Variable Speed Drives (VSDs), also known as successfully used in signal processing and electric component of choice to generate
to generate the
adjustable speed drives, are large industrial
electric motors whose speed can be adjusted
by means of an external controller. They are
used in process control and help saving energy
in plants that use many powerful electric
motors.
The use of adjustable speed in process control
matches the motor speed to the required tasks
and may compensate for changes in the
process's variables. The use of adjustable
speed for saving energy is exemplified by the
adjusting the speed of a colling fan motor to
match the temperature of the machinery parts
it is cooling.
VSDs are effective in energy savers in pump
and fan applications; "they enhance process
operations, particularly where flow control is
involved. VSDs provide soft-start capabilities,
which decrease electrical stresses and line
voltage sags associated with full voltage motor
start-ups, especially when driving high-inertia
loads." (S.S. Turkel, see on-line reference
below)
Adjustable frequency drives are a specific type
of VSDs; they are controlling the rotational
speed of an alternating current (AC) electric
motor by controlling the frequency of the
electrical power supplied to the motor.
Variable-frequency types
There are three common types of VFDs.
Current source inversion (CSI) has been
industrial power applications. CSI VFDs are the voltage pulse is the insulated gate bipolar
only type that has regenerative power transistor (IGBT), although silicon-controlled
capability. In other words, they can absorb rectifiers (SCRs) can work as well. In the near
power flow back from the motor into the power future, injection-enhanced gate transistors
supply. CSI VFDs give a very clean current (IEGTs) will be used to perform this task. Much
waveform but require large, expensive more long term, memristors will probably
inductors in their construction and cause become the component of choice for this task.
cogging (pulsating movement during rotation)
Memristors are the fourth passive circuit
below 6 Hz.
element, linking electric charge and magnetic
Voltage source inversion (VSI) drives have poor flux. Memristors have been hypothesized to
power factor, can cause motor cogging below exist for more than 30 years, but were not
6 Hz, and are non-regenerative. Consequently, fabricated until April 2008 by Hewlett Packard
CSI and VSI drives have not been widely used. Labs. Hewlett Packard hopes to use these
devices as a passive transistor, reducing their
Pulse-width modulation (PWM) VFDs are most
heat generation compared to other types of
commonly used in industry because of
memory. Regardless of the component used to
excellent input power factor due to fixed DC
form the sine wave, the switching action
bus voltage, no motor cogging, higher
causes problems.
efficiencies, and lower cost. A PWM VFD uses a
series of voltage pulses of different lengths to
simulate a sinusoidal wave (Fig. 1 ). Ideally,
the pulses are timed so that the time average
integral of the drive yields a perfect sinusoid.
The current method of choice to produce this
waveform runs a triangle wave and sine wave
through a comparator, and outputs a voltage
pulse whenever the sine wave's value is
greater than the triangle wave. The current
 be a VSD however a VSD will not necessarily frequency of the electric motor. This type of
be a VFD. A VSD that uses a DC motor will vary drive is beneficial because it allows machinery
the speed and torque of the motor by to run at lower than full speed. This provides
controlling the voltage and current.
cost efficiency and reduces energy
consumption. Additionally, using a VFD may
In many situations, installing a variable speed
help to improve the quality and lifetime of the
drive to reduce your overall power usage for
equipment and can decrease production costs.
the same overall level of output makes really
good sense. If you would like to find out more
in terms of how you can reduce your energy As you can see, there are some differences
costs and potentially increase the life of your between a VSD and a VFD, but there are also
equipment then contact Zener today on 1300 many similarities. At times, a variable
4 ZENER (1300 4 93637). frequency drive varies the speed of the
equipment that it is operating, so it can
actually be referred to as a variable speed
drive as well. Not all variable frequency drives
Variable Speed Drives work this way.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A VFD
VSDs, also known as adjustable speed drives,
AND A VSD? works at different speeds to help control the
What's the difference between a variable
speed of the machinery that it is controlling.
The terms variable frequency drive and
The ability to change speeds helps when frequency drive (VFD) and a variable speed
variable speed drive are quite regularly used to
working on assembly lines, for example, drive (VSD)?
describe the same piece of equipment. There
because various parts of the line may need to
is however a fundamental differences between
operate at different speeds. Additionally, noto A Variable Frequency Drive (VFD): is a
the two.
all mechanical equipment is going to work at drive that works on changing the frequency
A VFD which could also be called an adjustable the same speed so a variable speed drive can of an AC motor, it always refers and can be
frequency drive, an AC-drive or an inverter help. VSD types of drives can be mechanical,
used with AC drives only.
drive can only be utilised on AC motors. A hydraulic, electromechanical, or electronic.
