Medium Voltage

Variable Speed Drive

Guide Form Specification
MEDIUM VOLTAGE AC VARIABLE FREQUENCY DRIVES Type H
PART 1 - GENERAL
1.1

SUMMARY
A. Requirements for medium voltage AC variable frequency drive units including components
and related installations.

1.2

STANDARDS AND CODES

A. The drive shall be designed to be in accordance with NEMA standards where applicable and shall
be compatible with NEC installation requirements. The basic drive is designed to meet IEC
standards and can be UL/CSA labeled.
B. Power semiconductor isolation: NEMA, IEC-146-1-1
C. Clearances: IEEE-347A, IEC-146, CE, NEMA, CSA/UL
D. Enclosure: NEMA Type 1, IP20
E. EMI/RFI: EN55011, ENV50140, EN50141, EN 61000
F.

Input Power Quality: IEEE-519

G. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) :

OSHA 1910.95 AC Drive Controller Acoustical Noise
1.03

SUBMITTALS
A. Successful bidder should be prepared to submit the following:
1. Wiring diagrams
2. Layout diagrams showing components
3. Outline diagram showing all dimensions and working space requirements
4. Product data
5. Installation and Startup Manuals
6. Harmonic distortion study (if required in data sheets)

1.04

QUALITY ASSURANCE
A. This section provides specification requirements for AC inverter type adjustable frequency
variable speed drives or herein identified as AC drives for use with NEMA B design, AC
motors
B. The manufacturer furnishes and tests all AC drives, with spare parts as specified.

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C. Indicate any exceptions to this specification in writing and submit with the bid.
D. The manufacturer has a nationwide field service and technical support organization available
24 hours a day from a toll free telephone number. Capabilities include factory coordinated
start-up service and on-site training of customer personnel.
E. The manufacturer has specialized in the production of this type of equipment for a period of at
least 5 years.
F.

The manufacturer of the AC Drive shall be a certified ISO 9001 facility.

G. The AC Drive shall be designed, constructed and tested in accordance with NEMA, NEC
standards and can be UL/CSA certified (if required).
1.05

OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE MANUALS

A. Successful bidder will be required to submit Operation and Maintenance (O&M) Manuals,
detailed parts lists, lists of recommended spare parts, maintenance procedures and operating
instructions.

1.06

FACTORY TESTS
A. Upon receipt of all approved shop drawings for the AC variable frequency drives, the
manufacturer must fabricate and factory test the equipment in question.
B. Every power converter shall be tested with an ac induction motor. The converter shall be
tested at full load current and at full voltage on a motor or equivalent load.
C. All Drive door mounted devices shall be tested to verify successful operation. Documentation
shall be furnished upon the request of the Engineer.
D. Upon completion of the factory tests, and prior to shipment, the following may be required by
the Buyer:
1. A copy of the certified test report, or in lieu thereof, a certified letter, ascertaining that
the equipment in question was tested and that the equipment met or exceeded all test
requirements.
2. A certified quality control report indicating the items checked, the date when checked and
initialed by the individual performing the quality control.
E. Equipment may not be accepted at the job site without prior receipt of the associated test
report or the certified letter referenced above.

PART 2 - PRODUCTS
2.01

DESIGN CRITERIA
A. Acceptable Manufacturers:
1.
General Electric, or approved equal
A. The adjustable frequency controller shall be a space vector Pulse-Width Modulated (PWM)
design.

