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Pump Applications Using VFDs

Are VFDs worth it for pump


applications?
Have they been oversold to
the market?
Theuseofmassoftonnesofcarbonisanirrelevantcriteriawhenitcomestoour
customers.Thismaybethepopulistcriteriathatourpoliticianshavelatchedonto
howeveritisnotasflexibleanapproachasotherconsiderations.Ourcustomers
measureperformanceintermsofcosts,i.e.dollars.Themorewe savetheenduserby
improvingefficiencythenthemoredividendscanbedistributedtotheshareholders.
Thispresentationisaimedatmechanicalengineersandtheirresponsibilitytodeliver
themostefficientplantattheleastcost.Manygovernmentdepartmentspaylipservice
toWholeofLifecosts.Althoughtenderdocumentsmayrequiresuchanalysis,this
rarelyhappens.Thelowcosttenderisacceptedandthusthemostefficientplantisnot
alwaysinstalled.Thisleadstomanyproblemsinthecostofoperationofapumped
system.

Why Are VFDs Specified for Pumps


Process conditions are not

fully developed
Variable process conditions
Poor pump selection
Future process upgrades
Energy efficiency-Reduced
operating cost
Prior art-Industry practice
Over-speeding a pump to
reduce pump frame size

Electrical supply restraint

Soft starting
Braking- Dynamic or hold
Unlimited number of starts
and stops
Waterhammer mitigationFatigue
Ignorance -Engineer having
no understanding of other
process control solutions

Thisslidepresentssomeofthecommoncriteriausedindeterminingwhyapump
shouldbefittedwithaVFD.Itbehovesthemechanicalengineertospendtimeand
efforttodetermineaccuratelytheprocessconditions,electricalcriteriaandanyother
mattersthatimpactontheneedforaVFDintermsofvaryingthespeedofapump.
Whenyouhavecompletedthispresentationyouperhapsshouldrevisitthereasonswhy
youmayhaveselectedaVFD.Itisalltooeasytochangethefixedspeeddrivetoa
variablespeeddrive.AsimplechangeontheP&IDhassignificantshortandlongterm
effects.
ItshouldbeconsideredthatstatisticalevidencehereandintheUSAisthattheprime
costofapumpisapproximately1215%ofitsWholeofLifecosts.Theremaindergoes
inmaintenanceandenergycosts.Theenergycostsarethelargestproportion.Wherea
contractorhastheyearandaday mentalitytheCapexwilloutweighanyconsiderations
forefficiency.Thatiswhymoderncontractsimposepenaltiesforexceedingpredicted
energyrequirements.
ThispresentationwillshowyouthatVFDsdonotsaveenergyinmanycases.Infactthey
consumemoreenergythanothersolutions.Allanalysisshouldbe onthebasisofwireto
water.i.e.ThekWhrstomovexm3 offluid.Nottheenergyshownonapumpcurveor
predictedbytheLawsofAffinity.

Pump Speed Control Solutions


Mechanical
Cone & disc variator
Cyclic variator
Vee belt & pulleys
Gearbox
Internal combustion engine
Scoop control fluid
couplings
Hydraulic drive

Electrical
Variable Frequency Drive
Eddy current drive
Two speed motor
Direct Current drives
Slip ring motors
Multiple pole motors
Relay pulsed motors

VaryingthespeedofapumpcaneasilybeachievedbymeansotherthanaVFD.This
slidegivesyousomeindicationofthosealternatives.
SoftstartersorVFDsareoftenusedtoovercometheinadequaciesofapowersupply.
Thevoltagedropwherethepumpsarelongdistancefromthesubstationisacasein
point.OncesuchaninstallationhastohaveaVFDthenthatVFD canbeusedforother
demands.HoweveritisoftenmoreefficienttohaveaparallelcontactorintheSCA.
Oncethepumphasstartedthentheparallelcontactedcanbeclosedandthelosses
associatedwithaVFDwillbeavoided.
Someofthemechanicaloptionsprovideasgoodifnotbettervariablespeedsolutions
totheVFD.

Process Solutions-Alternatives
Pressure, temperature

Change pump impellor

or flow control valves


Bypass valves
Larger suction tanks or
sumps
Holding tank
Pump for longer
periods
Stop/start controls

