WEG Equipment Drives Largest Theme Park In Latin America

When considering electric motor usage, most people think about the industrial sector and nothing else. This is wrong, of course, because electric motors are used just about everywhere. For example, when people go to a theme park for entertainment, it is electric motors which provide the drive functions for the rides and attractions. This is the case at the Beto Carrero World (BCW) park; the largest theme park in Latin America. Practically all of the equipment at the BCW uses WEG motors, inverters and soft starters for its motive power.

In addition to rides and attractions, WEG products are also used on water pumps, compressors and other ancillary equipment at the theme park - ably demonstrating WEG’s ability to adapt its products to meet all customer requirements.

According to Hugo Loth Neto, the Operations Director of Beto Carrero World, one of the major challenges to WEG and the park’s own technical team, was the development and assembly of the drive center of the Big Wheel. “It has four motors, each one of 7.5- HP,” he said. “Another challenge was the development of the daring and highly original Water Empire project, with six motors of 150- HP in the water pumps, a wet transformer of 1,000 kVA, and a dry one of 1,500 kVA. In addition, the latest attraction of the park, the Rollercoaster Firewhip, also relies upon WEG equipment: it has a Static AC/DC Converter of 130 kW 380 V, with a DC motor of 130 kW.”

“One of the major advantages for our enterprise is a supplier of high technology products which is right next door,” said Edilson Doubrawa, Financial Administrative Director of the BCW. “This means that we do not have to import all of our drive and control equipment, along with all of our rides and attractions, from Europe.”

“Another key advantage is service; with WEG right on our doorstep, their engineers are very quick at providing the necessary solutions and service required for our equipment.”

Caption 1: Imported from Switzerland; the Big Tower is the largest extreme tower in the world; 100m- high, it is equivalent to a 30- storey building.

Caption 2: The Water Empire has six motors of 150 HP in the water pumps, a transformer of 1,000 kVA and another dry one of 1,500 kVA.