3520 Main Street, San Diego Ca.

92113, Telephone: 619-239-5174, Fax: 619-239-5086

Motor and Drive Technology

Industrial electric motors, as a rule, are noted for being quality products that provide long, trouble-free operation. This is as true today as it ever was. The difference today is that, as more AC motors are being applied in adjustable speed drive systems, there is a heightened awareness concerning potential dangers to motor windings. The danger is voltage spikes caused by the increasingly popular pulse width modulated (PWM) controls, or inverters, which use IGBT power transistors. This heightened awareness often focuses on the motors insulation, sometimes the magnet wire insulation itself and sometimes the entire insulation system. The difference between standard and spike resistant wire is in the film or coating on the copper wire. By adding different inorganic and organic materials to the coating, it can be made to resist corona breakdown (deterioration due to ozone, the product of corona discharge). The dielectric strength and voltage at which corona begins for most wire types used in small and medium size motors are very similar. Increasing the thickness of the coating, by adding more layers, increases the dielectric strength, and of course the thickness of the wire, as you would expect. BUT, the life of the wire when voltage exceeds the corona inception voltage is quite different. Testing shows that coatings specially made to resist breakdown last much longer than simply adding more layers of standard coatings. This leads to the perception that the sole solution to creating a spike-resistant motor is to change the wire. The truth is that it is not that simple. Here are some complicating factors: PHASE INSULATION. Phase insulation can be the most difficult part of the entire stator winding process, and of critical importance. It is the only insulation component specifically designed to separate coils and wires of different phases (where the highest voltage differences are present). In the past this is the area where some manufacturers have cut corners. Thinner materials (or no insulation at all) or improperly positioned phase insulation may go unnoticed on motors intended for low voltage or strictly utility power. But today, more motors are being used with controls. AC Drives AC drive operation begins in much the same fashion as a DC drive. Alternating line voltage is first rectified to produce DC. But because an AC motor is used, this DC voltage must be changed back, or inverted, to an Adjustable-Frequency, alternating voltage. The drives inverter section accomplishes this. In years past, this was accomplished using SCRs. However, modern AC drives use a series of transistors to invert DC to the adjustable-frequency AC. This synthesized alternating current is then fed to the AC motor at the frequency and voltage required to produce the desired motor speed. The inverter section of the VFD does not produce sinusoidal output voltage waveforms but generates a continuous train of pulses. For example, a 60 Hz synthesized frequency, the same as standard line frequency in the United States, produces 100% of rated motor speed. A lower frequency produces a lower speed, and a higher frequency a higher speed. In this way, an AC drive can produce motor speeds from, approximately, 15 to 200% of a motors normally rated RPM by delivering frequencies of 9 Hz to 120 Hz, respectively. Today, AC drives are becoming the systems of choice in many industries. Their use of simple and rugged three-phase induction motors means that AC drive systems are the most reliable and least maintenance prone of all. By far the most popular AC drive today is the pulse width modulated type. Though originally developed for smallerhorsepower applications, PWM is now used in drives of hundreds or even thousands of horsepower as well as remaining the staple technology in the vast majority of small integral and fractional horsepower micro and sub-micro AC drives. Pulse width modulated refers to the inverters ability to vary the output voltage to the motor by altering the width and polarity of voltage pulses. The voltage and frequency are synthesized using this stream of voltage pulses. This is accomplished through

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Compiled from information presented at IEE IAS- Petroleum & Chemical Industry Conference September 23-25 1996 and Motor Manufacturers USEM and Leeson Electric