diameter
Alternate pump type
Multiple pumps
Different sized pumps

Asanalternativetovaryingthespeedofapumpthereareother processsolutions
describedinthisslide.Haveyouasthedesignerconsideredthesesolutions?
Acontrolvalveorbypasscanincertaincircumstancesuselessoranequalamountof
energythananinefficientVFD.TheCapexwillcertainlybelowerwhenyouconsidernot
onlythecostofaVFDbuttherealestate(switchroom),screenedcables,impacton
motordesignandlife,harmonicsetc.Areducedsizeimpellerandapumpoperatingat
100%BEPisfarmoreefficientthanaVFDsolution.
Thelargersuctiontankswillenablethepumptooperateoveravariedrange.Asthe
headinthesuctiontankincreasesthepumpnaturallydeliversmoreflowasthe
operatingpointdropsdowntheHQcurve.Lookatthefollowinggraphsandnotethe
systemcurves.Ifthesystemcurvewasloweronthegraphbecausethesuctiontankis
atahigherlevelyoucanseetheincreaseinflow.
Alargerholdingtankcanallowapumptooperateinastop/startregimewhereit
operatesat100%ofbestefficiencypoint(BEP).Thiscanbecombinedwithpumpingfor
longerperiodsatamoremodestflowrate.
Thepumpimpellercanbereducedindiameterandthusdrawlesspower.Suchachange
cankeeptheperformanceat100%ofBEPandthusnotusetheenergyrequiredto
operateaVFD.
Analternatepumptypemaybebeneficial.Aprogressivecavitypumporpositive
displacementpumpcanbefarmoreefficientthanacentrifugalpumpforviscousfluids.
Constantflowrateatrelativelyhighheadcanbedeliveredbya positivedisplacement
pump.

4
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Pump Considerations

Thissectionofthepresentationwilltalkofthepumpsneeds.

Pump Selection-The Issues


Duty point(s)

Casing pressure rating

Static head (Hs)

Efficiency

Friction loss (Hf)

Specific speed

Dead head

Moment of inertia

Transients

Curve shape

Design factors

Stability over range

- head
- flow
- NPSHa

Best efficiency point


1st Critical speed

Thesecriteriaaretypicalofthepointsthatneedtobeconsideredbythedesigner.
Softwareisavailabletomodelallthescenariostobeexpectedinasystem.Thedata
sheetsprovidedbytheHydraulicsInstituteorAPI610canbeusedtospecifyapump.
Theyalsoactasamemoryjoggerforthespecifyingengineer.

ModernpumpsandmotorshavebeendesignedusingFEAtominimise thecoststothe
manufacturers.Oneofthedownsidesisthatthemomentofinertiahasbeenreduced.
Animpactisthattomitigateapressuretransientitisoftennecessarytoincreasethe
MOI.Todothisflywheelsareadded.Suchistheironyofmodern design.
Thecurveshapeneedstobeconsideredwhenitcomestoparallel pumping.The
specifyingengineerneedstoconsiderthattheHQcurveshouldbeconstantlyrisingto
shutoff.Ifthecurvesisdroopingormorecomplexinstabilityinparalleloperationsmay
occur.Thesoftwarementionedaboveallowsthisevaluation.
WhenitcomestoselectingapumpthereexiststoolsontheInternetofferedby
differentpumpmanufacturers.www.sulzerpumps.com hasaveryprofessionaloffering
thatcanbeusedtodeterminethecostofapumpoverthelifeofthepump.Other
manufacturerssuchasGoulds,ITTFlygt,Flowserve,ABSalsoprovidesuchsoftware.
Thereisoftenthecasewhereismotorisoperatedatagreaterspeedthanthenominal
designspeedbasedonthenumberofpoles.Oneindustrydoesthisasthepumpsare
madeinsuperduplexstainlesssteelalloy.Thecostofthepump itselfisveryhighand
thusoperatingatahigherspeedmeansthataselectionmaybemadeofalowercost
efficientpump.Themomentofinertiaisnotgreatlyaffectedas themotorrepresents
90%ofthiscriteria.Thereisaconcernthatthepumpmayfinishoperatingatthe1st
criticalspeedandvibrationmaybeaconcern.Thereisalsoalimitothespeedsucha
motorcanoperate.Somedesignershaveresortedtousing60Hzmotors.Thisofcourse
l i
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h
di A
li
d SE A i
ll 50H

System Design-Issues
Software allows the

analysis of systems
Excessive design
factors used
Pump suppliers design
factors
New vs. Old pipe
friction losses
Pipe wall /lining
tolerances

Motor/VFD Efficiency
Wire to Water kW
The original Affinity

Laws are based on


systems with no static
head
Affinity Laws overstate
energy savings
Revise the 2nd Affinity
Law for Minimum Flow

