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Motor cables .................................................................................................................................... 2

Output reactors ................................................................................................................................ 5

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dV/dt filter ........................................................................................................................................ 6
Sine-wave filter ................................................................................................................................ 7
Contactors at the converter output .................................................................................................... 8
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Parasitic effects As the length of the motor cable increases, so does its capacitance.
The switching operations of the pulse width modulation generate

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charge/discharge currents of the cable capacitances, which are
superimposed on the motor current and load the frequency converter.
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A capacitance commensurate with the cable routing must be taken into account,
even in the case of unshielded cables.
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Group drives Several asynchronous motors can also be connected in parallel to a frequency
converter. In this case, the cable lengths must be added, so that reactors are
required in most cases.

Overcurrent fault om
If excessive cable lengths are used without reactors, the frequency converter
signals an “overcurrent” fault.
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Output reactors Necessary for long motor cables. When multiple motors are connected to the
frequency converter (group drives), the lengths must be added!

Output reactors limit the charge/discharge currents caused by the parasitic

capacitances of the cable. om
In addition, they reduce the stress on the motor insulation caused by the steep
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voltage rise of the pulse width modulation.
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Types:
• Cost-effective solution: Iron core reactor for f O max = 120 Hz
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• Ferrite core reactor for f O max = 600 Hz

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Explanation With every pulse of the pulse width modulation, voltage rises steeply and drops
steeply (typically 10 kV/ s). This switching edge migrates as a electromagnetic
wave in the direction of the motor. Based on its inductance, the motor represents
a high wave resistance. The wave is reflected at the motor. It is superimposed
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with the existing DC link voltage at values of up to approximately 2 · UDC. The
wave is reduced by the ohmic resistance of the cable after approximately 1 µs.
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Problems In a few cases, this additional loading of the motor insulation must be taken into
consideration.
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• Motors connected to supplies > 500 V:

Siemens motors are suitable for mains-fed and converter-fed operation up to
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500 V.
• Poorly insulated motors or motors with unknown dielectric strength
• Motors in hazardous areas
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Counter measure These problems are solved as follows:

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• Motors with reinforced insulation are offered for converter-fed operation with
690 V
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• Use of voltage limiting filters

e.g., for SINAMICS G150, a du/dt filter with VPL (Voltage Peak Limiter)
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• Use of sine-wave filter

(typical for hazardous areas or very long cables)
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Voltage limiting filter or dV/dt filter consisting of a limiter network plus a reactor or
a reactor only.

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The filter is used at the output of the frequency converters, in which case the
motor currents flow through the reactor.
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By connecting a filter to the three-phase system at the output of the frequency
converter, transient voltage peaks are reduced and the steeply rising voltages at
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the motor winding are limited to values below the critical level, i.e., less than 500
V/µs.
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In addition, when long motor cables are used, the du/dt filter reduces the
capacitive charging current peaks that result from the capacitance per unit length
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of the motor supply cable.

Specifications regarding motor cable lengths differ for the various frequency
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converter series. Examples:

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• 200 m shielded motor cable

• 300 m unshielded motor cable
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The sine-wave filter is used at the output of the frequency converters, and the
motor currents flow through it.

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In so doing, the frequency converter output quantities are filtered such that nearly
sinusoidal voltages and currents are set at the motor.
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As a consequence, the additional losses in the motor are reduced and the motors
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run much more smoothly. In the case of long motor cables, the sine-wave filter
also reduces the charging current peaks caused by the cable capacitances.
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The use of sine-wave filters enables operation of Ex(d) motors on the frequency
converter.
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The disadvantage of this, however, is that the full output voltage is no longer
available at the motor due to the voltage drop in the filter. Moreover, the filters
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reduce the dynamic response of the control loop making it no longer suitable for
motion control applications.
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Output contactor Application:

• Not mandatory
• In the event of an emergency OFF, the motor can be deenergized.
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If several motors are to be switched on selectively (group drives)
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