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2.02

MATERIAL AND EQUIPMENT

A. The VFD system shall consist of an input rectifier-grade phase-shifting transformer, 18-pulse
minimum converter section, output inverter and control logic section. All components listed
including transformer shall be integral to the VFD lineup, factory wired and tested as a
complete system. If power factor correction or harmonic filtering are needed to meet IEEE
519, and these items are supplied as separate items and not factory pre-wired, the VFD
manufacturer shall include in the base price of the VFD all costs for field assembly and onsite
power and VFD system wiring. The labor services and material for field interconnection of the
system are to be provided by the VFD manufacturer.
B. VFDs shall meet all requirements as outlined in the latest edition of IEEE 519 for each
individual and total harmonic voltage and current distortion and as indicated in this
specification.
1. Individual or simultaneous operation of the VFDs shall not add more than 3% total
harmonic voltage distortion while operating at full load and speed from the utility source.
2. Maximum allowable total harmonic current demand distortion limits for each VFD
operating at full load and speed shall not exceed 5% as calculated and measured at the
point of common coupling.
3. If harmonic filters are required to meet these requirements, the VFD manufacturer must
provide as a minimum 5th, 7th, and 11th harmonic filters and is responsible for the design
and manufacturing of the filters. The vendor must supply cabling and installation for the
filters. The filters are to be provided with a separate contactor such that the VFD can
operate in the event of a filter failure. Failure of a filter shall not cause the entire drive
system to shut down.
C. VFD system shall maintain a 0.95 minimum true power factor throughout the entire speed
range.

2.03

VARIABLE FREQUENCY DRIVES

A. Ratings:
1. The drive system shall be 96% efficient at full load and full speed. Losses to be included
in drive system efficiency calculation shall include input transformer, harmonic filter and
power factor correction if applicable, VFD converter and output filter if applicable.
Auxiliary controls, such as internal VFD control boards, cooling fans or pumps, shall be
included in all loss calculations.
2. The drive system shall utilize modular power cell design to increase uptime and decrease
maintenance time.
3. Rated input power: ____________(2300, 3300, 4160, 6600V), 60Hz, +10% (at rated
load), 3-phase,
a.
Voltage dip ride-through: VFD shall be capable of sustaining continued operation
with a 30% dip in DC Link Bus voltage. If dip is long enough for bus to drop to
70%, torque to motor can be reduced and output speed may decline. The VFD
control shall be capable of regenerating power from the motor to try to support the
DC bus for as long as possible.
b.
Power loss ride-through: VFD shall be capable of a minimum 5 cycle power loss
ride-through without fault activation.
4. Output power: ___________ (2300, 3300, 4160, 6600V), 60Hz, horsepower and amperes
as indicated on the data sheets.
5. Ambient temperature range: 0 to 40 degree C
6. Elevation: Up to 3300 feet above mean sea level without derating
7. Atmosphere: Non-condensing relative humidity to 95%
8. AC line frequency variation: +/- 3Hz
9. Power unit rating basis: 100% rated current continuous, ______% rated current for one
minute, at rated temperature

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B. Features:
1. The controller shall produce an adjustable AC voltage/frequency output. It shall have a
speed regulator which uses a tachless motor control algorithm (Adaptive Torque
Technology, or approved equivalent) to maintain correct control of motor under all speed
and load conditions.
2. The door of each power unit shall include a door-mounted membrane keypad with integral
8-line, Pixel based graphic display. The keypad shall be capable of controlling the VFD
and setting drive parameters. The keypad shall include the following features:
a) Increase/decrease buttons for manually adjusting motor speed, a button for selecting
LOCAL/REMOTE operation, an VFD running indicator, a VFD faulted indicator, a
local start pushbutton, a local stop pushbutton and a fault reset button.
b) The digital display must present all diagnostic messages and parameters in English
engineering units when accessed, without the use of codes.
c) The digital keypad shall provide drive configuration and tuning Wizards to allow the
operator to quickly start up the VFD.
d) Configurable bar charts for displaying any VFD variables.
3. The VFD is to be supplied with a transformer to provide phase shifting for an 18 pulse or
higher converter bridge. The phase shift transformer shall be factory wired and mounted
within the VFD enclosure as an integral part of the VFD assembly. Transformers external
to the VFD enclosure are not acceptable. Separate isolation transformers arranged in
delta/delta, delta/wye will not be acceptable.
4. The inverter output shall be generated by IGBTs. Pulse Width Modulation stategy will be
of the space vector type implemented to generate the output voltage. The VFD shall not
induce excessive power losses in the motor. The worst case RMS motor line current
measured at rated speed, torque and voltage shall not exceed 1.05 times the rated RMS
motor current for pure sine wave operation.
5. The controller shall be suitable for use with any standard NEMA-B squirrel cage induction
motor without de-rating. The drive can be located up to 1000 feet from the motor without
requiring special cabling or separate motor protection devices. At any time in the future, it
shall be possible to substitute any standard motor (equivalent horsepower, voltage and
RPM) in the field.
6. The control logic section shall be fully digital and not require analog adjustment pots or
fixed selector resistors. A power failure will not necessitate a reload of any drive
parameter or configuration.
C. Enclosure:
All VFD components shall be factory mounted and wired on a dead front, grounded, free-standing
NEMA 1 enclosure suitable for mounting on a concrete or metal support structure. The enclosure
shall be self-ventilating and have provisions for top and bottom entry of wiring and conduits. All
components and all load, line and control terminations shall be fully front accessible.
D. Protective Features and Circuits:
The controller shall include the following alarms and protective features:
1. Instantaneous overcurrent and overvoltage trip
2. Undervoltage and power loss protection
3. Power unit overtemperature alarm and protection.
4. Electronic motor inverse time overload protection
5. Responsive to motor winding temperature detectors or thermostatic switches. A dry
contact (NC) input to the VFD is required.
6. When power is restored after a complete power outage, the VFD shall be capable of
catching the motor while it is still spinning and restoring it to proper operating speed without
the use of an encoder.