Refertowww.pumpsystemsmatter.org anddownloadPSIM.Thissoftwareisacutdown
versionofAFTsFathom.IfthissoftwareprovesvaluabletheninvestinFathomat
www.aft.com.FortransientanalysislookatAFTsImpulse.
Ithasbeenacommonmistakewhereexcessivedesignfactorsareaddedtoapumps
performancespecification.Howoftendoesajuniorengineerdothecalculationsandthe
checkerorseniorengineeraddafactorforsafety?Thisresults inoversizedpumpsand
motors.Thisimpactsontheefficiencyofthewholeunit.Itisoneofthemajorcausesof
theretrofitofaVFD.Twowrongsdonotmakearight,Thepumpbodyand/orimpeller
shouldberevised.AddingaVFDensuresevenmoreenergyiswastedinsuchcases.
Whateverfactorsyoubelievearenecessaryrestassuredthatthe manufacturerofthe
pumpalsohassomefactorsthatmayresultinthepumpoverperforming.Theseleadto
inefficiencyastheperformancedoesnotlieonthe100%BEPpoint.Themanufacturer's
tolerancecanbespecifiedbyuseofHydraulicsInstitutecriteria,API610,ISO9906orAS
2417criteria.Themechanicalengineermustunderstandwhatthesecriteriameanwhen
specifyingthepump.
Oftenpumpsareselectedforsystemswherethedesignlifemaybe25or50years.As
pipematerialssuchasthoselinedwithcementmaydeteriorateoverthisperiod,the
worstcassescenarioisused.Oneoftheproblemsisthatthesystemfrictionlosswillbe
lowerwhenthepumpsarecommissioned.Thusthesystemcurveatthestartwillbe
lesssteep.Thepumpwilloperateatadifferentflowrateandwillbeatadifferentpint
ontheHQcurve.Itmaybethatintheearlyyearsareduceddiameterimpellershould
befittedtokeeptheperformanceattheBEP.Thepipewallmaynotdeterioratetothe
extentpredictedbythecodesandstandards.Notallsystemsare thesame.The
boundariesofasystemshouldbeinvestigatedtoensurethepumpselectedmeetsthe
criteria.OnlythenshouldaVFDbeconsidered.
Pipe wall thickness and lining thickness can impact on the design criteria for head loss

Pump Curve #1

Inthepumpperformancegraphaboveasystemwithahighstaticheadisshown.The
reddottedlinesaresetat60and85%ofBEP.Thepowersrepresentedaretheshaft
powersofthepump.Thisselectionofapumpisnotthebestasthedutypointisnoton
theBEP.
Ifthesuctiontankwenttoahighlevelthesystemcurvewouldbelowered.Theflow
wouldincreaseandthemotorpowerwouldincreasebuttheefficiencywouldimprove.
Iftheflowrateunderthesecircumstanceswastoremainthesamethenbyreducingthe
speedwouldachievethisefficientlycomparedtoaflowcontrolvalve.Thisgraphisused
toillustratethepointthatifthedutypointiscontrolledintherangeof60to855ofBEP
theuseofaVFDcanbejustified.
Whenthedutypointisgreaterthan85%ofBEPitcanbeseenthattheslopeofthe
powercurvebecomescloser,intermsofbeingparallel,totheHQcurve.Thispointis
madeasitexplainstheruleofthumbpresentedlaterthatwhere theoperatingpintis
greaterthan85%ofBEPaVFDdoesnotprovidethespeedcontrol effcientlycomapred
tootherformsofcontrol.

Pump Curve #2

ThisHQgraphsbuildsonthepointmadeinthesystemPumpCurve#1previously
shown.Itillustratesanoperatingpointabove85%ofBEP.Theshapeofthepumpcurve
isnearparalleltothepumppowercurve.Hencewherethedutypointfollowsthepump
curvethereislittlepowerchangeandsoaVFDwillnotdeliver energysavingsof
significance.Infacttheenergyoverallwillincrease.

Existing Pump Oversize?

This is a common pump dilemma that VFDs are used


to solve but the VFD does NOT save the energy! The
credit goes to the reduced head/flow requirements.
VFD suppliers offer the retro-fit of a VFD to change
pump speed to meet reduced process conditions
Change of pump or impellor reduced diameter
achieves the necessary reduced flow, hence power
A flow control valve achieves the necessary reduced
flow and maintain the best efficiency point (BEP)
A multiple small pumps and motor could be cost
effective

Thereducedenergyrequirementsofasystemresultfromreducing thekWhrstomove
acertainmassoffluidintime.TheVFDinitselfdoesnotsave energy.
RetrofittingofaVFDmayappeartosaveenergyattheammeter. Howeverallthe
energyusedhastobetakenintoaccountandthisincludestheembeddedenergyinthe
VFDcubicle,screenedcableandotherdevices.Withtodaysengineerhavingtofocuson
sustainabilitythecriterianeedtobeincludedintheanalysis.
Achangeofpumpimpelleroreventhepumpcanresultinaselectionthatiscloseto
100%ofBEP.NoVFDcanbettersuchaselection.
AflowcontrolvalvecanachieveaprocesssolutionforlessCapexandOpexthanaVFD
forsystemswithmoderatestaticheadandwherethespeedisonlyreducedtoan
equivalentdutypointat85%ofBEP.Whenanexistingpumpisoversizeditisrelatively
easytobringtheoperatingpointbacktothislevelofBepwith acontrolvalve.
Theinstallationofmultiplepumpsordifferentsizepumpscanbeeffectiveinprovidinga
solutiontomeetvariableprocessconditions.Theengineershouldrememberthatthe
pumpcurveforaparalleloperatingpumpshouldbeconstantlyrisingtoshutoff.
Droopingorirregularcurvesarenotsuitableforparallelpumpinginmostapplications.

