High Speed Electrical Drives – Perspective of VFD Manufacturer

Abstract

This paper deals with high-speed electrical drives utilizing power electronic converters (commonly abbreviated as ASD, VFD or VSD). Existing solutions vary mainly on the motor side while the power electronic converter is very similar for all cases. Various advantages as well as technical challenges are discussed and illustrated. At certain stages comparisons between conventional and high-speed drives are made. The paper summarizes the experience of a VFD manufacturer based on state of the art technology in medium voltage and multi-megawatt power range. The authors believe that main complexity around high-speed drives is the motor design while the VFD requires only small adaptations or can sometimes be used directly without any modifications of standard design. The technology readiness is evaluated to be on a medium to high level.