VFD-PVE APPLICATION

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VFD-PVE APPLICATION
INTRODUCTION

This application manual is

intended to be used by a
qualified electrician, with
a basic knowledge of PLC,
drives, pumps and
photovoltaic systems

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 VFD-PVE APPLICATION
CONTENT

1) FRONT COVER
2) INTRODUCTION
3) CONTENT
4) OVERVIEW
5) OVERVIEW
6) POWER CIRCUIT SCHEMATIC
7) CONTROL CIRCUIT SCHEMATIC
8) ELECTRICAL PANEL LAYOUT
9) ELECTRICAL PANEL LAYOUT
10) SPECIAL USER PARAMETERS
11) USER PARAMETERS
12) AUTO WRITE PARAMETERS
13) COMMISSIONING
14) CALCULATIONS
15) ELECTRICAL SPECIFICATIONS
16) DIGITAL POTENTIOMETER
17) MAXIMUM CABLE LENGTH
18) OVERLOAD FUNCTION
19) OVERLOAD FUNCTION
20) OVERLOAD FUNCTION
21) KEYPAD OPERATION
22) KEYPAD OPERATION
23) END

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 VFD-PVE APPLICATION
OVERVIEW

PLC PROGRAM OPERATION

The VFD-PVE can run from DC input (PV string) or from conventional AC mains (Eskom).
By selecting AC/DC on the changeover mechanism, a digital input is sent to the drive. This
will tell the drive what power source is being used.

The VFD-PVE drive is programmed to run at various speeds according to the amount of PV
power (sunlight) available. For this to work efficiently the user needs to enter in some vital
information into the drive PLC program. Please refer to user parameters

DIGITAL INPUTS

PV power input
In this mode the drive is programmed to run at a speed proportional to the amount of PV
power (sunlight) available. For this to work efficiently the user needs to enter in some vital
information into the drive PLC program (see special parameters).

AC power input:
In this mode the drive will run at a user defined speed.

Run enable input:

Upon closing this switch the drive will run. This is true for AC mode and DC mode.
If the switch is closed and the drive powers on, the drive will wait for the restart time before
running the pump. This is to prevent stop start oscillation. If the user wants to run the pump
immediately after power up he/she must simply turn the switch off then back on again.
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 VFD-PVE APPLICATION
OVERVIEW

Flow switch input:

The PLC program has the facility to incorporate a digital flow switch. This will work in both
AC and DC input mode. (See p.13)

Manual override input:

In PV mode there we can use this digital input to force the drive to run at a user defined
speed and ignore the speed calculation done by the PLC.
In AC input mode the drive will automatically run at the user defined speed. The digital input
will have no affect.

Float switch:
If the float switch is closed, then the VSD will stop operation. This is true for AC and DC
input modes.

Digital potentiometer:
The function of the digital POT only works in DC mode. It is used to adjust the offset of the
DC volt vs output frequency curve. (See p.16)

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VFD-PVE APPLICATION
POWER CIRCUIT

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VFD-PVE APPLICATION
CONTROL CIRCUIT

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VFD-PVE APPLICATION
ELECTRICAL PANEL LAYOUT

DIGITAL POTENTIOMETER

VFD-E SERIES DRIVE

AC circuit breaker 2P

DC Fuse

Motor output (UVW) , DC input + -

Flow switch input, manual override input

AC / DC change over

AC/DC digital input

AC inlet socket

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VFD-PVE APPLICATION
ELECTRICAL PANEL LAYOUT

ON/OFF SWITCH

AC INLET PLUG

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 VFD-PVE APPLICATION
SPECIAL USER PARAMETERS

SPECIAL USER PARAMETERS

NB! THESE PARAMETERS ARE DIFFERENT TO THOSE ON THE NORMAL VFD-E PARAMETER LIST.
THE VALUES ENTERED IN ARE CRITICAL TO THE OPERATION WHEN RUNNING IN PV MODE.