10

Pump Curve #3

Thiscurveshowsasystemwithnostaticheadasforachillerrecirculationsystemfor
instance.Thepumpwasincorrectlyselectedanddelivers1000m3/hrinsteadof
800m3/hr.Followthesystemcurvedownto800m3/hranditcanbe seenthata291mm
impellerwilldeliverthecorrectflow.Iftheprocessdutyshouldbe800m3/hrinsteadof
thatshownas1000m3/hrthenareducedimpellersizewillgivethesameprocessresult
asaddingaVFDdrivebutwillbefarlesscostly.
BothaVFDandareduceimpellerwillsavepumpmotorenergy.It isonlywhenthereis
alargechangeofdemandthatmaytaketheflowratedowntobelow85%ofBEPthata
VFDbecomesjustified.Eachsystemisdifferentandshouldbethoroughlymodelledand
analysedtodetermineWholeofLifecosts.

11

Pumps using VFDs- Considerations


Energy savings with a VFD occurs for duties

reduced to between 60% to 85% of the BEP.


Where duty is reduced to only 85% of BEP, a
control valve energy demand is less than that for
the combined VFD installation inefficiencies
Wire to water energy kW-hr per m3 delivered
should be the criteria used in assessing a VFD
application
VFDs offer little benefit for systems with more than
50% static head
VFDs are ideal for closed systems with varying
process duties-no static head

Thepointsmadeinthisslideemphasisewhathasbeendiscussedinthepreviousslides.
Forclosedheadsystems,withnostatichead,theVFDprovidesa beneficialmethodof
modulatingtheflowoverawiderange.Thistypeofapplication isoftenfoundinthe
buildingservicesindustrysuchaschillerrecirculationpumps.Diurnalandhot/colddays
demandvariesconsiderably.Thus,thevariablespeedpumpcanbe used.Multiple
pumpswithonlysomeusingaVFDaresometimesusedtosaveeven moreenergy.
Whateverisbeingconsideredthewiretowaterenergyusageinpumpingeachm3 of
fluidshouldbeconsideredforthelifeoftheplant.

12

Electrical Design Considerations

Althoughthispresentationisaimedatmechanicalengineersthereisaneedto
understandtheelectricalengineerscriteriawhenaVFDisconsideredforan
application.YouwillseefromthesemattersthataVFDisnota simpledeviceandthere
areanumberofimportantcriteriathataffecttheplantdesign. Themechanicalengineer
mayconsiderthatdesigncostshavebeenreducedbyusingtheflexibilityofaVFD.
Howevertheincreasedelectricaldesigncostswillfaroutweighthesesavings.
Believingthatleavingittothecommissioningengineerwiththe flexibilitytochange
flowsdoesnotdelivertotheenduserthemostefficientcosteffectivesolution.Italso
burdensthecommissioningengineerwithacrisistoberesolvedatthetimetheplantis
beingdebuggedandbroughtonline.

13

What is a Variable Frequency Drive?


Legacy- < 600Hz

Today >20kHz

BJTs (Bipolar Junction

IGBT (Insulated Gate

Transistor)
SCRs (Silicon Controlled
Rectifier)
GTO (Gate Turn Off
Thyristor)

Bipolar Transistor)- these


offer the benefits of higher
frequencies and increased
efficiencies

ThisslideshowsthedevicesthatcompriseaVFD.Ontheleftarethelegacydevices.
ImprovementintechnologyhasresultedintheuseofIGBTs.Thesemaybemore
efficientbuttheyintroducechallengestooldertypesofmotor. Discussedlaterinthis
presentationaretheimpactsonmotorsandelectricalsupplyresultingfromthesehigh
frequencydevices.
TheVFDconvertstheA.C.supplytoD.C.ThentheIGBTsfirespulsesathighfrequency
thatreplicatethesignwaveofanA.C.supply.Theshapeandfrequencyofthesewaves
resultinthevariablespeedofthemotor.

14

Electrical Factors to be Considered


Voltage (LV, MV or HV)

Overspeed capability

Power

Braking requirements

Line & load side harmonics

Power loss

Load torque

Ride through time

Speed range

Audible noise

Speed regulation

Length/type of cable

Failure mode

Power factor correction

Acceleration/deceleration

Altitude

times
Efficiency

Motor, insulation and VFD

life

Mechanical engineers are required to


understand the electrical issues
ThesearethefactorsthattheelectricalengineerhastoconsiderwhenaVFDis
deployedforapumpapplication.Inspecifyingapumpthemechanicalengineerneeds
tounderstandtheserequirements.Communicationwithelectricalandprocess
engineersisrequiredsothatallpartiesunderstandtheissues. Furtherthesupplierof
thepump,motorandVFDmusthaveacommonunderstandofthecriteria.
TheengineeringteamhastoprovideafullfunctionaldescriptionsothatthePLC
programmerandsystemintegratorcandeterminethesoftwarecode.Furtherthis
documentisusedbythehydraulicsengineertoundertakethefinaltransientanalysisto
coverallthescenariosthesystemisexpectedtooperateunder.
Negotiationswithsupplyauthoritiesisrequiredtoensurelinesideharmonicsare
acceptable.

