Dave States - Electrical Engineer

• SME certified Eaton and ABB start up and commissioning tech for low voltage VFD's
• 9 years experience as a Power Systems Engineer with special emphasis on Power Quality troubleshooting and investigations
• Significant experience with electrical safety audits and arc flash mitigation
• 4 years experience in low and medium voltage equipment manufacturing with a major electrical equipment manufacturer
• 6 years experience in communications contracting and troubleshooting

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What is a VFD



A VFD (Variable Frequency Drive) is a type of Motor Starter that’s capable of continuously variable speed operation through power electronics. The Variable Frequency Drive is also known as an AFD (Adjustable Frequency Drive), ASD (Adjustable Speed Drive), Drive, Motor Drive, or Inverter (International Term).

VFDs provide better control and protection of the motor versus other types of starters, such as full voltage starters and soft starters). For example, VFDs can vary the speed of the motor during operation. VFDs have programmable ramps for motor acceleration and deceleration, and reversing capability is built into VFDs. With modern VFD equipment, the internal controller has significant insight into the operating condition of the motor, enabling VFDs to have better overload and fault protection for the motor versus other types of starters.

For typical loads such as pumps and blowers, VFDs can vary the speed of the motor during operation, instead of using mechanical throttling devices such as valves and dampers, and the energy savings associated with this can be significant. This is one of the main reasons VFDs have become increasingly common over the last decade.