How to Size a VFD for 3 Phase Motors

Ғылым және технология

Are you looking to match a VFD to a motor? Join Keith from eMotors as he guides us through the ins and outs of selecting the right size VFD for a 3 phase motor. You'll learn about how to read the motor nameplate, matching Full Load Amps (FLA), Constant and Variable torque VFDs, voltage, RPM, and different applications and enclosure types.
For more information, see this knowledge centre article: www.emotorsdirect.ca/knowledg...
0:00 Introduction
0:28 VFD Sizing Intro
1:15 Matching Full Load Amps (FLA)
2:00 When to Oversize the VFD
2:13 Voltage, RPM, & Speeds
2:59 Modern VFD-Rated Motors
3:30 Different Applications
4:57 Altitude Effects
5:38 Environmental Temperature
6:10 Conclusion

Пікірлер: 46

  • @garbo8962
    @garbo896211 ай бұрын

    Another important thing to consider when purchasing a VFD. Purchase quality line reactor & if critical loads go with the bypass feature that has three contactors. M1 powers drive in put M2 is on output side & M3 when closed urs interlocked so M1 & M2 contactors remain open. Had some bypass VFD'S have a test position on hand, off, auto selector switch that I never done it but you can troubleshoot drive while motor is running full speed thru the M3 bypass contactor and believe it allows M1 input contactors to supply power to drive.

  • @psomlo
    @psomlo11 ай бұрын

    Very Nicely Done!

  • @emotorsdirect

    @emotorsdirect

    11 ай бұрын

    Thanks Paul!

  • @garbo8962
    @garbo896211 ай бұрын

    We had over 500 VFD'S from where I retired from 2 to 1,750 HP. The extremely knowledgeable salesman that I ordered replacement or a drive for a new location he always told me that drives are rating in power ( KW ) & not horsepower. Of course every VFD he sold us had a horsepower rating along with ampere. Would send him a picture of the think it was a combination of 26 letters & #'s from serial # on old drive and he cross referenced that also. On a few critical pieces of equipment we ordered the next size HP. For a 40 HP motor would order a 50 HP drive and a 60 HP motor would order a 75 HP drive. Would downsize input fuses and adjust trip Amps on overload block.

  • @emotorsdirect

    @emotorsdirect

    10 ай бұрын

    Thanks for watching my videos and adding your two cents Garbo! Drives are sized by the heat load the power electronics can bear/dissipate, this heat is directly proportional to current and thus drives are sized according to amps out. In North America we use HP to denote mechanical power and KW to denote electrical power.

  • @retiredperson4054
    @retiredperson40545 ай бұрын

    Hello Keith good information

  • @emotorsdirect

    @emotorsdirect

    5 ай бұрын

    Thank you for the comment!

  • @tomglenn485
    @tomglenn485 Жыл бұрын

    This for me was a timely piece....'sizing'... I've looking for reasons for a overheating issue with the ( a supposedly 150% 'appropriatley' rated chineese generic) VFD . My project is a current Commercial Front loader Washer but with 'cooked' control electronics: but everything else in good seviceable order for the decade or more. Mind you; 'she's no longer what could be strictly described as automatic. Happy now to put down a few hundred bucks on a nameplated VFD unit.. Big thumbs up.

  • @emotorsdirect

    @emotorsdirect

    Жыл бұрын

    Hi Tom, thanks for the question. Overloading or loose connections could lead to overheating. What is the catalogue number for the motor and the VFD?

  • @dennisleazott718
    @dennisleazott718 Жыл бұрын

    I would like to add a big red STOP mag-switch with a VFD I'm installing on a old rockwell delta bandsaw (1.5hp). I could put the switch between the source and VFD or VFD and motor. Any recommendation for placement? Thanks, Dennis

  • @emotorsdirect

    @emotorsdirect

    Жыл бұрын

    I'd recommend putting a stop switch on the VFDs emergency stop contacts and that should safely disconnect the power. If you absolutely must put the switch directly on the line/load side the line side is preferred but it is it important to use a switch that won't chatter/arc.

  • @fuzzfacelogic789
    @fuzzfacelogic789 Жыл бұрын

    Thanks very helpful. I'm using a 55 year old 3ph 2 speed 1.5hp Swiss made EMB motor and it works very well but I only have a single phase supply. So I connected up a 2kW VFD and it is working okay apart from not enough low speed torque. Is there a way to correct for this?

  • @emotorsdirect

    @emotorsdirect

    Жыл бұрын

    Hi Jeff, thanks for the question. A motor that old isn’t designed to be used on a VFD and will probably overheat by slowing it down as little as 30%. You would need to buy a new motor rated for the turndown that you’re needing.

  • @melgross

    @melgross

    11 ай бұрын

    I was going to say the same thing. Never use an older three phase motor in a VFD if you want to vary speed. You need to replace the motor.