15

Cable
Voltage peaks at motor terminals can be increased

to 2 times the peaks of the VFD output for a long


cable
25m is the recommended cable length
Cables longer than 25m have an inductive load that
affects a motors life
Cables need to be screened to avoid EMI

ThecableusedforaVFDapplicationisimportant.
Firstly,thelengthofcableisimportant.Asthelengthincreasesabove25mitprovides
aninductiveloadinparallelwiththemotor.Thiscancontributetothepeakvoltages
andisdetrimentaltothelifeofthemotor.
Secondly,thecableneedstobescreenedtoavoidtheelectrical interferencewith
instrumentsandotherdrives.IftheVFDisbeingretrofittedtoanexistingmotorthen
thecostofremovinganexistingcable,andreplacingsamewithanewscreenedcable,
needstobetakenintoaccount.Removalofoldcablesincableladderorburiedeither
directlyorinconduitsisachallenge.Copper,asitages,hardensandevensmallcables
cannotbereadilyremovedandareoftenabandoned.
RefertoWEGmotorswebsitewww.weg.co.nzTheUnseenTruthBehindMotorsfedby
InvertersandtechnicalpapersontheToshibawebsitetoshont.com/vfdapp.htm for
moredetailsontheseelectricalsubjects.

16

Motor Considerations

Nowwewillconsiderthemotor,whetherneworexisting,thatneedsconsideration.It
maybethataspecialmotorisnecessarytobecompatiblewitha VFD.Itmaybethatan
increaseinmotorsizeisrequiredtohandlethenewduty.

17

Bearing Damage Induced Shaft Voltage


Induced Shaft Current Types
1.Conductive mode bearing
current-low speed , good
conductivity.
2.Discharge mode bearing
current-higher inverter
output frequencies-The
capacitive voltage builds up
until it is able to break down
the dielectric resistance of the
grease.
Induced shaft voltage with no
shaft brush or insulated bearing

Sincethe1920sthegenerationofeddycurrentsinshaftshasbeenknown.Theadvent
oftheVFDhasresultedinmotorssufferingdamagetotheirbearingsintheeventthat
thenondriveendbearingisnotinsulated.Byinsulatingthisbearingtheeddycurrent
loopisinterrupted.Shaftbrushbearingsarealsousedtodissipatethecurrent.
Thegraphinthisslideshowsthevoltagespikesthatcanoccurwhenthereisinduced
currentbutnoinsulatedbearingorshaftbrushes.
RefertoWEGmotorswebsitewww.weg.co.nzTheUnseenTruthBehindMotorsfedby
InvertersandtechnicalpapersontheToshibawebsitetoshont.com/vfdapp.htm for
moredetailsontheseelectricalsubjects.

18

Motor Cooling
Below 25hz motor fan speed will not cool motor
Supplementary fan required
Added cost of drive, cable, SCA, controls, access

and maintenance
Reduced reliability

Anelectricmotorhasamechanicalfanforcooling.Whenthepumpisslowedusingthe
VFDthereisapracticallimitwherethefancannolongerprovidethecoolingair
required.InAustraliaouraveragetemperaturesaregenerallyhigherthanEuropeand
Japanwheremotorshavebeendesigned.Therefore,theremaybea needfora
secondaryfantoprovidethecooling.
Certainly,below25Hzasecondaryfanisanearcertainty.Asecondaryfannotonlyadds
totheCapexbutneedscableandanSCAintheswitchboard.The energyuseneedsto
beaddedtotheWholeofLifecostoftheinstallation.
Whereafancannotprovidethecoolingawatercoolingsystemsisoftenprovided
especiallyforlargemotors.WatercoolingmayalsobeusedfortheVFdthemselves.
ThisaddscomplexitytothesysteminbothCapexandOpexterms.

19

Efficiency
Published motor efficiency

data is based on a pure


sinusoidal voltage
The high frequency
harmonics created by VFDs
increase copper and core
losses decreasing the
efficiency of the motor
Materials behave differently
under these operating
conditions resulting in a
higher efficiency drop when
fed by VFDs.

Publishedmotorefficiencydataisbasedonapuresinusoidalwaveform.Evenmodern
VFDsdonotproduceperfectsinewaves.Themotoroperateslessefficientlyasaresult.
AsthemotormanufacturerdoesnotknowwhatformofsinewavetheVFDprovides
theydonotpublishdataontheirmotorsforVFDapplications.Inadditionthestudyof
motordataatreducedloadwillshowthatthemotorefficiencydecreasesasthemotor
isrunatalowerspeed.Thisdoesnotoccurwhenothervariable speedorprocess
solutionsareselected.
HarmonicsaregeneratedbytheVFD,notonlyinthecabletothe motor,butalsoonthe
supplyside.The3rd,5th,7th and9th harmonicaffectthewaveform.Thisaffectsthe
efficiencyofthemotor.Referto
www.toshont.com/ag/vfdapplication/ag_14_harmonics.pdf
Onthesupplysidetheauthoritycannotdefinetheharmonicsthatexistortheirrange.
Thustheelectricaldesignerisinadifficultpositiontodesigndevicestoeliminateor
balanceouttheharmonicinterference.Howevertheauthoritywillhaveinplace
regulationsastothestabilityofsupply.
Itshouldberememberedthatthematerialsthatmakeupthemotorwillbehave
differentlyundertheseconditions.Thereforethemotorefficiencyisgoingtobe
affected.

