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CONTROL FOR ELECTRIC MOTORS

VARIABLE – FREQUENCY DRIVE

LUIS PABLO SANDOVAL CASTRO

Julio 2017

UNIVERSIDAD TECNOLOGICA SUSTENTABLE

DEL ESTADO DE PUEBLA
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INDEX

INTRODUCTION

WHAT IS A VARIABLE – FREQUENCY DRIVE.................................................................1

HOW DOES IT WORK?..........................................................................................................2

PARTS OF THE VARIABLE – FREQUENCY DRIVE..........................................................3

FUNCTIONALITY...................................................................................................................4

BRANDS AND MODELS.......................................................................................................5

APLICATIONS IN THE INDUSTRY......................................................................................6

CONCLUSION.........................................................................................................................7

GLOSARY................................................................................................................................8

BIBLIOGRAPHY.....................................................................................................................9
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INTRODUCTION

In the following report many topics will be covered in order to get an idea about how
important is a variable – frequency drive and what are its applications in the industry, the
term ''variable – frequency driver'' is very common in the industries due to the importance an
the ease that those drivers offer, the principal functionality of these kinds of drivers is to
provide a good security and effectiveness in the motors, next, we will be able to identify
some of their general characteristics at the same time that we will know some of their parts.
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WHAT IS A VARIABLE – FREQUENCY DRIVE?

A variable – frequency drive is a type of adjustable-speed drive used in electro-mechanical

drive systems to control AC motor speed and torque by varying motor input frequency and
voltage.

VFDs are used in applications ranging from small appliances to large compressors. About
25% of the world's electrical energy is consumed by electric motors in industrial applications,
which can be more efficient when using VFDs in centrifugal load service; however, VFDs'
global market penetration for all applications is relatively small.

Over the last four decades, power electronics technology has reduced VFD cost and size and
has improved performance through advances in semiconductor switching devices, drive
topologies, simulation and control techniques, and control hardware and software.

VFDs are made in a number of different low- and medium-voltage AC-AC and DC-AC
topologies.

Frequency converters are used for the electronic regulation of the speed of motors. Using
frequency converters, you can save a lot of energy and considerably reduce material wear.
Frequency converters gently start and stop motors in an infinitely variable manner. In contrast
with motors operated directly through the mains, no torque or power impulse occurs in the
case of the frequency converter, which means that the entire drive train with motor, pump,
and pipeline system, including the seals, is protected. In this way, speed regulation
considerably reduces the wear and the lifetime of the plant is extended. Repair and
maintenance costs decrease thanks to longer operating intervals and lower material wear.
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HOW DOES IT WORK?

Each part of a variable frequency drive has the following function.

Variable frequency drives applied to AC motors are by far the most common. Their basic
design consists of four elements:

Converter: the working principle of rectifier is changing the incoming alternating current
(AC) supply to direct current (DC). Different designs are available and these are selected
according to the performance required of the variable frequency drive.

Smoothing circuit: the rectified DC supply is then conditioned in the intermediate circuit,
normally by a combination of inductors and capacitors. The majority of VFDs currently in
the marketplace use a fixed-voltage DC link.

Inverter: the inverter converts the rectified and conditioned DC back into an AC supply of
variable frequency and voltage. This is normally achieved by generating a high frequency
pulse width modulated signal of variable frequency and effective voltage.

Control circuit: the control unit controls the whole operation of the variable frequency drive;
it monitors and controls the rectifier, the intermediate circuit and the inverter to deliver the
correct output in response to an external control signal.
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PARTS OF THE VARIABLE – FREQUENCY DRIVE

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FUNCTIONALITY