When Tesla first introduced the 3-phase alternating current (AC) induction motor in 1888, he knew that his invention was more efficient and reliable than Edison's direct current (DC) motor. However, ...

Keeping up with the terminology surrounding the usage of variable frequency drives can be daunting. Maybe if there were one place where you could look up definitions of these ever-increasing terms, it ...

The way we control the speed of fan motors or pump motors has tremendously changed in the past two decades with the introduction of variable-frequency drives (VFDs), aka variable-frequency controllers ...

Certain precautions involving wiring, isolation, grounding, and shielding are relevant to all variable frequency drive (VFD) applications. A VFD reports a low-volts fault when the drive's dc link ...

Although much has been published on variable-frequency drives (VFDs), people continue to be confused by them. The intent of this article is to provide a basic overview of these devices by evaluating ...

A recent trend in nuclear power plant upgrades has been the replacement of the motor-generator (MG) sets that drive the reactor circulating pumps with variable-frequency drives (VFD). Siemens’ first ...

Variable frequency drives (VFDs) are firmly established in manufacturing settings. However, sometimes engineers forget that power cables affect overall VFD reliability and performance. Here we review ...

How variable frequency drives reduce energy consumption by controlling motor speed and torque to support industrial energy efficiency and sustainability goals. AC induction motors are widely used in ...

Soft starters and VFDs both effectively control motors and are efficient users of energy. Determining which technology to use depends on understanding the performance needs of the application. A ...