PR 01.08 = MINIMUM OUTPUT FREQUENCY (Hz)

This is the minimum frequency the user wants to run the motor at.
PR 01.11 = MINIMUM INPUT VOLTAGE (VDC)
At this voltage the drive will run at minimum frequency PR 01.08. It is suggested to
have this set above the drives minimum input voltage (p.14)
PR 01.12 = MAXIMUM INPUT VOLTAGE (VDC)
This the voltage level where the drive will run at its maximum speed (50Hz)
Any voltage above this level will keep the drive at run at maximum speed.
PR 01.13 = RESTART TIME (SEC)
This is the time delay for the drive to restart after a no flow input or after
recovering from a low level input voltage.
PR 01.14 = ACTIVATE NO FLOW CIRCUIT (Hz)
This is the frequency at which the internal no flow circuitry becomes active.
Please refer to p.13
PR 01.15 = AC/MANUAL SPEED (Hz)
This is the speed the motor will run at when using mains supply or when the
manual override contact is closed.
Please refer to p.13

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 VFD-PVE APPLICATION
USER PARAMETERS

NB!
THESE PARAMETERS ARE AS PER THE VFD-E PARAMETER LIST.
THE BELOW PARAMETERS ARE APPLICABLE TO THE PV APPLICATION BUT NOT CRITICAL.

PR 01.09 = ACCELERATION TIME (SEC)

It is suggested to have a long acceleration time, so the sudden load impact on the PV panels is not
too great. This way we can avoid stop start oscillation in bad conditions.
PR 01.10 = DECELERATION TIME (SEC)
It is suggested to have a shorter deceleration time, so that the drive can track the available PV
power more accurately.
PR 02.03 = CARRIER FREQUENCIES (kHz)
For boreholes deeper than 60m it is suggested to lower this value. For boreholes deeper than
100m please contact your distributor for further advice.
PR 06.01 = OVER-CURRENT STALL PREVENTION ON ACCELERATION (% OF DRIVES RATED AMPS)
It is suggested to set this parameter the same as the motors FLA. This will ensure that the motor
cannot draw more current than what the PV system was designed for.
PR 06.02 = OVER CURRNET STALL PREVENTION AT CONSTANT SPEED ( )
It is suggested to set this parameter the same as the motors FLA. This will ensure that the motor
cannot draw more current than what the PV system was designed for.
PR 06.06 = ELECTRONIC THERMAL OVERLOAD PROTECTION ( 0 = ENABLE)
This will enable the internal electronic overload thermal calculation 2 see p.
PR 06.07 = OVERLOAD TIME
See p.20

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 VFD-PVE APPLICATION
PLC AUTO-WRITE PARAMETERS

NB!
THE FUNCTION OF THE AUTO WRITE PARAMETERS IS TO LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF USER
INPUT. THE BELOW PARAMETERS WILL BE WRITTEN AUTOMATICALLY BY THE PLC.

PR 00.04 = 3 (CONTENT OF MULTIFUNCTION DISPLAY = DC BUS VOLATGE)

The PLC will write this parameter each time the drive powers up. This is a handy feature as the user
can now monitor the drives DC-BUS( PV voltage) on the drives keypad. No multi-meter required.
PR 02.02 = 1 (STOP METHOD)
This will make the drive coast to stop when DC-BUS voltage goes lower than PR 01.11. This will ensure
no power is drawn from the PV panels at frequencies lower than PR 01.08. This will help to prevent
lv condition during cloud cover.

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 VFD-PVE APPLICATION
COMMISSIONING

When commissioning the VFD-PVE, there are a few helpful features we can use to assist the process.

Setting up the no flow switch:

The VFD-PVE has a built in no flow circuitry. This circuitry only becomes active once the drive has
reached the speed set in PR 01.14. After the drive has reached this speed the no flow feature will be
active for speeds higher and/or lower than PR 01.14. Upon activation of the no feature if we get a no
flow signal on our digital input, there is 5 second delay before the drive goes into a no flow error. The
drive will attempt to restart after the time set in PR 01.13.