3520 Main Street, San Diego Ca. 92113, Telephone: 619-239-5174, Fax: 619-239-5086
microprocessor commands to a series of power semiconductors that serve as on-off switches. Today, these switches are usually IGBTs , or isolated gate bipolar transistors. A big advantage to these devices is their fast switching speed resulting in higher pulse or carrier frequency, which minimizes motor noise. Motor Considerations with AC Drives One drawback to pulse width modulated drives is their tendency to produce voltage spikes, which in some instances can damage the insulation systems used in electric motors. This tendency is increased in applications with long cable distances (more than 50 feet) between the motor and drive and with higher-voltage drives. In the worst cases, the spikes can literally poke a hole into the insulation, particularly that used in the motors windings. To guard against insulation damage, some manufacturers now offer inverter-duty motors having special insulation systems that resist voltage spike damage. Particularly with larger drives, it may be advisable to install line reactors between the motor and drive to choke off the voltage spikes. In addition, some increased motor heating will inevitably occur because of the inverters synthesized AC wave form. Insulation systems on industrial motors built in recent years, and especially inverter-duty motors, can tolerate this except in the most extreme instances. A greater cooling concern involves operating for an extended time at low motor RPM, which reduces the flow of cooling air and especially in constant torque applications where the motor is heavily loaded even at low speeds. Here, secondary cooling such as a special blower may be required. A typical fan application however is a variable torque load and often does not run below 60% speed with a much reduced load caused by the fan doing less work at slow speeds. Explaining the Physics of the Inverter-Motor Connection The short version of how an AC PWM variable frequency control works is as follows. Electronically the control first takes the line voltage and changes (or rectifies) this AC to DC voltage. Then, using power devices such as transistors or IGBTs, the control produces a stream of pulses that simulate the voltage and frequency desired. The number and width of the pulses varies or is modulated (PWM) so that if you average (or mean, RMS) the pulses you would get the same value as the sine wave. The pulses are the same height. This is correct because the DC voltage the drive uses to make these pulses is nearly constant if the AC power to the drive is a constant value. The pulses are those that emerge directly from the inverter. They look very square. The pulses, however, look quite different at the motor end of the cable. The overshoot or ringing high voltage spikes occurring at the motor end are the source of trouble for some insulation systems. The cause of this ringing can be explained in several ways. It can be thought of as the electrical response of the circuit consisting of the inductance, resistance and capacitance of the motor and cable to the pulse. Or it can be thought of as the interaction of pulses reflected back from the motor with those coming from the control. Either way, the result is a peak voltage approximately twice as high (sometimes higher) as the pulse the control put out in the first place, with the addition of high frequency ringing besides. These voltage pulses are transmitted to the motor via the motor cable. Peak pulse output at the drive is equal to the drive DC Bus magnitude and contains steep fronted rise and fall times controlled by the drives output switching device. i.e. IGBT. The peak pulse voltage at the motor is not necessarily the Drives DC Bus Voltage, but is dependent upon the dynamics of the drive-cable-motor circuit impedance characteristics. These Overvoltage pulses may produce potentially destructive voltage stress on the motor insulation, resulting in phase to phase insulation failure, turn to turn failure, phase to phase failure at the coil end turns, and possibly phase to ground failure at the lamination end.

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Compiled from information presented at IEE IAS- Petroleum & Chemical Industry Conference September 23-25 1996 and Motor Manufacturers USEM and Leeson Electric

3520 Main Street, San Diego Ca. 92113, Telephone: 619-239-5174, Fax: 619-239-5086
While some manufacturers were adding back phase insulation into motors that didnt have it, The varnish must penetrate into the slots and between wires to be effective. In the case of inverter-rated motors, the varnish replaces the air surrounding and between the wires. This protects by minimizing the amount of air able to ionize or become ozone, and by keeping air farther away from the wire. A thicker varnis h appearance on the outside of coil does not necessarily mean it has penetrated into the coil. Also, care must be taken to select the right varnish for the wire type used. Testing has shown that some varnishes actually reduce the life of inverter-rated wires, or not improve life as much as other varnishes, even though they are chemically compatible. Standard Motors vs. Inverter Rated Motors Different Motor Manufacturers interpret Inverter Duty in Different ways. A summary of the above can help answer the question: Can I use my existing Non Inverter Duty motor on an Inverter? The answer is maybe. Given that earlier produced motors did not have the phase separation insulation required for use on an inverter, and that the magnet wire may not have the insulation capabilities to withstand the high voltage stresses caused by an AC Inverter, coupled with the Varnish Impregnation method used at the time of construction which may not be sufficient to minimize air molecules around the winding, a logical conclusion would be to not use the non inverter rated motor on an inverter. However, the installation may have sufficient inductance to minimize the effects of a voltage transient. Or you could add an output reactor to provide inductance in the system. The existing motor may or may not survive. You could lower the carrier frequency of the drive to minimize switching transients, but you may increase the audible noise coming from the motor. This could or could not be a problem depending upon where and how the motor is mounted. Motors designed for Sinusoidal operation see repetitive peak voltages of 1.414 times rated voltage. A motor on an inverter may see non repetitive voltages of 1600 volts or more. An output reactor placed at the drive can limit the cable dielectric stresses and the motor dielectric stress. However, it may also introduce a voltage drop, thereby reducing the motors ability to deliver output torque. A reactor at the drive should be used generally when cable lengths do not exceed 50-200 feet. A reactor at the motor should be used with a maximum allowable cable length between 200-300 feet. Summary: You can install an inverter onto an existing motor and it may run for awhile depending upon the age of manufacture of the motor, the manufacturer of the mo tor and the specifics of the installation. When the motor fails, you then can replace it with an Inverter Rated Motor. If uptime is critical, it is recommended that you install an Inverter Rated Motor at the time of Inverter Installation. Cable lengths will dictate whether a reactor should be used on the output of the Inverter.

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Compiled from information presented at IEE IAS- Petroleum & Chemical Industry Conference September 23-25 1996 and Motor Manufacturers USEM and Leeson Electric