From the pages of Plant Engineering Magazine

HOW TO MATCH AC MOTORS AND VARIABLE-SPEED DRIVES

Stewart Jackson and Frank Liggett, Rockwell Automation,
Greenville, SC -- 7/1/2002
Key concepts
Inverter-duty motors
produce full-load
torque without
exceeding the
temperature rise of the
insulation.
Consider the
application, load
characteristics, speed
range, environment,
and drive
requirements.
The available torque
for starting and peak
loads is different using
an AFD.
Sections:
AC motor selection
Sizing the ac motor
Sizing the ac drive
General sizing method
for use with multiple
induction motors
Reflected wave
considerations
Sidebars:
Speed range explained
Drive technologies
explained
Careful consideration must be given when selecting a drive/motor package to
ensure you get the desired performance. This article presents guidelines for
selecting and sizing an adjustable frequency drive (AFD) and ac motor package
for a given variable speed application.

AC motor selection
Two general categories of ac induction motors are suitable for operation with ac
drives:

Fixed speed NEMA design B motors with insulation systems designed for
pulse-width modulated (PWM) inverter power
Inverter-duty motors designed specifically for inverter variable speed
operation.

NEMA has defined four standard classes (A, B, C, and D) of squirrel cage
motors. The NEMA design B motor is the most common type of three-phase
industrial ac motor in use today. It is used in general industrial applications and
has normal across-the-line characteristics (starting torque and current,
breakdown torque, and full-load slip).
Generally, inverter-duty motors are designed to produce full-load torque from
zero to base speed without exceeding the temperature rise of the insulation
system. Inverter-duty motors are often described as motors that have a 1000:1
constant torque capability (see the sidebar on "Speed range explained"). This
description is just another way to say the motor is designed to operate from zero
to base speed and produce full-load torque over the entire speed range. For
applications that require the motor to operate at, or near, zero speed the motor
usually has a motor-mounted encoder for feedback to the AFD. Motors that
operate at a speed range of 10:1 or less usually do not require encoder
feedback, unless the application requires very precise speed regulation of the
motor or high response from the AFD and motor. High response means that the
output of the inverter changes very quickly with the slightest change of encoder
feedback.
Before selecting a motor for use with an AFD, it is important to understand the
nature of the application in terms of load (torque) characteristics, speed range,
environment, and drive requirements. Regarding torque characteristics, the
majority of variable-speed ac drive applications fall into either variable torque or
constant torque applications. Centrifugal pumps and fans are variable torque
applications where most fixed-speed, energy-efficient ac motors can be used
without concern of overheating. The horsepower required to operate centrifugal
pumps and fans decreases with the cube of the speed. If you reduce the speed
of the ac motor to one-half of base speed, the horsepower required is only oneeighth of rated horsepower. On variable torque applications, the motor insulation
system must be designed for PWM power. Most of this article addresses
constant-torque applications.
The exact motor performance curve for a given fixed-speed NEMA design B
motor for operation on an AFD varies and should be supplied by the motor
manufacturer. The motor speed/torque performance graph shown in Figure 1 is

typical for most standard fixed-speed, totally enclosed fan-cooled (TEFC),

premium-efficiency motors. The graph shows that these motors can produce
constant full-load torque over a 4:1 speed range, 100% of base speed down to
25% of base speed. Many standard TEFC motors can be modified for AFD
operation by installing a larger fan to provide a wider constant torque speed
range.

Fig. 1. This motor speed/torque performance graph is typical for most

standard fixed-speed TEFC premium-efficiency motors. These motors
can produce constant full-load torque from 100% of base speed down
to 25% of base speed, after which the full-load torque must start to
decrease.
Most standard ac motors are designed to operate at a fixed, rated frequency and
speed, such as 460 V ac, 60 Hz, 1800 rpm. At this fixed speed, the cooling
system, which is usually a shaft-mounted fan, will keep the motor from
overheating. However, when operated as an adjustable speed device at slower
speeds, the motor shaft-mounted fan produces very little cooling action. The fullload torque must start to decrease once the AFD reduces the motor speed to
25% of base speed.
Figure 2 shows the capability of an inverter-duty motor designed specifically for
AFD variable speed applications. Inverter-duty motors not only have an
insulation system designed for PWM power, but they are also designed to
operate at zero speed with full-load torque and not exceed the temperature rise
of the insulation system. Traditionally, these motors were totally enclosed
nonventilated (TENV), totally enclosed air-over blower-cooled (TEAO-BC), or
dripproof-guarded force-ventilated (DPG-FV) enclosures (Fig. 3.). These
enclosures provide a cooling system that does not depend on motor speed.
Therefore, these motors can provide full-load torque at any speed below base
speed including zero speed.

