In a world where motors power critical systems across industries, variable frequency drives (VSDs) have become an essential component for success. Although VSDs have been used for decades, today’s models are incorporating the latest technologies that open a whole new world of possibilities. Modern VSDs are smarter, more compact, more powerful, more energy efficient, and have a wealth of advanced capabilities that organizations might not be taking advantage of. This ebook will introduce you to some of those innovative capabilities, and, we hope, motivate you to seek out even more innovative and revolutionary ways to get more out of your VSDs than ever before.

Whether they’re used in water/wastewater, aggregate/mining, manufacturing, oil & gas, or a range of other industries, VFDs can maximize productivity in high-performance environments and instances where you want to maximize energy efficiency.

VFDs have revolutionized industries by offering a range of capabilities that surpass the simple on-off operation of standard motor starters.

The main capabilities that make them so popular are:

• Flexibility in speed control—drives can be speed up or down incrementally as needed
• Gradual ramp-up and ramp-down—torque and power of a drive can be adjusted with soft acceleration and deceleration
• Simple replacement with little downtime and manual effort
• Built-in automation/safety features—if a fault in the motor occurs, the VFD will halt operations to prevent further damage

“It is estimated electric motors in industrial applications consume approximately one-fourth of the world’s electrical energy. When these motors are incorporated with VFDs in centrifugal load service, their efficiency increases. With technological advancements in power electronics technology, VFD cost and size have decreased, while performance has improved.”

Control Engineering

For decades, programmable logic controllers, or PLCs, have been a common component in many industries—especially those that use assembly lines or robotic devices, or involve activities that need a high degree of reliability, programming, or fault diagnosis. What’s new these days is that many VFDs have built-in PLCs. Integration of the two devices reveals advanced capabilities that allow you to more easily automate sequence control and drive flexibility for a range of complex applications—right at the edge of operations. Built-in PLC capabilities allow you to pre-set automated functions and add a layer of customization for your unique applications. Plus, because the PLC is built right into the VFD, you eliminate the need for additional hardware, including sensors, transmitters, cabling, junction boxes, and so on.