’s Waste Disposal

The amount of trash generated is increasing every year, and far too little is being redirected into raw materials recovery. This means that valuable resources are being wasted every day – and not just raw materials, but also manpower, since collecting waste is labor-intensive work. Therefore, South Korea is testing other options. A new highly efficient system relies on networked waste containers and modern technology from Germany.

For most people, trash disposal is synonymous with refuse collection: Cities and towns use specialized vehicles to collect waste along fixed routes. These vehicles pick up the trash in their assigned areas, sorted into corresponding receptacles, like bins, containers or sacks. Billing is based on several different systems, ranging from fixed fees, to specialized trash bags for purchase, to billing by weight. Many towns and cities have considered replacing regularly scheduled pick-up with a demand-driven collection system. All intelligent waste management relies on trash bins with sensors, whose job is to optimize capacities and collection routes. The goal of such a data-driven approach is to eliminate fixed collection schedules and reduce costs through optimized routes and frequencies.

At a Glance

  • In the control cabinets of modern waste containers in South Korea, Pro 2 Power Supplies provide power reliably.
  • With its compact design, the Pro 2 Power Supply powers all the components while saving space.
  • The PowerBoost function ensures that sufficient capacity reserves are always available.
  • The power supply can be monitored continuously through remote access.

Pilot Project in South Korea

The forward-looking nation of South Korea is seeking efficient waste disposal strategies. A nation-wide pilot project for rural areas is also using intelligent containers, but with different dimensions: At the core of the pilot concept are smart compacting containers with a storage capacity of 10 m³. These are designed as collection containers: Residents bring their waste to the designated collection points. When trash is deposited, an integrated scale weighs it, and the user pays the fee directly on a payment terminal. This billing data is transmitted to a central server, along with data about the fill level, diagnostics and maintenance. Here the data is visualized in a control center.

The containers are equipped with features to minimize odors and provide protection from vermin. The integrated fill level measurement indicates the optimal collection time precisely. Since waste transport is demand-driven and centralized, the networked containers thus form the foundation for increased efficiency. Another advantage is that, with the old system, the containers at the collection points often filled up long before the scheduled pick-up. That allowed loose trash to pile up, where effects like wind would cause it to scatter into the surrounding environment. The container now reports when it is full, avoiding this problem. This allows much more economical labor deployment and significant optimization of the number of trips in comparison to fixed collection routes. That in turn reduces urban street congestion, prevents traffic jams behind trash trucks and reduces both noise and CO2 emissions.

Intelligent containers are set up in designated collection areas.

Residents can weigh the garbage they deposit and pay directly via a payment terminal.

This allows significant optimization of the number of trips in comparison to fixed collection routes.

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Smart Technology

Each container has an integrated technology module, which accommodates all required equipment in a very tight space: GPS, network, process controller, an ozone generator to prevent odors etc. A WAGO Pro 2 Power Supply is installed in the control cabinet to power all the 24 V loads. “In one pre-production model, AC motors were still being used for the sliding doors on the fill opening,” recalls Haeyong Kim, Sales Manager at WAGO Korea. “That didn’t work as desired, so they were replaced by DC motors. But then there wasn’t enough space for a power supply with an appropriate design, plus thermal fuses. We were able to meet this challenge using the Pro 2, which also allowed us to achieve a few additional benefits.”

Intelligent Power Supply Included

In comparison to the majority of other power supplies, WAGO’s state-of-the-art power supply offers two special features in this application: First, it is designed to be very compact, and second, it has sufficient capacity reserves thanks to its Power Boost module. “Engineers usually design power supplies to be oversized, because they start from the full load of all the connected consumers, plus an additional capacity factor,” explains Kim. “That’s not necessary with the Pro 2, thanks to the Power Boost function, which can supply 150 % of the nominal output for up to five seconds. That allowed the engineers to use a power supply with an optimal design and very compact dimensions.” The Pro 2 is also equipped with an electronic circuit breaker function, making additional space savings possible. Omitting the thermal fuses that had been used previously saved space and increased maintenance efficiency. In addition, the nominal current can be variably parameterized for constant optimization to the loads. The electronic circuit breaker provides reliable protection against short circuits and also reacts very quickly and sensitively to overload conditions, tripping according to the predefined parameters. This protects the connected motors. If the door is blocked or there is insufficient lubrication, the required current exceeds the nominal current due to the additional work required, and the system shuts down.

This application demonstrates many of the benefits of our Pro 2 Power Supplies: space savings, short circuit protection, overload protection without the use of thermal fuses, optimal dimensions and constant current monitoring.

More Communication – More Options

“The next version of the smart compaction container will be equipped with the Pro 2’s communication module, offering our customer even more benefits,” says Kim. “For example, after the electronic circuit breaker trips, the power supply can be restarted via remote access. In addition, instantaneous current values and diagnostic data for the power supply can be transmitted to the central control system via the controller. This provides a foundation for efficient maintenance, and even for predictive maintenance strategies.”

Another benefit of the Pro 2 is its large working temperature range, from −40 to +70 °C (−40 to +158 °F).

“This application demonstrates many of the benefits of our Pro 2 Power Supplies: space savings, short circuit protection, overload protection without requiring thermal fuses, optimal dimensions and constant current monitoring,” says Kim in summary. He adds with confidence: “These benefits could generate added value in any 24 V application. Customers are often surprised at all the possibilities this can open up.”

About the Author

Haeyong Kim is a Sales Manager at WAGO Korea and has worked for the company since 2013. He often supports automation projects for large Korean customers, like the Samsung Group or SK Hynix, a semi-conductor manufacturer, as well as for medium-sized and smaller equipment manufacturing companies. Kim is enthusiastic about the possibilities for individual development that WAGO offers and that contribute to an environment where everyone always gives their all – both in their dealings with customers and among themselves.

Power
Communicates Now!

WAGO's Pro 2 Power Supplies – Control cabinets are transforming because the requirements (both quantitative and qualitative) placed on them are continually increasing. Greater networking, rising energy costs and increasing customization require economy, speed and flexibility in a minimal footprint for control cabinets.

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