Chapter 1: Introduction

0903582 Electrical Drives

Chapter 1
Introduction
(Revision 1.0, 24/9/2010)
1. Introduction
Variable speed drives (usually denoted as drives for short) are extremely important in
todays industry. Many applications in factories and product lines would be
impossible to run without the use of VSD to regulate and vary the speed of the
motors.
VSD are today used in the paper industries, process industries, elevators,
escalators, cranes and hoists, electric vehicles, trains, fans and pumps.
As shown below, a VSD usually regulates the electrical energy from the electrical
three phase supply system and varies either the voltage or the frequency of the
supply fed to the motor (usually a three phase squirrel cage induction motor). In
order to match the speed and torque between the motor and the load, a gearbox is
sometimes interposed between them. The gearbox usually provides a step down in
speed and step up in torque. In certain cases, the whole combination of the VSD,
motor and gearbox are referred to as the drive system.

Load
Power
source

VSD

Motor

Gearbox

2. Difference between VSD and Gearbox

A question is often raised as to the difference between a gearbox and a variable
speed drive (VSD). A gearbox can be used to vary the speed of the load where
needed. So how is a gearbox different from a variable speed drive VSD?
A gear box is used as a matching device. It matches the speed and the torque
between the load and the drive. In general many drives (e.g., squirrel cage induction
motor, SCIM) have a high speed and a low torque. The gear box (with a speed
reduction ratio rg:1) will reduce the speed to a suitable speed and increase the torque
to a suitable torque.
We can also think of the variable speed drive as a device that adjusts the speed
and controls the torque. However, there are two major differences between the two
devices as follows:
1- The gear box provides a fixed transformation once selected and installed. The
variable speed drive on the other hand can provide a continuous adjustment in
speed torque.
2- The gear box is usually used to achieve a "LARGE" change in speed and
torque. For example a gear box having a reduction ratio of 1:39 will reduce the
speed by 39 times and increase the torque by 39 times. The variable speed
Copyright held by the author 2010: Dr. Lutfi R. Al-Sharif

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Chapter 1: Introduction

0903582 Electrical Drives

drive however will be used to achieve a smaller variation in the speed and
torque.
In effect, we can think of the role of the gear box and the VSD as complementary.
They are used together to achieve the goal of matching and regulating speed and
torque.
A good example is the vehicle. We have a gear box that has 4 speed
reduction settings ("discrete"). In addition we can also control speed and torque using
the accelerator pedal ("gas"). We need both to achieve good control. The accelerator
pedal is similar to the VSD while the manual transmission gear box is similar to the
gear box function.
3. Examples on the use of variable speed drives
The following two examples illustrate the need for using a variable speed drive.
Example 1: Motor driving a vehicle.
Take the example of a vehicle that is driven by an electric motor. Without a variable
speed drive the vehicle speed will be fixed as the motor will have a constant speed at
a certain torque and the vehicle can only travel at a fixed speed. In order to vary the
speed, the only possible way is to apply mechanical braking on the vehicle in order to
slow it down. But this is very wasteful in terms of energy and will cause excessive
wear in the mechanical brake.
A much better way to vary the speed of the vehicle would be to vary the speed
of the motor by the use of variable speed drive. A very crude method of varying the
speed of a dc motor that is driving the vehicle would be to switch resistors in and out
of the armature circuit.
Example 2: A variable fluid flow control system
Another example of the need for a variable speed drive is where variable fluid flow is
required. Let us assume that a pump is being used to pump a fluid into a process.
The motor used is a squirrel cage induction motor. Once the power is switched on,
the motor will run at a constant speed. The flow of the fluid will be constant and
cannot be varied by the user. The only possible way to vary the fluid flow would be
to place a variable orifice in the path of the flowing fluid. By varying the size of the
orifice, the flow of the fluid will vary. But this method is very inefficient and leads to
excessive losses in energy and to unnecessary heating of the fluid (as it is being
forced through the orifice and some of the kinetic energy is being converted to heat).
A much better and more efficient solution would be to vary the speed of the
pump in proportion to the required fluid flow. In such a case there is no need to use
an orifice. As the speed of the pump is varied, the flow of the fluid varies and the
energy used in the pump is reduced as the flow is reduced.
4. Distinction between heat and work and energy
Heat and work are forms of energy. They all have the same units, the joule (J).
However, they represent different quantities. Work is the energy expended when a
force moves through a certain distance (note that work is the dot product of the force
and the distance). Heat is the energy stored in a body when its temperature rises.
Both forms of energy can change from on form to the other. The first person
to show that this is possible was the English scientist, John P. Joule, who used a
apparatus to convert the potential energy in a weight into heat energy in water.
Copyright held by the author 2010: Dr. Lutfi R. Al-Sharif

