How to choose a medium voltage VFD
(Part 1: Introduction)
We start a new series dedicated to the selection of medium voltage variable frequency drive. Some points might also be valid for low voltage VFDs. However, many topics require different considerations in medium voltage range compared to low voltage.
Purchasing a medium voltage VFD is a significant investment. The lifetime of such equipment shall normally exceed 20 years. Some customer specifications ask for 30 years design lifetime of even more. It is worth to spend some thoughts of the VFD selection before you make your decision. Choosing the right equipment helps you to reach the expected personal safety, reliability and availability, energy savings, simple maintenance and optimal performance. As already mentioned, due to long lifetime expectation, the right decision shall be based on lifecycle considerations rather than pure initial investment.
So let’s list the topics you should definitely think about before making your choice. Among important factors belong:
- Application requirements
- Cooling type
- Line side connection and power quality
- Motor compatibility
- Design robustness
- Protection concept
- Personal safety
- Reliability and availability
- Software functionality
- Maintenance and lifetime
- Manufacturer’s experience and references
- Quality standards and processes
- Engineering support
- System integration
- Life cycle cost
- Service network and reaction time
Each of above bullet points will be discussed in a specific short article. We hope that you enjoy this guide and make the right decision to get the most out of your VFD!
References
[1] ABB medium voltage drives portfolio, https://new.abb.com/drives/medium-voltage-ac-drives
