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MN.60.G1.02 - VLT is a registered Danfoss trademark
VLT
®
6000 HVAC
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IntroductionIntroduction
IntroductionIntroduction
Introduction
Variable speed drives have been used in industrial
applications for years because of their ability to
provide precise process control. They have also
become the standard method of control for heating
ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems due
to their precise control and significant energy savings.
The operational concerns for HVAC systems are quite
different from those for industrial applications. In most
HVAC installations there is a large installed base of
sensitive electronic equipment such as computers,
outstations and radios. Airports, hospitals and
research facilities will for example make much heavier
demands on the variable speed drives than the
industrial plants.
This feature note will deal with one aspect of electrical
noise generation in variable speed drives: Radio
Frequency Interference (RFI) on the AC power line.
We describe the causes and effects of such noise as
well as the considerations that are to be made in
connection with the selection and installation of a
variable speed drive.
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Causes of Radio Frequency InterferenceCauses of Radio Frequency Interference
Causes of Radio Frequency InterferenceCauses of Radio Frequency Interference
Causes of Radio Frequency Interference
(RFI)(RFI)
(RFI)(RFI)
(RFI)
ee
Figure 1: Schematic of Basic Drive design
Most variable speed drives operate by using a bridge
rectifier to convert the incoming AC voltage into a DC
bus voltage. The inverter bridge of the drive then
converts the DC bus voltage into the controlled
voltage and frequency that the motor requires.
For the most common types of drives in use today,
IGBTs are used to convert the DC voltage into an AC
voltage with controlled amplitude and frequency. To
perform this control most drives incorporate
sophisticated control circuitry with micro-processors
of high clock frequencies.
Both the inverter and the control circuitry generate
electrical noise at frequencies higher than 150 kHz.
If the drive is not designed carefully, this noise will
be conducted to the surroundings, causing
malfunction of other electronic equipment,
especially if it is not designed with a high level of
immunity to such high frequency noise.
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Measuring Radio Frequency InterferenceMeasuring Radio Frequency Interference
Measuring Radio Frequency InterferenceMeasuring Radio Frequency Interference
Measuring Radio Frequency Interference
The levels of RFI from a drive is dependent on many
different factors. The design of the drive is most
important, since this determines how low the
distortion can get.
The measuring results for different drives may vary a
lot, so to get a real picture it is important to know
exactly how the measuring was made. Some of the
most important factors are:
Impedance between drive chassis and ground
Type of motor cable used or transfer impedance of
cable screen
Length of motor cable
Radiated emission is almost impossible to
reproduce. The reason is that even a slight change
in the measuring set-up will influence the results a
lot. Measuring made on site will always be
unreliable, since it is impossible to create a clean
environment.
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Radio frequency interference limitsRadio frequency interference limits
Radio frequency interference limitsRadio frequency interference limits
Radio frequency interference limits
The most important international standard defining
RFI limits for drives is:
EN 55011/CISPR 11
EN55011 sets three different limits:
Figure 2: Average conducted emission levels
Average levels
EN 55011 2A
EN 55011 1A
EN 55011 1B
66
60
56
50
46
150 kHz
500 kHz
5 MHz
30 MHz
Emission,
screened motor cable
dB/uV
90
80
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