Will your motor insulation survive a new adjustable-frequency drive?

Author

Bell, Sidney ; Sung, Jason

Author_Institution

Rockwell Autom., Euclid, OH, USA

Volume

33

Issue

5

fYear

1997

Firstpage

1307

Lastpage

1311

Abstract

The latest family of insulated-gate-bipolar-transistor (IGBT)-type adjustable-frequency drives (AFDs) produce voltage wavefronts that are extremely fast as a result of increasing carrier frequency. The frequency may be as high as 20 kHz. Motors which are designed for low-voltage sinusoidal power run more efficiently and quieter under this condition. However, the insulation in small- and medium-size motors may experience undesirable stress, resulting in accelerated aging. This aging usually leads to premature failure of motors, sometimes days or months after startup. Even new motors make this an issue. Harsh environments may also add to the problem. This paper presents a practical approach to the motor insulation concerns of applying AFD power to less than 1000 V three-phase older motors and give specification details on new motors for AFD service

Keywords

AC motor drives; DC-AC power convertors; ageing; bipolar transistor switches; electric breakdown; insulated gate bipolar transistors; invertors; machine insulation; power bipolar transistors; power semiconductor switches; power system transients; variable speed drives; IGBT-type adjustable speed drives; accelerated aging; carrier frequency; motor insulation stress; recommendations; specification details; voltage wavefronts; Accelerated aging; Chemical industry; Corona; Frequency; Insulated gate bipolar transistors; Insulation; Inverters; Petroleum; Stress; Voltage;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Industry Applications, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0093-9994

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/28.633811

Filename

633811