To determine the necessary speed to set in PR 01.14 we can use the manual override input.
Firstly, set active no flow PR 01.14 to maximum (50Hz). Essentially this is to disable the no flow
circuit, while we are setting it up. Now set a speed in PR 01.15 and close the manual override input.
We can now change the speed in PR 01.15 and monitor what is the lowest speed we can run at while
still receiving a flow signal. Once you have determined this speed, set this value into parameter
PR 01.14.

By default the PLC program has been set to look for a NO flow switch that closes once flow is
detected. If the user has a NC switch that opens upon flow, we need to set PR 04.09 = 16. This will
invert the logic.

If you simply want to disable the no flow feature. Then we just bridge out the no flow input.

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 VFD-PVE APPLICATION
CALCULATIONS

Below is a basic guideline to calculating the values we need for PR 01.11 (VDC minimum &
PR 01.12 (VDC maximum) . Please refer to specification page for VAC ratings.

= 2 = 2
= 180 2 = 264 2
= 254 = 373
The VDC max value is also the level of voltage you should design around when calculating the
maximum output voltage from your PV string.
Remember, VDC max must always be equal to or less than the sum of your closed circuit voltages of
the series connected PV panels. (Vcc = closed circuit voltage, n = number of panels connected in series)

<=
=1

max <= 1 + 2 + 3 +

To calculate the amount of power (watts) we need from the PV string, we use a simple factor.
PV power = 1.8

Example: Calculate PV power for 0.37kW pump

= 370 1.8
= 666 @

The above calculations for the PV power and VDC max are only a guideline for the user, and
can differ more numerous reasons namely climates, cable length, cable gauge etc. 14
 VFD-PVE APPLICATION
ELECTRICAL SPECIFICATIONS

To determine the maximum and minimum input voltage to set into parameters PR 01.11 & PR 01.12,
and the voltage required from the PV string we can used a couple of simple calculations.
We can use the drives VAC input specification to determine the VDC input specification.

= 2 = 2
= 180 2 = 264 2
= 254 = 373 + (5% tolerance)

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 VFD-PVE APPLICATION
DIGITAL POTEMTIOMETER ADJUSTMENT

400VDC OFFSET POT = 1.0

PR 01.12 (Vmax) = 370VDC
350 PR 01.08 (Fmin) = 30Hz
PR 01.11 (Vmin) = 232VDC

300 OFFSET = 1.1 (10% SPEED INCREASE)

THEREFORE @ A 232VDC WELL HAVE 35Hz
250 OFFSET = 0.9 (10% SPEED DECREASE)
THEREFORE @232-254VDC WE HAVE 30Hz
200 1.0
1.1
150 1..00
100 0.90 1.10 0.9
50 Digital potentiometer

0
30Hz 35Hz 40Hz 45Hz 50Hz

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 VFD-PVE APPLICATION
MAXIMUM CABLE LENGTHS

When a motor is driven by an AC drive of pulse width modulation (PWM) type, the motor terminals
will experience surge voltages due to cable capacitance. The longer the cable the higher the
capacitance, and the greater the surge voltages. Obviously if we can reduce the output voltage from
the drive we can lower these hazardous surge voltages.

For this reason VFD-xxE21T is preferred over VFD-xxE43A this is because it has 230VAC 3 phase output
instead of 400VAC 3 phase output. Lower output voltage means lower voltage spikes.

In many bore-hole application the actual pump is located deep underground which means the cable
from the drive to the pump can be long. See below spec.

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VFD-PVE APPLICATION
OVERLOAD PROTECTION

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VFD-PVE APPLICATION
KEYPAD OPERATION

VFD-PVE APPLICATION
KEYPAD (KPE-LE02) OPERATION

DC bus voltage

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VFD-PVE APPLICATION
KEYPAD OPERATION

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