  • @bushratbeachbum
    @bushratbeachbum Жыл бұрын

    I've got a bandsaw with a CMG 3Phase 380-420v 3.3kw 4.5A 1430rpm motor on it. Can you recommend a drive to run it on single phase 230v please? Could you mention the potential current draw on the single phase supply also? Many thanks! Great video!!

  • @emotorsdirect

    @emotorsdirect

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for the question. Can you make do with less than 1/3 of the rated torque? I ask because 380 to 420V at 1500 RPM would suggest that this motor is rated at 400V at 50hz. The equivalent 60hz voltage would be 480V. At 60hz the maximum overvolt on most drives is about 10% with some going as high as 20%. So there is no way to get anywhere near 480V. Torque goes down by the square of voltage so with the overvolt 260/480 is about half so you'll experience a torque loss of just over 70%. You'd need a transformer to get the voltage up to 480 and then a VFD can convert to 3 phase. Hope this makes sense - let me know if I can clarify any of this.

  • @mackellyman5642

    @mackellyman5642

    5 ай бұрын

    @@emotorsdirect Not everyone wants to hear the transformer requirement...Excellent content and lots to learn, thank you.

  • @user-lo2rn1tz9w
    @user-lo2rn1tz9w7 ай бұрын

    Hi, thanks for the useful information. I'm having a speed issue on a 3 phase asynchronous motor with specs as 4kw/1435 rpm/ 380v. Upon startup it rises to 15+ bar pressure which is too high for a petrol line. Would a VFD (5.5kw) solve the issue of controlling the speed on it?

  • @emotorsdirect

    @emotorsdirect

    7 ай бұрын

    Thank you for the question Hamid. Generally speaking, pressure should be proportional to RPM. A VFD or a soft start should be able to mitigate this problem. An exception may be if you're working with a fixed displacement pump.

  • @user-lo2rn1tz9w

    @user-lo2rn1tz9w

    7 ай бұрын

    Thank you very much for the prompt reply. I have been able to resolve the problem using the VFD mentioned above with a soft start. And yes, it is a fixed displacement pump. With a pressure switch attached for automatic cut off at 3 bar max, and it's working perfectly fine.

  • @emotorsdirect

    @emotorsdirect

    7 ай бұрын

    @@user-lo2rn1tz9w Good to hear you found a solution!

  • @ahmadsaaty6303
    @ahmadsaaty63034 ай бұрын

    Hello , I would like to know what size should the vfd be if I have an urban lift motor rpm 1385, cv.:5.5 , volt: 220/380 , Amp: 23/13.3 as shown on the motor plate. also what is the recommended electrical installation that should be used as protection for both the vfd and the motor? thanks

  • @emotorsdirect

    @emotorsdirect

    4 ай бұрын

    Hi Ahmad, thanks for the question. This depends on the local electrical code and the specific application. Depending on the sensitivity of the motor, dv/dt filters or load filters may be used. For the line side, there are many different types of filters and mitigation equipment that can be used in addition to fuses, contactors, isolators and sometimes even bypass systems. There is no single answer to this question but rather a number of possibilities that need to be weighed according to the sensitivities of the application.

  • @rilindmushica6325
    @rilindmushica6325 Жыл бұрын

    I have a 3 kW Cavity pump in my factory that is driven by a VFD Drive. The datas of my VFD are (3 kW CT, 4 kW VT). Now, I want to change the 3 kW pump with one that is 4 kW, should I change the drive also? As a Note, my pump should carry the pressure of oil almost constant.

  • @emotorsdirect

    @emotorsdirect

    Жыл бұрын

    Hi Rilind, It depends on if your pump is considered a Variable Torque or a Constant torque load, you would then need the appropriately rated VFD to go along with it. You may want to contact the manufacturer of the pump to find out more information.

  • @sanjaykumarsharma3452
    @sanjaykumarsharma3452 Жыл бұрын

    Great video. However I have one observation about the statement that VFD Horse Power( say Power Rating) shall match with motor Horse Power. In my understanding motor rating means shaft power out put which will require bigger electrical input depening upon the efficiency of motor. Further there will be electrical power loss( I2R loss) in the connecting cable between VFD and the motor terminal, whatever small percentage it may be. So in my opinion, VFD output shall not only be able to meet shaft power, but also total power loss in motor plus cable loss. Kindly correct me if you feel otherwise.

  • @emotorsdirect

    @emotorsdirect

    Жыл бұрын

    Hi Sanjay, great point. You are correct in theory, but lucky for us, all VFD manufacturers have taken the guesswork out of this decision and rated their drives large enough to compensate for this.

  • @sanjaykumarsharma3452

    @sanjaykumarsharma3452

    Жыл бұрын

    @@emotorsdirect Thank you so much for your kind response.