20

Current
A higher r.m.s. current to supply the same

output (about 10% higher)


Increase in motor operating temperature
On average, VFD fed motors will have a
temperature increase of about 15C, at rated
speed and load

Ahigherr.m.s.CurrentisprovidedtothemotorusingaVFD.Thisincreasesthemotor
temperature.Theincreaseinmotortemperatureaffectsthedesignlifeofamotor.This
isparticularsoforaconventionalmotornotdesignedforusewithaVFD.Thusiffittinga
VFDtoanexistingpumpsettocorrectapoorselectionmayinvolvethecostofanew
motorthatmaybeofaspecialdesign.

21

Noise Level
Due to the harmonics, the motor noise level will

increase when it is operated using a VFD


Experience shows that the sound pressure level at A
scale at motor rated speed is increase by anything
between 2 and 15dBA with a VFD
This extra noise level depends mainly on the
inverter switching frequency and harmonic
content.
Noise mitigation costs increase

NoiselevelinamotordrivenbyaVFDisimpacted.Thisnoisemaynotbeintheaudible
rangebutwillcontributetotheoverallsoundpower.Statistics onVFDdrivesindicate
thattheincreaseinnoiseisintherangeof2dBAto15dBA.Whenconsideredthatto
doublesoundpowera3dBAoccurs.
Thisincreaseinnoisemayresultinaneedforanoiseenclosurewhichnotonlyimpacts
ontheCapex.Italsomayimpactonthepumproomdesignandthe increasein
maintenancetimetoremovetheenclosureorforadditionalhours toworkincramped
conditions.

22

Motor Design Life


Standards
IEC 34-17 and DIN VDE 530
VFD voltage peaks (Vp) < 1,000V
and dV/dT <500 V/s but VFD
motors are subjected to 5000V/s
and 1,500V
Voltage peaks depend on carrier
frequency
dV/dT affects the insulation
between turns, the high voltage
spikes affect the insulation between
phases and phase to ground

Damage

Repeated voltage peaks


breakdown die-electric
strength of insulation
Die electric strength reduced
by humidity & temperature
Corona & partial discharge
destroy motors
Standard motors design life
reduced by up to 75%
Standard insulation varnish is
NOT acceptable

Ithasbeenseenthatthereareanumberoffactorsthatimpactonthemotor.Theseall
gotoreducingthedesignlifeofamotor.Inparticularifthemotorisnotspecifically
designedforVFDusethedesignlifemaybesubstantiallyreduced.Evenwithsoft
startersthishasprovedtobeanissueworthyofconsideration.
Conventionalvarnishesusedinelectricmotorscannotwithstandthehighpeakvoltages
thatoccurinVFDdrivenmotors.
RefertoWEGmotorswebsitewww.weg.co.nzTheUnseenTruthBehindMotorsfedby
InvertersandtechnicalpapersontheToshibawebsitetoshont.com/vfdapp.htm for
moredetailsontheseelectricalsubjects.

23

Commercial Considerations

Asoutlinedintheintroduction,apartfromtheethicaldutytothecommongood,the
mechanicalengineerhasanobligationtotheircustomer.Thismaybethecontractor
whohasengagedtheconsultantbutoverridingthatisobligation tothelaw,the
authorityorenduser.Thecommondenominatoristhecommercialissuesinvolved.
Thesemaybecompetingwithquality andtime.Themechanicalengineerisobligedto
provideasafeandinefficientpumpinstallation.Todothisanunderstandingofmatters
electricalandprocessneedtobeconsideredwiththemechanical.
Itiseasyforanexperiencedengineerwhohaspaidoffthemortgage,ownsthefamily
homeandislookingforwardtoretirementtobeethical.Thatpersonisnotthreatened
onadaytodaybasis.Howevertheyoungerengineerhastoberespectedbytheirpeers
andshouldalwaysholdtheirtechnicalacumenabovecommercialaffairswhentheyfeel
compromised.Afterall,theprojectmanageinvariablyknowsfarlessthanyouandyou
shouldnotbemadetoacceptasituationyoubelieveiswrong.Youmayneedto
withdrawfromaproject.Inthelongrunyouwillbemorerespectedforyourstand.The
returnsfromthecourtcaseasanexpertwitnesswillcertainlymakeupforanyshort
termloss.