Variable frequency drive will be used within
electro mechanical drive systems utilising AC It is also important to note that there may be ao A Variable Speed Drive (VSD): is a drive
motors and will control the speed and torque of difference between a variable speed drive and that works on changing the speed of a motor
the motor by adjusting the voltage and input an adjustable speed drive. The adjustable by varying the voltage supplied to it
frequency. speed drive works within a preset range, but
regardless of its type, it always refers to
the operating speed on a variable speed drive
The term VSD, variable speed drive or can be adjusted outside of those limits. either AC Drives or DC Drives.
adjustable speed drive can be used in respect Variable Frequency Drive or VFD
of drive systems that utilise AC or DC motors Variable Frequency Drives
and occasionally even completely mechanical VFDs operate equipment at different speeds as It is interesting to know that the first A.C.
methods of speed control. As such, a VFD will drive (400 HP) based on thyratron
well, but it by varying the voltage and/or
cycloconverter-fed WRIM was installed in 1932 A full-wave power diode based solid-state frequency (V/Hz). It consists of an electronic
by F.E. Alexanderson of General Electric in the rectifier converts three-phase 50 Hz power circuit which receives feedback information
Logan Power Station of Pacific Gas and Electric from a standard 220, 440 or higher utility from the driven motor and adjusts the output
Company. From then industrial drives have supply to either fixed or adjustable DC voltage. voltage or frequency to the desired values.
evolved rapidly by dedicated effort of many The system may include transformers for high Control system may be based on SPWM (Sine
scientists and engineers all over the world voltage system. Wave PWM), SVPWM (Space Vector modulated
resulting in development of advanced drive PWM) or some soft computing based
technology such as Variable Frequency Inverter Stage algorithm.
Drive(VFD).VFD is a power electronics based
device which converts a basic fixed frequency, Power electronic switches such as IGBT, GTO Induction Motor Characteristic under Variable
fixed voltage sine wave power (line power) to or SCR switch the DC power from rectifier on Frequency Drive
a variable frequency, variable output voltage and off to produce a current or voltage
used to control speed of induction motor(s). It waveform at the required new frequency. o In an induction motor induced in stator,
regulates the speed of a three phase induction Presently most of the voltage source inverters
E is proportional to the product of the slip
motor by controlling the frequency and voltage (VSI) use pulse width modulation (PWM)
of the power supplied to the motor. Since the because the current and voltage waveform at frequency and the air gap flux. The terminal
number of pole is constant the speed Ns can be output in this scheme is approximately a sine voltage can be considered proportional to
varied by continuously changing frequency. wave. Power Electronic switches such as IGBT; the product of the slip frequency and flux, if
GTO etc. switch DC voltage at high speed, stator drop is neglected. Any reduction in
producing a series of short-width pulses of
the supply frequency without a change in
constant amplitude. Output voltage is varied
by varying the gain of the inverter. Output the terminal voltage causes an increase in
frequency is adjusted by changing the number the air gap flux which will cause magnetic
of pulses per half cycle or by varying the saturation of motor. Also the torque
period for each time cycle.
capability of motor is decreased. Hence
while controlling a motor with the help of
The resulting current in an induction motor
simulates a sine wave of the desired output VFD or Variable Frequency Drive we always
frequency. The high speed switching action of keep the V/f ratio constant. Now define
a PWM inverter results in less waveform variable K as,
distortion and hence decreases harmonic
Working of Variable Frequency Drive losses.
Any Variable Frequency Drive or VFD
incorporates following three stages for Control System
controlling a three phase induction motor. For operation below K < 1 i.e. below rated
Its function is to control output voltage i.e.
voltage vector of inverter being fed to motor frequency we have constant flux operation.
Rectifier Stage
and maintain a constant ratio of voltage to For this we maintain constant magnetization
 current Im for all operating points. For K > 1 cost savings becomes more pronounced in
i.e. above rated frequency we maintain
terminal voltage Vrated constant. In this
field is weakened in the inverse ratio of per speed respectively.
unit frequency K. For values of K = 1 we
have constant torque operation and above
that we have constant power application.
Merits of using Variable Frequency Drives
Energy Saving
Primary function of VFD in industry is to
provide smooth control along with energy
savings. The variable speed motor drive
system is more efficient than all other flow
control methods including valves, turbines,
hydraulic transmissions, dampers, etc. Energy
variable-torque ID fan and pump applications,
where the loads torque and power is directly
proportional to the square and cube of the
Increased Reliability
Adjustable speed motor-drive systems are
more reliable than traditional mechanical
approaches such as using valves, gears,
louvers or turbines to control speed and flow.