Fig. 2. Graph indicates the capabilities of inverter-duty motors that are

designed specifically for AFD variable-speed applications. These
inverter-duty motors have insulation systems designed for PWM
power, and are designed to operate at zero speed with full-load torque
without exceeding the temperature rise of the insulation system.
Recently, some motor manufacturers have developed inverter-duty, (TEFC)
motors that can provide full-load torque from zero to base speed without
overheating. These are special inverter-duty electrical designs that are not
designed to meet NEMA across-the-line starting torque or current specifications.
The designs provide reduced heat loss at low to zero speeds and higher losses
near base speed where the fan provides maximum cooling. These special
inverter-duty TEFC motors also provide the performance shown in Fig. 2 in a
standard NEMA TEFC frame and enclosure.
AFDs and motors may also operate in the constant horsepower range, shown
above base speed in Fig. 1 and 2. Center winders and machine tool applications
are ideal for using the constant horsepower range. Constant horsepower
operation of most standard TEFC motors is limited to 150% of base speed. One
of the limiting factors is the amount of noise that the shaft-mounted fan produces
at speeds above base speed. Inverter-duty motors, TENV, or blower-cooled
motors have a much wider constant horsepower operating range because the
cooling is independent of motor speed. For a constant horsepower range greater
than 150% of base speed, get application assistance from the AFD/motor
supplier.

Fig. 3. Surrounding air is blown through this drip-proof guarded force-

ventilated (DPG-FV) ac motor, along the rotor, and out of the dripproof covers on the drive shaft end. A motor such as this one can
provide 1000:1 constant torque.
Sizing the ac motor
Motor users are responsible for ensuring that drive train mechanisms, the driven
machine, and process materials are capable of safe operation at the maximum
speed of the machine. Failure to observe these precautions could result in bodily
injury or equipment damage.
The following procedure provides a conservative, engineering-based approach
for sizing and selecting various ac motors for use with an ac drive.

Determine the required drive/motor output horsepower, starting torque,

constant-torque speed range, constant horsepower range (if any), and
total speed range.
Select the type of motor required: standard, fixed-speed, TEFC, energy
efficient, or inverter-duty motor (TENV, TEAO-BC, DPG-FV, or TEFC).
Using graphs from the motor manufacturer, such as the ones shown in
Fig. 1 and 2, confirm that the required torque falls within the "acceptable"
region of the graphs.

Sizing the ac drive

The capabilities of the ac drive are determined by its output current rating. The
chosen drive must have a continuous current rating equal to or more than the
maximum motor load current. Be sure to consider all loads including startup
acceleration.

Fig. 4. The multipurpose industrial ac drive shown above is appropriate

for 90% of all 1-400 hp variable speed motor applications.

Also, when applying an AFD with a motor, keep in mind that the available torque
for starting and peak loads is different using an AFD compared to across-the-line
motor operation. Typically, AFDs limit current to 150%, providing about 150%
torque for starting and peak loads. An across-the-line motor can have starting
torque and peak load capabilities that exceed 150%. The AFD and motor
combination must be sized to produce the appropriate amount of torque that the
load will demand.
General sizing method for use with multiple induction motors
To size the AFD for multiple motor applications or for any application from 6 to 120-Hz operation, use the following procedure:

Determine the motor full-load amperes at rated line voltage for each motor
to be driven.
Add the full-load current requirements for each motor to determine the
total full-load current.
Add the high currents of any overloads which may exist, such as
acceleration, peak load, etc., to the full-load currents of all the motors
being controlled by the AFD, and determine maximum short-term load at
line voltage. (Note that motor acceleration is by linear timed-rate
acceleration control. Therefore, locked-rotor amperes normally associated
with across-the-line starting of ac motors are not encountered.)
Select the ac drive rating with a current capacity that will support the
required currents as calculated in the previous steps.

