VFD

What does the evidence suggest?

What did the equipment manufacturer suggest during the telephone discussions?

Is this the <...vfd...> that is powering those mechanically-jammed stern thrusters?

No, this ia for engine room fan

J

So, what is preventing the fan from turning to the extent that the motor is turning without obstruction, thereby causing its motor to draw too much current and the <...vfd...> to trip out on over-temperature? Whatever it is, it cannot be seen from here!

Could be any number of problems....

http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=205931

When the cause has been discovered and corrected, please do let the forum know what it was.

_{while tripping vfd showing error code, as per manual it is high of ambient temperature.}

There is no need to repeat the statement in the original post.

So then, this vfd is located in the engine room that the fan is to cool off? Wow.

What is the difference between actual current and running current?

You said "during running it is taking more than actual current."

then you said actual current is 269A and running current is 196A.

In addition you said that the rated power is 110KW, and rated current is 169A: this indicates a rated Voltage of 651V; is that correct?

motor is 150 kw ,269 amps.

In Vfd entering data is 110 kw, 169 amps (previously somebody entered).

running time current is 196 amps.,

vessel voltage is 440 v, 60 hz .But running time we checked the parameter in vfd that time voltage is 359 and frequency 50 hz

So, take the plunge and re-program the inverter correctly!

Sheesh.

The parameters may have been lowered to restrict demand in an attempt to make the VFD/motor combination work.....It's also possible the VFD is not properly ventilated....Is the VFD in an enclosure, is there a forced air ventilation system at work here? Is it possible the ambient temperature is exceeding the rating? What is the temperature rating for the VFD, and what is the ambient reading?

...none of which can be seen from here.

Neither can the commissioning records be seen from here..

ventilation is here big problem , now they operating the vfd panel fully opened and they give two blower support.

we installed a panel ac in the panel and try to run vfd by close the panel , but the panel inside temperature gradually increasing and the panel ac giving alaram when reaching 40 degree and after getting 41 - 42 degree celsius the vfd tripping with high temperature alarm.

panel ac temperature set point is 35 degree, and we tried out at 30 degree, but same tripping, because vfd producing more temperature

So your trip temperature is set too low...raise it to 50

Go back to the original design concept and the original commissioning records:

• Find out why the temperature set point is set to this low value and consider raising it to the original setting.
• Find out why the inverter current setting is set too low and consider changing it back to the original setting.

Some of our VFD controls are in a thermostated room (with its own dedicated air conditioner. If you have your controls in the engine room, you are fooling yourselves into thinking that is OK.

Brother, Why dont you change the parameter values as per the Motor name plate?..is there any problem for that?

Wait a minute! If I absorbed this correctly you are running a big motor with a little VFD. And you wonder why it overheats?

It is not recommended for that very reason. You should be using a larger VFD and the term is "rated" which means that it is capable. Do not mistake the term actual for rated.

It seems to me that you are saying that the motor is "rated" for 269 A. If you are limiting the VFD to a smaller current, but it is drawing 196 A, then you have a bad mis-match between VFD and motor. It will attempt to create a voltage necessary to accomplish your set frequency and "pull" more current than you want.

You might find a sweet spot at a slower frequency, but I doubt it for this much of a difference between motor power rating and your attempt to limit the power by a setting (or capacity issue) in your VFD.

It appears, old boy, that someone may need to pull up his shorts.

You need an electrical engineer familiar with shipboard systems to thoroughly inspect your electrical system and its ability to handle the load. I suspect that this is an older vessel that has had many additional loads added to it without any regard for the alternator's ability to handle them. Your statement that the voltage is 359VAC, coupled with breakers tripping on overcurrent due to inductive motor loads, indicates severe overloading.

Shipboard systems are isolated systems and usually have specialized excitation systems to provide the extra boost required to start large inductive loads like motors. Unfortunately, the older systems often have difficulty handling the harmonics generated by newer electronics like VFDs, resulting in overheating of other harmonic sensitive equipment such as motors, transformers, and excitation systems; all of which contributes to saturation of the iron leading to excessive heating.

I also suspect that equipment was added without regard to balancing the loads across the phases, leading to large phase current and voltage imbalances which in turn cause massive zero sequence currents (aka Triplens) to flow throughout the electrical system.

Shipboard systems also tend to be ungrounded delta, but as the insulation ages, ground faults start to develop, and add up to wasted current which flows through the ships metal leading to electrolytic corrosion.

Get proper technical help from qualified onsite personnel, not anonymous internet gurus.

Didn't OP state it tripped on ambient temperature?

Didn't OP state it tripped on ambient temperature?

I don't know of any VFDs that have a separate ambient temperature sensor, because really, the design is based on an ambient, but the actual problem is really the junction temperature of the transistors. So the only temperature sensors they have is on the heat sinks near the transistors.

Almost any compartment below deck on a ship has a "high ambient" due to a distinct lack of circulating/cooling air. Unless the VFD is rated for shipboard use, the ΔT between the heatsink and the surrounding air can be quite low, resulting in very poor heat rejection. The problem is exacerbated if the VFD is in an enclosed/poorly ventilated panel with other heat producing equipment in it.

The whole situation is common on older ships where new equipment was added without regard for the impact of internal heat generation/rejection. "Hey Chief, is ok to mount it here? It's the only place I can find any room for it."

^{Almost any compartment below deck on a ship has a "high ambient" due to a distinct lack of circulating/cooling air. Unless the VFD is rated for shipboard use, the ΔT between the heatsink and the surrounding air can be quite low, resulting in very poor heat rejection. The problem is exacerbated if the VFD is in an enclosed/poorly ventilated panel with other heat producing equipment in it.}

^{The whole situation is common on older ships where new equipment was added without regard for the impact of internal heat generation/rejection. "Hey Chief, is ok to mount it here? It's the only place I can find any room for it."}

Spoken as the voice of experience no doubt. Ambient conditions for locating VFDs is so often overlooked that it's not funny any more. I just had one where a user was complaining that his VFD was tripping on OT ever since it was installed and he had "tried everything" to keep it cool. When I went to look at it, he had mounted the VFD on the side wall of an OVEN! The ends of the heat sink fins were actually touching the walls of the oven, which was operating at 90C continuously. No amount air conditioning was going to be able to overcome that...