Unlike mechanical control system they dont
have any moving parts hence they are highly
reliable.
Speed Variations
Beyond energy saving, applications such as
crushers, conveyors and grinding mills can use
the motor and VFDs packages to provide
optimal speed variations. In some crucial
applications, the operating speed range can be
wide, which a motor supplied with a constant
frequency power source cannot provide. In the
case of conveyors and mills, a VFD and motor
system can even provide a crawl speed foe
maintenance purposes eliminating the need for
additional drives.
Soft Starting
When Variable Frequency Drives start large
motors, the drawbacks associated with large
inrush current i.e. starting current (winding
stress, winding overheating and voltage dip on
connected bus) is eliminated. This reduces
chances of insulation or winding damage and
provides extended motor life.
Extended Machine Life and Less
Maintenance
The VFDs greatly reduce wear to the motor,
increase life of the equipment and decrease
maintenance costs. Due to optimal voltage and
frequency control it offers better protection to
the motor from issues such as electro thermal
overloads, phase faults, over voltage, under
voltage etc. When we start a motor (on load)
with help of a VFD, the motor is not subjected
to instant shock hence there is less wear and
tear of belt, gear and pulley system.
High Power Factor
Power converted to rotation, heat, sound, etc.
is called active power and is measured in
kilowatts (kW). Power that charges builds
magnetic fields or charges capacitor is called
reactive power and is measured in kVAR. The
vector sum of the kW and the kVAR is the
Apparent Power and is measured in KVA.
Power factor is the ratio of kW/KVA. Typical AC
motors may have a full load power factor
ranging from 0.7 to 0.8. As the motor load is
reduced, the power factor becomes low. The
advantage of using VFDs is that it includes
capacitors in the DC Bus itself which maintains
high power factor on the line side of the
Variable Frequency Drive. This eliminates the
need of additional expensive capacitor banks.
Slip Power Recovery
The fundamental power given to rotor by
stator is called air gap power Pg. The
mechanical power developed is given by
 The term 'sP' is called slip power.
4.
If the slip is very large i.e. speed is low then
there is ample waste of power, a common
example is kiln drives of cement industry. This
power can be saved through slip recovery
scheme.In this scheme slip power is first
collected through brushes of WRIM. This slip
power recovered is then rectified and inverted
back to line frequency and is injected into
supply through coupling transformer.The
scheme is shown in figure below.
Applications of Variable Frequency Drive
1. They are mostly used in industries for
large induction motor (dealing with variable
load) whose power rating ranges from few
kW to few MW.
2. Variable Frequency Drive is used in
traction system. In India it is being used by
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.
3. They are also used in modern lifts, help. VSD types of drives can be mechanical,
escalators and pumping systems. hydraulic, electromechanical, or electronic.
Nowadays they are being also used in
energy efficient refrigerators, ACs and
Outside-air Economizers. It is also important to note that there may be
a difference between a variable speed drive
Purchasing the right equipment for your and an adjustable speed drive. The adjustable
business is essential, especially if you operate speed drive works within a preset range, but
an assembly line or any other machinery that the operating speed on a variable speed drive
requires operation at specific speeds. There can be adjusted outside of those limits.
are many options available as far as drives are
concerned. Some people get confused about Variable Frequency Drives
the types of drives on the market; especially VFDs operate equipment at different speeds as
when you start talking about variable speed well, but it by varying the voltage and/or
drives (VSD) and variable frequency frequency of the electric motor. This type of
drives (VFD). Is there a difference between drive is beneficial because it allows machinery
these two drives? to run at lower than full speed. This provides
cost efficiency and reduces energy
If you do some online research, you may come consumption. Additionally, using a VFD may
across some articles arguing that VSDs and help to improve the quality and lifetime of the
VFDs are essentially the same types of device. equipment and can decrease production costs.
Thinking that these two devices are
interchangeable is wrong. Understanding the As you can see, there are some differences
real difference between a variable speed drive between a VSD and a VFD, but there are also
and a variable frequency drive can help you to many similarities. At times, a variable
make the proper decision as to which is going frequency drive varies the speed of the
to work best for your business. equipment that it is operating, so it can
actually be referred to as a variable speed
Variable Speed Drives drive as well. Not all variable frequency drives
VSDs, also known as adjustable speed drives, work this way.
works at different speeds to help control the
speed of the machinery that it is controlling.
The ability to change speeds helps when
working on assembly lines, for example,
because various parts of the line may need to
operate at different speeds. Additionally, not
all mechanical equipment is going to work at
the same speed so a variable speed drive can
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frequency-drives-17950985