When to Use an Electric VFD
Assuming you will be using a variable speed
drive, here is a summary of situations where an
electrical VFD has advantages over a
corresponding hydraulic VSD.
To Save Energy
Considerable energy savings can be realized by
installing an electric VFD instead of an HVSD,
regardless of the speed and range of speed
fluctuation. In the 10,000 hp example on page 21,
the savings were $230,000.00 per year, and
would be proportionally larger for larger machines.
With energy and electricity costs rising, the
savings will increase year by year.
To Smooth Motor Starting and Extend
Motor Life
With an EVFD, the motor current is always under
control. There are no locked rotor starting
currents, excessive temperatures, or mechanical
stresses put on the motor. With constant speed
motors used with HVSDs, the driven equipment
can be subjected to hard starts; and the heat,
caused by the starting current, degrades the
motor insulation and shortens its life. Controlled
motor current also means that motor heating will
not limit the quantity or frequency of motor starts.
With an HVSD, the motor experiences large
inrush current, which produces heat and reduces
the life with each start. However, the more
complex type RW Vorecon can offer reduced
torque at starting through the use of its special
front-end hydraulic coupling (refer to page 10), but
this does not reduce the motor current inrush, only
its duration.
To Share Drives between Multiple
Machines
Some applications use two or more motors in
parallel, some running at constant speed while the
others are under variable speed control to
produce the desired process flow. For example,
three pumps can share one or two EVFDs. On the
other hand, an HVSD is dedicated to one motor,
so three are required. Using the electrical system
provides considerable savings on the initial
equipment and installation.
To Reduce Bus Impact
EVFDs possess characteristics that can increase
the load-carrying capability of a system bus with a
given switchgear rating. The characteristics
contributing to this are:
• Starting currents are low in magnitude and of
relatively high power factor when compared
to across-the-line starting of conventional,
squirrel-cage induction and synchronous
motors. This characteristic eliminates
significant voltage dips during the starting of
large adjustable speed drives.
• Normally there is no EVFD contribution to
short circuit current. This characteristic
permits a reduction in the auxiliary
transformer’s impedance, resulting in
improved system voltages at a given load
condition or permitting greater load carrying
capability.
The reduced starting current and lack of short
circuit contribution also allows an increase of the
total motor load that can be applied to a piece of
switchgear. For an existing system, there is a
reduced voltage dip during motor starting and
lower short circuit duty.
To Obtain Fail-Safe Operation
Electric drives can be configured with a fail-safe
characteristic. In the event of an EVFD failure, a
bypass contactor can be closed, driving the load
at full speed. During this time, the drive can be
repaired, and, with a meantime to repair of 1.1
hour, the drive can be quickly back on line.
Therefore, a failure of an EVFD will not take down
the plant, where failure of a HVSD probably
would.
To Handle Full-Speed Operation
If periods of full-speed operation are required, the
EVFD can be bypassed with optional
synchronized bypass circuitry and put across the
line, so there is no power lost in drive efficiency at
full speed. The transfer can be done without any
line surges whatsoever. An HVSD is dedicated to
its machine and cannot be bypassed.
Conclusion
This paper has demonstrated the energy savings
obtained when the speed of a flow-producing
machine is varied instead of using a control valve
or dampers. It illustrates two different methods of
speed control: hydraulic drives and electric drives.
Both systems work well, and each system has
good energy efficiency, reliability, and roughly
comparable installed cost. A summary of selection
factors was shown in Table 2.
The final decision on which way to go requires a
careful review of the application requirements,
desired availability, and the future cost of the
electrical energy that will be purchased. For a
large machine, a small increase in energy
efficiency can produce impressive cost savings,
and since electrical energy costs are expected to
continue to increase, these savings should be
taken into consideration.