  • @mustehsankarim3848
    @mustehsankarim38487 ай бұрын

    I want to run 5hp centrifugal pump 3phase on single phase supply which vfd will be suitable is 5.5kw vfd is enough?

  • @emotorsdirect

    @emotorsdirect

    7 ай бұрын

    Hi Mustehsan, thanks for the question. You will either need a purpose built single phase drive or you'll will need a 10HP/7.5kw VFD.

  • @robertwalton5324
    @robertwalton53246 ай бұрын

    Say you double the rpm of the motor by doubling the frequency, does that also double the motor's power output? Would you need a VFD with twice the power rating?

  • @emotorsdirect

    @emotorsdirect

    6 ай бұрын

    Hi Robert, most motors are not rated for overspeed conditions. The motors that are will explicitly state this in their data-packs. Motors rated for overspeed will go into a constant power state when frequency is raised past rated frequency where torque drops off in direct proportion to speed. For example 1.5x speed = 2/3 torque, 2x speed = 1/2 torque. - Keith

  • @firetoy911
    @firetoy911 Жыл бұрын

    can the vfd be far away from the motor it serves?

  • @emotorsdirect

    @emotorsdirect

    Жыл бұрын

    Best practice is to have the VFD as close to the motor as reasonably possible as longer cables mean more power loss as well as increased interference. You can always mount a remote keypad or remote controls away from the VFD at a much lower cost and with fewer consequences than moving the VFD away from the motor. Hope this helps!

  • @SpringCleaningLOC
    @SpringCleaningLOC5 күн бұрын

    Are most VFD's capable of converting single phase to three phase? It looks like you just use L1 and L3 as the input, then oversize the VFD, is that correct?

  • @emotorsdirect

    @emotorsdirect

    2 күн бұрын

    Great question. I just did a video on this topic. Check it out here for my notes on how to use a VFD to convert a single phase to three phase kzread.info/dash/bejne/pZ95w9qxZbywkqw.htmlsi=_5QgNz3fmsxQYiGZ

  • @emotorsdirect

    @emotorsdirect

    2 күн бұрын

    Whether you oversize the VFD depends on the motor horsepower. In under 3 horsepower, you can usually find a single phase VFD (ex. 3 HP three phase motor, 3 HP single phase VFD). Single phase VFDs are harder to find in larger sizes so typically, you'll source a three phase VFD and double the size (ex. 10 HP three phase motor, 20 HP three phase VFD).

  • @kingsize840
    @kingsize840 Жыл бұрын

    I want to use VFD for three phase 10 HP water pump on single phase electricity

  • @emotorsdirect

    @emotorsdirect

    Жыл бұрын

    Hi - thanks for the question. There are two options when choosing a drive for a phase conversion application. 1) Choosing a drive rated for single phase application 2) Derating a drive a rated for three phase application Almost all the VFDs we sell have 6 input diodes, two for each single phase of the input and so the three sets of diodes share the heat/current load evenly. In a single phase input, all the heat and current goes through one set of diodes causing heat and current to concentrate. Single phase rated drives oversize the output transistors to match the heat load so something like the Sinus M 0014 2S/T would work without derating/oversizing. The rule of thumb for derating is to divide the rated current capacity by half. So a 10HP drive becomes a 5 Hp drive thus if we were looking in the A510 series of drives we would have to go with the A510-2020-C3-U or larger.

  • @LuminousWatcher
    @LuminousWatcher3 ай бұрын

    "Most modern motors are rated for VFD" - does that mean that retrofitting an old lathe motor using belts to a VFD is bad Idea and I should consider changing out the motor for a VFD rated one as well?

  • @emotorsdirect

    @emotorsdirect

    3 ай бұрын

    It depends on how old the motor is and/or if it's a three phase motor. But generally it's not advisable to run a non inverter-rated motor on a VFD.

  • @carlscarborough6382
    @carlscarborough63827 ай бұрын

    Hello Sir,

  • @carlscarborough6382

    @carlscarborough6382

    7 ай бұрын

    I have an older 25 hp 3 phase compressor with a F insulation . I’d post a pic of the motor tag if I could . Can you please tell me what vfd would work for my application ? Thank you for your time .

  • @emotorsdirect

    @emotorsdirect

    7 ай бұрын

    @@carlscarborough6382 Hi Carl, thanks for the question. We typically work with WEG, TECO Westinghouse, KB Electronics, and Leeson VFDs. Here are some options, but would need to confirm your voltage and use case for the VFD to make a specific recommendation: www.emotorsdirect.ca/controls/vfd?hp-combined=25&input-phase=3

  • @WFKO.
    @WFKO.4 ай бұрын

    thank you, i saved 600eur by not buying VFD

  • @emotorsdirect

    @emotorsdirect

    Ай бұрын

    Nice!

Келесі