Once the appropriate drive has been selected based on current rating, verify that
the drive will provide the appropriate speed regulation over the desired speed
range of operation. Most manufacturers indicate speed range and speed
regulation capabilities of their drives. The desired speed regulation and speed
range will also dictate the type of drive technology required: V/Hz, sensorless
vector, or flux vector (see sidebar "Drive technologies explained").
Reflected wave considerations
With increased market demand for AFDs and increased use of insulated gate
bipolar transistor (IGBT) technology, awareness has been raised regarding
certain application issues surrounding the motor and AFD. Under certain
installation conditions, there exists potential for motor insulation damage when
operated with PWM inverters. In some cases, high voltage spikes at the motor
terminals can produce destructive stress of the motor insulation. Awareness of
this issue along with the proper selection and application of the motor and AFD
together will greatly reduce the risk of this type of failure.
Peak voltages seen at the motor input terminals depend on IGBT rise times
(dv/dt). Typically IGBTs have rise times in the 50-400 nsec range. This, in

conjunction with the short duration of pulses to the motor (50 nsec to 1 msec),
can result in excessive overvoltage transients at the motor. The charts in Fig. 5
show a typical PWM output waveform from the drive terminals.
The cable installed between the drive and the motor is impedance to the PWM
voltage pulses. These cables contain significant values of inductance (L) and
capacitance (C). These L and C values are directly proportional to the length of
the cable run. When this cable-surge impedance does not match the surge
impedance of the motor, a reflected wave occurs.
Solutions to reflected wave problems include:

Specify motors with insulation systems designed for PWM power. Inverterduty-rated motors have insulation systems designed to withstand the
anticipated magnitude and rate-of-rise of the voltage spikes at the motor
terminals.
On low-horsepower applications, use 240-V ac AFDs and motors, the
reflective wave impact is fundamentally reduced to half that of a 460-V ac
system.
Limit motor cable lengths to that specified by the manufacturer. Limiting
motor cable lengths to the manufacturer-specified limits ensures that the
cable impedance matches the impedance of the motor.
Install a drive output line reactor or filter. The inductance in the reactor
interacts with the fast output rise times of the drive to slow down rise time
and voltage magnitude, thus reducing any reflected waves or ringing. The
specialized filter eliminates voltage reflection by closely matching cable
impedance with the passive elements in the filter.
Select a matching drive/motor package. Matching drive/motor packages
offer superior design and proven performance because these
combinations have been tested for dynamic stability. When applied
properly, motor stress effects and high peak voltage are minimal.
Edited by Jack Smith, Senior Editor, 630-288-8783,
jsmith@reedbusiness.com

Speed range explained

Most standard general-purpose ac motors are designed for operation at a fixed
speed, such as 1800 rpm. For example, the size of the fan (TEFC) is sized to
provide proper cooling at the designed speed. When motors are powered with
an inverter, the motors now operate over a speed range, depending on the
application. Most energy efficient motors can operate with full-load torque
(nameplate amps) over a 4:1 speed range (450 to 1800 rpm). By installing a
larger diameter fan, many of these motors can operate over a 10:1 speed
range (180 to 1800 rpm) with full load torque.
Traditionally, motors that needed to operate over a 1000:1 speed range (1.8 to
1800 rpm) required an external blower motor to cool the motor. Some motor
manufacturers have developed special TEFC motors specifically for inverter
operation that can operate over a 1000:1 speed range without a separate
blower motor. If a motor can operate with full load torque over a 1000:1 speed
range, it can operate at zero speed with full-load torque.
Drive technologies explained
The following list explains different types of drive technology. Speed regulation
and range dictate the type of drive required or an application.

V/Hz an open loop means of controlling a motor. The drive varies the
voltage and frequency to the motor to control the speed without any
feedback.
Flux vector an encoder is added to the motor shaft. It provides actual
speed feedback in a closed loop system, which allows the drive to
precisely control the motor speed.
Sensorless vector a way to approach flux vector speed regulation
without the need for adding an encoder to the motor. The drive
calculates motor speed instead of having an actual speed measurement
from an encoder.

2002, Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.