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7. The VFD shall be able to withstand the following fault conditions without damage to
the power circuit components:
a.
Three-phase short circuit on VFD output terminals
b.
Loss of input power due to opening of VFD input disconnect device
or utility power failure during VFD operation.
c. Loss of one phase of input power.
d. Failure to connect a motor to the VFD output
e. VFD output open circuit that may occur during operation
F.

Input/Output Features:
1. Two programmable analog inputs (4-20mA / 0-10V isolated)
2. Two programmable analog outputs (0-10V / 4-20mA isolated )
3. Six programmable digital inputs (24-115VDC, or 115VAC, isolated)
4. Three programmable digital outputs (form C, dry contact relays, 24VDC or 115VAC)
5. One potentiometer input (three wire control, + 10V, wiper and common)
6. One system emergency stop input (dry contact, 24VDC or 115VAC).
7. VFD shall have the capability of communicating via an RS-232 port
8. The VFD shall have options for GENIUS, Profibus, Ethernet, or
Modbus RTU communication capability.
9. VFD shall have an option for adding additional Application Control Layer module to
support integral PID and logic sequencing algorithms.

G. Diagnostic Features and Fault Handling:

1. The VFD shall include a comprehensive microprocessor based digital
diagnostic system which monitors its own control functions and displays
faults and operating conditions.
2. A fault log shall be accessible via a RS-232 serial link as well as line by line on the
keypad display.
3. The VFD shall have the ability to interface to a 24 hour a day, 365 day a year,
Remote Diagnostic center which can monitor/troubleshoot the drive remotely.
4. The VFD shall have a Windows based configuration tool to aid the user with clear,
user friendly assistance for start-up, maintenance, and diagnostics.

2.05

DISCONNECT - Optional
A.
As an option, the supplier shall be able to provide a fused, load break, disconnect switch
with current limiting fuses. A clear indication of whether the switch is in the ON, OFF or
TRIPPED position shall be provided. The interlock handle shall mechanically interlock with
the switch enclosure door to prevent access unless the switch is in the OFF position.
Padlocking facilities to positively lock the switch in the OFF position with the door open or
closed, shall be provided.

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PART 3 - EXECUTION
3.01

HARMONIC DISTORTION STUDY

A.
Perform harmonic distortion study in accordance with Specification Section 16010.

3.03

INSTALLATION AND START-UP

A.
The services of a qualified manufacturers factory technical representative for supervising
the contractors installation, testing, and start-up and of all the AC drives furnished under this
specification. A total of _____ supervision days (8 hours/day) shall be provided by the
manufacturers representative.
B.
The manufacturer of the AC drive must be able to offer equipment specific training courses
at the manufactures facility. The manufacture should also be able to provide, upon request,
on site training of the operators consisting of _____ training day(s) (8 hour/day) provided by
the manufacturers factory technical representative.

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