Previous in Forum: Sizing Switchgear According to SC Current   Next in Forum: Info require about FIX HMI Software
Close
Close
Close
7 comments
Commentator
India - Member - New Member

Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Tamilnadu,india
Posts: 64

VFD cable

04/19/2011 12:56 AM

Dear all,

could i use nomal copper/aluminium conductor,XLPE insulated ,armoured cable VFD application or not. advise me.

reghards,

N.Ganesan

__________________
Knowledge Sharing
Register to Reply
Interested in this topic? By joining CR4 you can "subscribe" to
this discussion and receive notification when new comments are added.

Comments rated to be Good Answers:

These comments received enough positive ratings to make them "good answers".

Comments rated to be "almost" Good Answers:

Check out these comments that don't yet have enough votes to be "official" good answers and, if you agree with them, rate them!
3
Active Contributor

Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 13
Good Answers: 1
#1

Re: VFD cable

04/19/2011 3:36 AM

You'd best check with the VSD (and motor) manufacturer.

That said, you could probably do it, but I certainly wouldn't recommended it. Most VSD vendors will recommend a special cable with the following characteristics in order to mitigate against being a source of high electromagnetic interference (EMI) and high earth currents:

  • Heavy duty screen - usually copper, applied over the entire cable bundle to reduce EMI
  • Three earth conductors - located symmetrically in the cable cross-section so that the phase-to-earth distance is identical for each phase, and the cable is "electrically balanced". Sometimes you'll see the designation "3C + 3E".
  • Larger earth conductors - to further reduce the impedance of the earth conductor return parth and therefore reduce earth currents
  • Robust insulation grades - such as XLPE is commonly used over PVC, so that the cable can better withstand transient voltage spikes
Register to Reply Good Answer (Score 3)
Power-User

Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: India
Posts: 333
Good Answers: 6
#2

Re: VFD cable

04/19/2011 3:45 AM

dear,

You may use cable with

1. Either Aluminium or Copper conductor

2. Either PVC or XLPE insulated cable

3. Either Armoured / or Flexible cable / or YY PVC Sheathed cables depend upon the application , that fulfills the fire safety norms / IE rules

4. But above all, what is important is to use the Screened cable, where the screen shall be earthed at one point only. This shall eliminate the disturbances due to 5th - 7th - 11th Harmonics - Electro magnetic RF disturbances etc..

__________________
Exploring the Science of Electricity
Register to Reply
2
Associate
New Zealand - Member - New Member

Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Christchurch, New Zealand
Posts: 39
Good Answers: 1
#3
In reply to #2

Re: VFD cable

04/19/2011 5:41 AM

Not true!!

The screen must be bonded to the chassis of the VFD and the chassis of the motor.
The operation of the VFD causes high frequency voltages to be capacitively coupled to the frame of the motor and these voltages cause high frequency currents to flow throughout the whole installation.

The screen has a very low impedance relative to the impedance of the phase conductors. The ratio of the impedance of the phase conductor relative to the screen acts as a voltage divider and reduces the voltage on the frame of the motor, therebye reducing the high frequency currents flowing through the installation.

Bonding must be achieved by a clamp or a screened gland. Pigtails dramatically increase the high frequency impedance and reduce the effectiveness of the low impedance earth path.

Best regards
Mark

http://www.vfd-emc.co.nz

Register to Reply Good Answer (Score 2)
Guru

Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: sometimes Wales,UK.. was Libya, now Oman!
Posts: 1715
Good Answers: 117
#7
In reply to #2

Re: VFD cable

04/20/2011 1:50 AM

sorry mate, you are wrong on the harmonic bits, the only thing that will get rid of harmonics is a filter, but if you use the right VFD, you can have THD of less than 4.5% on current and less than 0.8% on voltage which is below than IEEE 519 recommendation of 5% THD.

__________________
The square root of nothing is what you make it!
Register to Reply Score 1 for Good Answer
Guru
United Kingdom - Member - Indeterminate Engineering Fields - Control Engineering - New Member

Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: In the bothy, 7 chains down the line from Dodman's Lane level crossing, in the nation formerly known as Great Britain. Kettle's on.
Posts: 32070
Good Answers: 838
#4

Re: VFD cable

04/19/2011 3:19 PM

It depends upon whether the chosen VFD is CE-marked or not. Please advise the forum.

__________________
"Did you get my e-mail?" - "The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place" - George Bernard Shaw, 1856
Register to Reply
Guru
New Zealand - Member - Kiwi Popular Science - Weaponology - New Member Engineering Fields - Power Engineering - New Member Engineering Fields - Electrical Engineering - New Member

Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Posts: 8778
Good Answers: 376
#5

Re: VFD cable

04/19/2011 3:20 PM

As the above people have said, possibly but probably not.

I wouldn't recommend it because the level of shielding in a normal cable using the steel armour as a shield ranges from poor to useless.

In some applications it won't matter, just like in some applications using unshielded cable altogether won't matter, but most applications will require the use of the proper shielded VFD cable.

You may be able to get away with a fine copper braided screen power cable, but you will need to consult your VFD and cable manufacturer literature for advise on application suitability.

__________________
jack of all trades
Register to Reply
Guru

Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: West Coxsackie, NY
Posts: 533
Good Answers: 10
#6

Re: VFD cable

04/20/2011 12:36 AM

Do not use Aluminum. Always use copper conductors. Alum is so 70's.. And not good for VFD's at all. They don't like it either. It will yell at you at 3AM when you get that call.. Avoid that call! Unless you like to be sleep deprived.

__________________
"Real Bass Players" do not use picks
Register to Reply
Register to Reply 7 comments
Interested in this topic? By joining CR4 you can "subscribe" to
this discussion and receive notification when new comments are added.

Comments rated to be Good Answers:

These comments received enough positive ratings to make them "good answers".

Comments rated to be "almost" Good Answers:

Check out these comments that don't yet have enough votes to be "official" good answers and, if you agree with them, rate them!
Copy to Clipboard

Users who posted comments:

brich (1); harry potter (1); jack of all trades (1); Jimh77 (1); juleselec (1); marke (1); PWSlack (1)

Previous in Forum: Sizing Switchgear According to SC Current   Next in Forum: Info require about FIX HMI Software
You might be interested in: Cable Laying Services, Cable Assemblies, Cable Trays

Advertisement