Large industrial inverter manufacturers.  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: vini_i
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 28, 2021, 02:14:01 am
content: I'm moving a large piece of equipment (approx 200kva) from Germany to Canada.The power in Germany was 400vac p-p with Neutral 50Hz.The power I have in Canada is 600vac p-p 60Hz.I'm trying to find an inverter manufacturer that sells/makes these.My google foo is failing me hardcore.All I can find is the small DC to AC inverters for a car or a truck.The two manufacturers that I know are Pacific Power and Behlmen Electrics.While they can make such a large supply they focus on variable output voltage and frequency.I'm looking for just dead simple fixed in fixed out.Any suggestions on where I could look?I can shed some of that load to a transformer for 60Hz tollerant stuff but that would only cut me down to about 90kva.

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 28, 2021, 03:53:46 am
content: The term you're looking for is "VFD". Some big manufacturers of those are ABB, Danfoss, and Delta. That said, for such high power, if variable speed is not an advantage, it might be cheaper to just replace the motors.

author: bdunham7
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 28, 2021, 04:28:50 am
content: Try Rockwell Automation.CANADA SALES OFFICE135 Dundas StreetCambridge, Ontario N1R 5N9+1-519-623-1810I used to know some of the guys at one of their now-subsidiaries and they built those sort of high-power conversion systems with brownout protection. The founder of the company that Rockwell bought had a patent on a soft-switching method using IGBTs when they were new-ish. Haven't heard from them in a few years, but Rockwell still has that division AFAIK.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 28, 2021, 04:39:29 am
content: Does the frequency matter? With a lot of equipment it does not, in which case you could get away with just using a transformer to step up the voltage. Have you confirmed that the equipment cannot be configured for different supply voltages? Many times it can be, and a lot of newer equipment already has VFDs driving the motors. You haven't said what the equipment is so we can only guess about that.

author: WattsThat
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 28, 2021, 11:10:29 pm
content: VFD’s are not general purpose devices and have no output filtering. Do not indiscriminately connect the output of a VFD to a non-motor load without a complete and full understanding of the implications.

author: jmelson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 28, 2021, 11:23:11 pm
content: Quote from: NiHaoMike on May 28, 2021, 03:53:46 amNo, VFD's are designed specifically to run motors. They produce a simulated sine wave with high voltage square wave pulses with varying pulse width (PWM). Most electronic equipment will be damaged by these pulses.It is theoretically possible to run electronic equipment froma VFD, but the low-pass filter components may cost more than a new VFD.Jon

author: Benta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 28, 2021, 11:26:20 pm
content: Why are you guys talking about VFDs? Completely irrelevant.We're talking voltage/frequency power conversion here, totally different.In previous times done using mechanically coupled synchronous motor and generator.Siemens comes to mind as a suggestion.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 28, 2021, 11:32:09 pm
content: What is the equipment? If it is a motor load then a VFD would be the solution. Most other loads aren't going to mind the frequency being higher and even a motor will run fine in most cases, just a bit faster. If we had a better idea of what the equipment is there might be better suggestions. I don't know if anyone makes frequency converters in that power range, it's certainly possible but I wouldn't expect there to be much market. A motor/generator set is an option but that will be very large at that power range too. It's entirely possible that the frequency will not actually matter.

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 29, 2021, 12:23:07 am
content: Schneider electric maybe, they've bough so many company's out i'd be surprised if they didnt.

author: TheMG
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 29, 2021, 03:26:40 am
content: Many double-conversion UPS can be configured in a "frequency converter" mode. Bonus: you also get some battery backup.But first I would consider whether the frequency actually matters, and if it does, why? If it's just AC motors that would run too fast on 60Hz, I would install VFDs to drive the motors within the piece of equipment, as that may be cheaper than a large UPS powering the whole thing.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 29, 2021, 08:14:30 am
content: If it is motors driving gearboxes simple enough to either get a set of different ratio gears for them, or for a lot of application just do nothing, provided voltage is within range. Voltage wise you will need to regenerate neutral if there are loads connected to it, so will need a 200kVA 3 phase transformer, either fed from the existing power bus, or more likely from your local 6.6/11/22/33kV supply, and giving the 400VAC with neutral in star.In general from the EU you rarely get multivolt motors, they all tend to be 400VAC or 230VAC types, depending on the power, and if they are going to be run from an inverter or not. The 400VAC can be changed from star to delta to run off 230VAC from a typical inverter for the smaller ones, though above around 3kVA you tend to get 3 phase input inverters, with a 700VDC bus voltage.Absolutely depends on the machine and what it does, and if there are heaters you probably will be either changing them out to suit your local voltage, or rewiring them from delta to star to use on 600VAC direct. But again, depends on the part of the machine. Going to bet there are a few SEW motors and gearboxes in there, along with Bonfiglioni, and a lot of ABB switchgear.

author: fordem
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 31, 2021, 07:37:51 pm
content: Eaton's Powerware division