24

Costs of a Pump/VFD Installation


Capex
VFD componenets with a

design life < 10years


Larger switchroom
Increased air conditioning
Screened cable
Harmonic protection
Special motors
Supplementary fans
Increase in noise mitigation
Increased design costs

Opex
VFD inefficiency 95%
Inefficiency of motor
Supplementary fans
Special motor spares
Air conditioning energy
Reduced life of motor
Spares for VFD
Spares costs oversize pump
Risk & reliability (FMECA)
Increase in noise

Thecriterialistedinthepresentationaredetailedbelow:
Capex
ThecomponentsinaVFDcubiclegenerallyhaveadesignlifeof10years.Whenitcomes
timetomaintainaVFDthecomponentsmaynotbeavailable.Technologyinthissphere
isfastdeveloping.Manufacturersdonotcontinuetomanufacture componentsforever.
Otherspeedcontrolorprocesssolutionshavelongerdesignperiods.Thisparticularlyso
forlegacyproventechnologiessuchascontrolvalves.
TheVFDcubiclecanbesizeableandwilloccupyroominaswitchroom.Thereisacost
forthisrealestate.Therehavebeencaseswheretheswitchroomhasproved
inadequateinsizeduringthedesignphaseandanewlocationhashadtobeprovided.
Thishasincreasedthelengthofcablerunsandthustheimpactofotherparameters
previouslydiscussedthatleadtoinefficienciesandreducedlifeofcomponents.Just
increasingthesizeofaswitchroomincreasesthelengthofalltheconduits,cable
ladders,massofconcrete,buildingmaterialsandairconditioningforsuchabuilding.
IncreasesinswitchroomsizeandtheheatgeneratedbyVFDcubiclesleadstoincreases
inthesizeofanyswitchroomairconditioningsystem.Manyoutbackorevenseaboard
plantshaveairconditioningtocaterfortheextremesoftemperaturesinAustralia.
WatercoolingofaVFDaddstocostparticularlyifsecondaryheatexchangersare
requiredwithawholereticulationnetwork.Rememberthatelectroniccomponents
generallyhaveatemperaturelimitbasedonnorthernhemisphereconditions.These
maybeaslowas40C.Thisisnotappropriateforourenvironment.
Previouslywehavediscussedtheneedforscreenedcables.Thisimposesacostburden
ontheuseofVFDs.Itisamplifiediftheoldcableneedstobe removed.

25

Commercial-Other
Engineers who use suppliers to select pumps or process
solutions lose engineering control of the procurement
process
Pump suppliers do not necessarily know, or care, about
the process vs. electrical requirements of the
VFD/motor interface-divided responsibility
String testing motor/pump/VFD is difficult during the
contract period because of :-time
-manufacture location of components
-responsibility of the other parties equipment
-packing/unpacking/re-packing

Thereisgrowingtendencyforconsultingengineerstoavoidrisk byproviding
specificationsthatrequirethepumpsupplier,motorsupplieror variablespeeddriveor
processcontrolsolutionsuppliertotakeincreasedresponsibility.Thedesignofpump,
motor&VFDcombinationiscomplexandcannotbesubcontractedtoonesupplier.The
engineerisresponsibleforsystemdesignandcannotabrogatethoseresponsibilities.
Itisunsureifthistrendisfuelledbyariskaversiononthepartofthedesignerorpurely
thatouruniversitiesarenotproducingengineerswiththepracticalknowledgeto
understandcomplexsystemssuchasvariableprocessconditions,WholeofLifecosts
andtotalenergyrequirements.CertainlytheVFDasasolutiontovaryingprocess
conditionshasbeenoversoldtothemarket.Thereareevencreditstocompaniesfor
installingVFDswithouttoomuchanalysis.Itisalltooeasyto leavethefinalprocess
determinationtothefieldduringthecommissioningtime.Allthisdoesisdelaythe
commissioningatatimewhenpracticalcompletionisrequiredandtimeisofthe
essence.
Individualsuppliersthatarecostdrivenhavetheirownriskaversionagendas.Thelow
costselectedsupplierevenmoreso.Thatiswhenproblemsarise attheinterfaces
betweenmotor,pumpandVFD.Thesupplierwillstandbehindthelimitedinformation
giventothemandwillnothaveanyparticularcaresaboutyourproblems,theotherside
ofthefence.Certainlytheywillnotbeconcernedaboutanyperceivedenergysavingsor
embeddedenergythatmaybeconsidered.Certainly,theVFDsalesmanwillbehardto
findintheeventofadispute.
Todemonstratethisdilemma,considerthetestingofmotor,pump andVFD.Many
authorities,particularthoseinthewaterindustry,wantthewholeassemblytestedasa
string.NowthepumpmaybemadeinBrazil,themotorJapanandtheVFDinBrisbane.,
AustraliaWhoisgoingtoberesponsibleforshippingtotheplaceoftesting,unpacking,
operating,repackingandreshippingthecomponentstosite.Whofixesanyfailures
whenundertimepressureafailureoccursonthetestbed?Whoisthenresponsible
f i i
ll i
h i d
f
? Thi ll i h h diffi l
f
if i