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0903582 Electrical Drives

It is important not to confuse the joule (J) which represents energy that is a
scalar quantity, with torque that has units of Nm (dimensionally equivalent to a J),
but which is a vector quantity.
5. Cross product and dot product
The cross product of two vectors results in a vector that is perpendicular to both
vectors. The resultant cross product is perpendicular to the plane that contains both
producing vectors. The magnitude of the resultant vector can be found as shown
below, by multiplying the two magnitudes by the sine of the angle between them. In
effect we are finding the components of the two vectors that are perpendicular to
each other.

x y = z

z = x y sin ( )
The direction of the resultant vector of a cross product can be found in accordance
with one of the two conventions discussed in the next section.
A good example of a cross product is the torque that is perpendicular to the force
producing it and the distance from the force to the pivot point around which the
torque is acting. The torque is a vector as it is the result of a cross product of two
vectors. It has the units of newton-metre (Nm). The torque direction is perpendicular
to the plane containing the force and the distance between the force and the pivot
point around which it is acting. We are only interested in the distance that is
perpendicular to the force.
The dot product of two vectors results in a scalar. The magnitude of the scalar
quantity can found as shown below by multiplying the magnitude of the two vectors
by the cosine of the angle between them. In effect we are finding the components fo
the two vector that are parallel to each other.

xy = w

w = x y cos( )
A good example of a dot product is the work done by a force moving through a
distance. Work is a scalar quantity as it is the result of the dot product of two vectors.
It has the units of energy, joules (J). By multiplying by the cosine of the angle
between the force and the displacement, we are in effect only interested in the
components of the two vectors that are parallel to each other. Note that a force
might act on a body in a certain direction, but the body might move in a direction that
is not parallel to the force acting on it for various reasons.
6. Right hand coordinate system and left hand coordinate system.
If we cross product a vector in the positive direction of the x axis by a vector that is
pointing in the positive direction of the y axis, the resultant vector should in the
positive direction of z axis using the right hand rule. The right hand rule states that if
the four fingers of the right hand are curled in direction of rotation from x to y, then
the thumb will point into the positive direction of the z axis. This forms the convention
for the right hand coordinate system.
Copyright held by the author 2010: Dr. Lutfi R. Al-Sharif

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0903582 Electrical Drives

The left hand rule states that if a vector pointing in the direction of the positive
x axis is cross produced with a vector pointing in positive direction of the y axis, the
resultant vector will be in the positive direction of the z axis in accordance with left
hand rule. The left hand rule states that if the four fingers of the left hand are curled
in direction of rotation from x to y, then the thumb will point into the positive direction
of the z axis. This forms the convention for the left hand coordinate system.

y
Right hand
coordinate
system

Left hand
coordinate
system

Figure 1: Right hand coordinate system and left hand coordinate system.

There is nothing right or wrong about any system. They are just conventions. One
must follow one system and keep to it as a convention throughout to avoid confusion.
Only two possible systems in 3D space!!
Note that all other possible combinations of axes in the three dimensional space
must fall into one of the two categories above: right hand or left hand. There are no
other possibilities. Try it!!

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