VFD Control System Basics
What is a VFD Control System?
A VFD, short for variable frequency drive, is a type of a motor control electrical device for starting and controlling an AC inductive motor and its speed with varying frequency (Hz) and voltage. A VFD Control System consist on an AC control panel housing the VFD and any associated motor control or circuit protection devices in an enclosure, protecting them from electrical shocks, fires, moisture, corrosion, dust, and other conditions. The most common NEMA ratings for VFD control panel enclosures are NEMA 12, NEMA 3R, and NEMA 4x. A VFD control panel typically houses a selection of control panel components including a VFD, harmonic filters, line reactors, surge protectors, a bypass, circuit breakers, motor starters, soft starters and some kind of cooling unit, as VFD’s tend to produce a lot of heat. VFD control panels are available in a wide variety of power ratings, and are used across large-scale industrial applications like pumping, drilling and to control other heavy-duty equipment such as elevators, rock crushing machines, and water & sewer treatment plants and water conservation for agricultural systems.
In the USA roughly 50% of the total electrical energy generated is consumed by AC Inductive motor equipment. Variable frequency drive technology offers a cost-effective method to match motor speed to load demands and represents a state-of-the-art opportunity to reduce operating costs and improve overall productivity.
IndustLabs Intelligent Series VFDs
The IndustLabs Intelligent Series AC drive VFD Control Panels are powered by Fuji electric VFDs for controlling AC motor. The only drives on the market with a default 3 year manufacturer’s warranty. IndustLabs is a leader in bringing world class intelligence to our VFD product including our own Internet of Things (IoT) platform where your VFDs can be monitored and controlled remotely. You can even set alert thresholds and notifications to reduce the Mean Time to Repair for your facilities to ensure your production continues.
“We need of an extremely robust VFD solution for our mobile centrifugal machines. We required equipment that could withstand very extreme conditions, such as traveling down hundreds of miles of rough roads between locations, as well as severe weather conditions including temperatures ranging from -50 degree in Northern Canada’s Arctic winters, to the hot and dusty conditions of West Texas. We definitely found the robustness we required, and have had great results using IndustLabs Intelligent Series VFD Packages.”
VFD Control System Solution
IndustLabs is a full service provider of AC drive VFD Packaged Solutions. We can build your VFD according to your needs and specifications; from fractional Horsepower to large 1000+ Horsepower motors. Below is a list of some of our most common applications and features including control the speed of ac motor.
Energy Savings
VFDs achieve true energy cost savings by controlling the number of AMPs a motor can draw. According to the EPA it is possible to achieve a 50% - 85% reduction in energy cost through the use of Variable Speed Drives. A far greater reduction than the use of mechanical flow control devices such as dampers or valves.
Example
Replacing a damper controlled fan system with a variable speed control system with operating characteristics of 85% air flow required for 2,000 hrs/yr, 60% air flow required for 2000 hrs/yr, and operated by a 20Hp (15kW) motor.
Energy required by using damper control: 50,100kWh/yr
Energy required using drive control: 24,900kWh/yr
Energy savings by using drive control: 25,200kWh/yr
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CO2 Emissions Reduction
Energy Savings from using VFD Control System can correlate to reducing Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions from power generation plants.
CO2 Emissions Reduction Example:
Using the energy savings from the previous example. 25,200kWh/yr and a CO2 emission factor of 1.36lbs/kWh. The Estimated reduction of CO2 emissions is 34,270lbs/yr
Reduced Maintenance Cost & Ambient Noise
With the use of a controlled increase approach to increasing the speed of a motor the reduced wear and tear of starting and stopping the motor on the mechanical components can increase the life of a motor. The reduced speed can also greatly decrease the amount of ambient noise in a facility
Key Features of IndustLabs Intelligent Series VFD Packages
Adjustable Speed Drive of AC Motor
NEMA 3R Enclosure ratings
Optional UL Certification
3 Contactor Bypass and basic Bypass
Non-Bypass
Speed variation in response to input sensors
LCD, Key Pad, or HMI options for input
SCADA integration or leverage existing or IndustLabs developed IoT platform with Artificial Intelligence powered motor failure prediction
Integrated circuit protection
Customizable options for Pilot indicator lights
Optional disconnect options for your needs
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Internet of Things (IoT) Application for VFD Control systems
IndustLabs Intelligent Series VFD can integrate with any existing Industrial IoT platform or you can leverage our IoT platform built on the power of Amazon’s AWS cloud architecture. The IndustLabs IoT platform enables remote operations support so you can start / stop, increase or decrease speed, or setup notifications for motor failures or any other system malfunction.
All automation systems developed by IndustLabs are capable of streaming data into our cloud platform and that data can be used to make intelligent business decisions and reduce response times to failures. With IndustLabs Real-Time Remote Monitoring and Control technology powered by our partner Samsara we can monitor equipment faults and alert you of mission critical equipment status.
IndustLabs Intelligent Series VFD Packages
VFDs have long been used as a primary source of cost of energy reduction as well as ambient noise. Unlike legacy methods; such as belts, sheaves, and gear boxes; VFDs control the speed and amperes that can be drawn by an electric motor to reduce energy cost and actually limit the speed of a motor.
According to the EPA it is possible to achieve a 50% - 85% reduction in energy cost through the use of Variable Speed Drives. A far greater reduction than the use of mechanical flow control devices such as dampers or valves. IndustLabs also has a custom algorithm to slowly start drives to reduce the initial energy draw when starting motors which can increase the life of a drive by up to 70%.
IndustLabs can design a VFD control systems that can vary the adjustable speed drive of ac motor based on input data such as pressure sensors and we can provide remote operations support to changing drive speed without having to send someone to an unmanned location. Through our in-house developed IoT platform custom built for VFD operation we can provide reporting on energy usage, drive speed as compared to input sensors such as pressure sensors, and we can alert on any of these parameters including drive or motor failure.
Contact the representatives at IndustLabs for a customized quote on your AC Drive VFD Control System project.
