VARIABLE FREQUENCY DRIVE

< V.F.D>

RAVIKUMAR .M
M.Tech 3RD SEM
C.A.I.D
AC MOTORS
AC MOTORS
AC MOTORS AC MOTORS

DC DC DC DC
AGRICULTURE
MEDICAL LABS

Etc Etc
TRACTION

DOMESTICS (HOUSES)
Etc AUTOMOBILE S

Etc
PROCESS INDUSTRY AVIATIONS Etc

DC DC DC DC
AC MOTORS
AC MOTORS
AC MOTORS
AC MOTORS
 WE KNOW THAT MOTOR ROTATES AT SOME SPEED

WE CAN’T LET THE MOTOR TO RUN AS PER ITS WISH

IT HAS TO RUN AT SOME SPEED AS PER OUR REQUIREMENT & NECESSITY & TO ACHIEVE
SOME PURPOSE

WHEN THERE IS REQUIREMENT & NECESSITY & PURPOSE

THE TERM CONTROL COMES TO PICTURE

SOME METHODS EMPLOYED FOR SPEED CONTROL OF A C MOTOR

POLES

VOLTAGE

RESITANCE

FREQUENCY
Variable-frequency drive (VFD) : is a system for controlling the rotational speed of
an AC electric motor  by controlling the frequency of the electrical power supplied
to the motor.

Variable-frequency drives are also known as

Adjustable-frequency drives (AFD)

Variable-speed drives (VSD)

Inverter drives.

VVVFD (variable voltage variable frequency drives.)

VFD Applications:
Ventilations systems for large buildings,
Motors for Blowers & Fans ,
Pumps, Conveyor, Machine tool drives , Tractions, Lifts etc
Operating principle: ( SPEED CONTROL)

The synchronous speed of an AC motor is determined by the frequency of the AC

supply and the number of poles in the stator winding, according to the relation:

Where

f = AC power frequency (hertz)

p = Number of poles
s = slip.
BLOCK DIAGRAM OF VFD CONTROL FREQUENCY CHANGER:

1. Rectifier-Inverter type

2. Cycloconverter
 Parts and Operations of a Drive

1. Rectifier

2. Soft Charge Circuit

3. Inverter

4. Pulse Width Modulation

5. Control & Regulation Section

ACTUAL PANEL ENERGY SAVINGS V / HZ RATIO DRAWBACKS

Rectifier

The 3-phase AC voltage goes into the rectifier section which is made up
of a group of gated diodes (silicon rectifiers or SCRs).

The D1 & D2 convert L1 power to DC

D3 & D4 convert L2 power to DC
D5 & D6 convert L3 power to DC

In this type of circuit, the DC voltage is 1.35 times the AC line voltage.

If 240 Vac is coming in, 324 Vdc can be obtained.

BACK
 Soft Charge Circuit
Operation
Initially SCRs in the main rectifier section remain off.
Rectifier section in the soft charge circuit starts applying
DC power through the current resistors charging up the
capacitors in the DC Link.
When these capacitors are charged to the DC voltage of
minimum value, the control section starts the firing of the
SCRs in the main rectifier.
On larger drives, (22 – 450kW or 30 – 600Hp), inrush current
will be 3 to 8 times so there is a necessity to restrict this
inrush current , if not it will damage VFD circuit or line fuses
would be blown every time the VFD s operated.
Hence soft charge circuit is used to power up the drive , &
the inrush of current is restricted .
The soft charge circuit on some of the VFDs has a resistors
to limit starting current & to vary the charging time of the
capacitors.
This current resistor even has its own safety, a thermal
switch, which shorts out if the current rush is too high in the
soft charge circuit & blows the fuses on the soft charge
circuit preventing the drive from starting.
BACK
Inverter This section takes the DC voltage from the
intermediate section and, with the help of the
control section, fires each set of IGBT (or other
semi conductor device) and provides AC out put
to the motor terminals U,V and W .

Firing of the IGBTs provides Pulse Width

Modulation (PWM) .

For any drive larger than 18.5kW (25Hp),

master coils are provided to smooth the
waveform going to the motor.

The smoother the waveform the less heat is

generated at the motor and the longer the motor
lasts.

This PWM frequency can vary from 3.5KHz to 15 kHz, which

means it is audible.

It is also known as the Carrier Frequency, which is Variable

by most VFD manufacturers.

A low carrier frequency can have an annoying noise, but a

higher carrier frequency generates more heat in the drive
and motor.

If the carrier frequency noise is too loud particularly with

supply fans, LC filters can be placed between the VFD and
motor and the noise stops at this filter.
 Volts/Hertz Ratio

SINCE AIR GAP FLUX Ф ∞ V

f

CONTROL

Output 460
Voltage

230
115

Hz
0 15 30 60 90 Output
Base Frequency Frequency BACK
 ENERGY SAVINGS ( WITH CONCERNED APPLICATION )

Motor-driven centrifugal pumps, fans and blowers offer the most dramatic energy-saving opportunities.

• Blowers operate for extended periods at a reduced load.

• Since they are not always operating at their full load the amount of energy you can save by reducing the current
to them as well as the amount of stress release on your motor is enormous and results in an energy efficient and
longer lasting system.
ENERGY SAVINGS ( WITH CONCERNED APPLICATION )

% I/p power

% flow
CASE STUDY ENERGY SAVINGS

Energy Consumed Difference in

Airflow Volume  Energy Consumed
Daily Operating Using a Energy
(percent of Using a
Time (hours) Damper(kWh/year Consumption
maximum) VFD(kWh/year)
) (kWh/year)

50% 2 18 500 4 800 13 700

60% 3 29 300 9 800 19 500

70% 6 61 700 26 800 34 900

80% 6 63 300 35 900 27 400

90% 4 44 200 32 600 11 600

100% 3 34 200 35 200 –1 000 BYPASS VFD

Total 24 251 200 145 100 106 100

BACK
BACK
CONSTANT RATIO SAVES ENERGY IF NOT MOTOR
CURRENT WILL BE UNSTABLE & TORQUE CAN DIMINSH &
MOTOR MAY GET DAMAGED

BACK
ADVANTAGES OF VFD’s DISADVANTAGE OF VFD’s

1. Energy saving 1. At full load operation energy saved is nill

2. Better system control 2. Need by pass circuit at full load

3. Reduced maintenance 3. Not possible to control dc drives

4. Higher efficiency 4. VFD‘s are bit costly

5. Easy retrofit 5. Drive circuits needs additional protection circuits

due to initial current
6. Remote mounting

7. Simple control

8. Bypass capability
CONCLUSION
In addition to energy savings and better process control, VFDs can provide other benefits:

• A VFD may be used for control of process temperature, pressure or flow without the
use of a separate controller.

• Maintenance costs can be lower, since lower operating speeds result in longer life for
bearings and motors.

• Accurate Speed Regulation

REFERENCESS

[1] “ A variable-frequency three-phase induction motor drive system” by Brian A.

Welchko and. Thomas A. Lipo, fellow, IEEE, IEEE transactions on industry
applications,vol.37, no.6, november/december20011739.

[2] www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia

[3] Electrical technology by A K Thereja and B L Thereja

[4] Advance Electric Drives by Bimal K Bose

THANK Y U