26

Conclusions
Engineers need to specify all operating & electrical conditions to

pump, motor & VFD supplier


Invest in the mechanical engineering and specify correctly
Future operating conditions may not occur. If they do they can be
met with alternate solutions
VFDs do not always save energy, Capex or Opex
VFDs do not avoid transients from power loss
VFDs provide a suitable solution to some pump operating
conditions but should not be considered a panacea
You just can't ever beat the energy efficiency of running a
properly sized pump at 100% BEP rated flow.
Mechanical engineers have a poor understanding of electric motors
& VFDs and fail to communicate with process or electrical
engineers

Amechanicalengineerhastofullyunderstandthedesignprocessinordertospecify
correctlytoallpartiestheneedsofaVFDdrivenpump.Aresponsibilitymatrixisafirst
startsothatallpartiesknowwhoistheresponsibleparty.The interfacesneedtobe
understoodandeventheotherengineeringdisciplinescriterianeedtobeconsidered.
Thus,thereisaneedtoinvestinthetimeandeffortinupfrontengineeringbefore
blithelychangingafixedspeedpumptoaVFDdrivenunit.Haveyouoverspecifiedthe
pump?Doyouknowtherangeofconditionsresultingfromallthe variables?Areyou
usingboilerplatetemplatesfromtheHydraulicInstituteorAPI 610tocommunicatethe
pumpdetailstothesupplier?Haveyoucheckedtheselectionusingthepumpsuppliers
software?HaveyouconsideredWholeofLifecostsandsatisfiedtheoperator?Isthis
thebestsolutionforthelongtermdesignlifeofafacility?
PumpsmaybeoversizedorfittedwithaVFDbecauseofsomeperceivedfutureprocess
condition(s).Theseinvariablynevereventuate.Infactitisbettertonotallowanything
butthespaceforfutureneedsonthisbasisalone.TheworstsolutionistouseaVFD
andexposetheoperatortosignificantenergycostsforsomethingthatmayrunfor
longerthanexpectedorneverhappen.Additionalpumpsordifferentsizedpump
operatingatfixedspeedmaybetheultimatesolutionthatdeliversefficientenergy
usage.
VFDsarethenotthepanaceamadeoutbythisVFDindustryinprovidinglowestwireto
waterenergyrequirementsforallpumpapplications.Theyalmostalwayscostmorein
energytermstooperatecomparedtoothersolutions.Thelongtermeffectondesign
lifeofothercomponentsneedstobeconsidered.
AcommonmythpromotedbyoneVFDmanufacturerwasthataVFDwillavoid
transients.WellaVFDdoesnotoperatewhenthereisalossofpower.Thisiswhenthe
mostchallenginghydraulictransientsoccur.ThereisapointthoughthattheVFDwill
stop damaging fatigue from stopping and starting when there are transients in a system

27

Questions

Please ask questions remembering


I am a mechanical engineer!

Questionsasked:
1.DoesasysteminbuildingservicesneedaVFdandpressureregulatorsdownstreamof
thepumpwherethereislittlestatichead.Theanswerisnoand itwouldappearthe
systeminquestionhasbeendesignedbysomeonewhodoesnotfullyunderstandthe
totalsystem.
2.Inasewagepumpingsystemwheretheflowratemaychangeandthesurface
conditionofthepipemayvaryisaVFDjustified?Sewagepumpingstationsareaspecial
caseasslimebuildupandblockagescanimpactonthesystemlosses.Inadditionthere
arediurnalflowratechanges.Sewagepumpingstationsaregenerallyremotefromthe
substationandVFDsareprovidedtostopinrushcurrentsandvoltagedroponthe
supplyside.Thereforewhenastationisequippedalreadywitha VFDitmakessenseto
useittostopfatigue,overcomeslimesbuildupandcaterfordiurnalfluctuations.
3.Isamultiplesystemwithintegralgasaccumulatorabettersolutionforvariableflow
ratesthanaVFD.Thistypeofinstallationiscommoninwatersupplysystemsforplant
water.Thediurnalflowrateschangeandthereisaneedtobalanceflowsefficiently.
ThosesystemareusuallyskidmountedandareavailablefromGrundfos,Lowraand
othermultistagepumpsuppliers.
4.Itiscommonforaspecificationtorequireahighleveloftechnicalunderstanding
howeveralltocommonthebidsreceivedhaveahighlevelofdepartures.Whatcanthe
engineerdoaboutsuchthingswhenunderpressuretoacceptthelowestbid?The
engineerhasanethicaldutytoservetheenduserwithatechnicalsolutionthatmeets
theWholeofLife costcriteria.Therefore,intheeventofsuchconflicttheengineer
shouldwithdrawfromtheproject.

28

Useful links
This presentation was by
Geoff Stone
geoffrey.stone@yahoo.co.uk
Tel 0402 35 2313
Or
02 8850 2313

sulzerpumps.com
mcnallyinstitute.com
eng-tips.com
nidi.org
pumpsystemsmatter.org
aft.com
toshont.com/vfdapp.htm
virtualpipeline.spaces.live.com
canterburyengineeringassociates.com

Thelinksaboveofferamultitudeofgoodmaterialinrespectof pumpapplications.

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