15.1 Why Are Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) Needed?
15.1.1 Introduction
Electric motor systems are responsible for more than 65% of power consumption in industry today. Optimizing motor control systems by upgrading to variable frequency driveVFDs can reduce energy consumption for some applications by as much as 70%. Combining energy efficiency tax incentives and utility rebates, returns on investment for VFD installations can be as little as six months.
Since 1985, motor control technology has changed, and a new method of speed control using variable frequency has been accepted for the industry automation. VFDs come in different sizes to match the motor kW ratings (see Figure 15.1).
Before the advent of VFDs, a common method of varying motor speed was in steps by means of changing the resistance of the rotors of induction motors through external resistors. Another option was to use ...
Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month, and much more.
O’Reilly covers everything we've got, with content to help us build a world-class technology community, upgrade the capabilities and competencies of our teams, and improve overall team performance as well as their engagement.
Julian F.
Head of Cybersecurity
I wanted to learn C and C++, but it didn't click for me until I picked up an O'Reilly book. When I went on the O’Reilly platform, I was astonished to find all the books there, plus live events and sandboxes so you could play around with the technology.
Addison B.
Field Engineer
I’ve been on the O’Reilly platform for more than eight years. I use a couple of learning platforms, but I'm on O'Reilly more than anybody else. When you're there, you start learning. I'm never disappointed.
Amir M.
Data Platform Tech Lead
I'm always learning. So when I got on to O'Reilly, I was like a kid in a candy store. There are playlists. There are answers. There's on-demand training. It's worth its weight in gold, in terms of what it allows me to do.
O’Reilly covers everything we've got, with content to help us build a world-class technology community, upgrade the capabilities and competencies of our teams, and improve overall team performance as well as their engagement.
