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
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.
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
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
Th
f diff
d li
f fl id h
di
l fl
Pump Considerations
Thissectionofthepresentationwilltalkofthepumpsneeds.
Efficiency
Specific speed
Dead head
Moment of inertia
Transients
Curve shape
Design factors
- head
- flow
- NPSHa
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
i l
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
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.
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
Thepointsmadeinthisslideemphasisewhathasbeendiscussedinthepreviousslides.
Forclosedheadsystems,withnostatichead,theVFDprovidesa beneficialmethodof
modulatingtheflowoverawiderange.Thistypeofapplication isoftenfoundinthe
buildingservicesindustrysuchaschillerrecirculationpumps.Diurnalandhot/colddays
demandvariesconsiderably.Thus,thevariablespeedpumpcanbe used.Multiple
pumpswithonlysomeusingaVFDaresometimesusedtosaveeven moreenergy.
Whateverisbeingconsideredthewiretowaterenergyusageinpumpingeachm3 of
fluidshouldbeconsideredforthelifeoftheplant.
12
Althoughthispresentationisaimedatmechanicalengineersthereisaneedto
understandtheelectricalengineerscriteriawhenaVFDisconsideredforan
application.YouwillseefromthesemattersthataVFDisnota simpledeviceandthere
areanumberofimportantcriteriathataffecttheplantdesign. Themechanicalengineer
mayconsiderthatdesigncostshavebeenreducedbyusingtheflexibilityofaVFD.
Howevertheincreasedelectricaldesigncostswillfaroutweighthesesavings.
Believingthatleavingittothecommissioningengineerwiththe flexibilitytochange
flowsdoesnotdelivertotheenduserthemostefficientcosteffectivesolution.Italso
burdensthecommissioningengineerwithacrisistoberesolvedatthetimetheplantis
beingdebuggedandbroughtonline.
13
Today >20kHz
Transistor)
SCRs (Silicon Controlled
Rectifier)
GTO (Gate Turn Off
Thyristor)
ThisslideshowsthedevicesthatcompriseaVFD.Ontheleftarethelegacydevices.
ImprovementintechnologyhasresultedintheuseofIGBTs.Thesemaybemore
efficientbuttheyintroducechallengestooldertypesofmotor. Discussedlaterinthis
presentationaretheimpactsonmotorsandelectricalsupplyresultingfromthesehigh
frequencydevices.
TheVFDconvertstheA.C.supplytoD.C.ThentheIGBTsfirespulsesathighfrequency
thatreplicatethesignwaveofanA.C.supply.Theshapeandfrequencyofthesewaves
resultinthevariablespeedofthemotor.
14
Overspeed capability
Power
Braking requirements
Power loss
Load torque
Speed range
Audible noise
Speed regulation
Length/type of cable
Failure mode
Acceleration/deceleration
Altitude
times
Efficiency
life
15
Cable
Voltage peaks at motor terminals can be increased
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
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
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
Ahigherr.m.s.CurrentisprovidedtothemotorusingaVFD.Thisincreasesthemotor
temperature.Theincreaseinmotortemperatureaffectsthedesignlifeofamotor.This
isparticularsoforaconventionalmotornotdesignedforusewithaVFD.Thusiffittinga
VFDtoanexistingpumpsettocorrectapoorselectionmayinvolvethecostofanew
motorthatmaybeofaspecialdesign.
21
Noise Level
Due to the harmonics, the motor noise level will
NoiselevelinamotordrivenbyaVFDisimpacted.Thisnoisemaynotbeintheaudible
rangebutwillcontributetotheoverallsoundpower.Statistics onVFDdrivesindicate
thattheincreaseinnoiseisintherangeof2dBAto15dBA.Whenconsideredthatto
doublesoundpowera3dBAoccurs.
Thisincreaseinnoisemayresultinaneedforanoiseenclosurewhichnotonlyimpacts
ontheCapex.Italsomayimpactonthepumproomdesignandthe increasein
maintenancetimetoremovetheenclosureorforadditionalhours toworkincramped
conditions.
22
Damage
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
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
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
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.
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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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