2-152 Reflected Wave

For example, % selected, Max Frequency = 130, Speed Reference = 22 Hz,

Trim Reference = 20%. 4.4 Hz will be added to the Speed Reference.
% not selected, Max Frequency = 130, Speed Reference = 22 Hz, Trim
Reference = 20%. 26 Hz will be added to the Speed Reference.

Reflected Wave [Compensation]

The pulses from a Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) inverter using IGBTs
are very short in duration (50 nanoseconds to 1 millisecond). These short
pulse times combined with the fast rise times (50 to 400 nanoseconds) of the
IGBT, will result in excessive over-voltage transients at the motor.

Voltages in excess of twice the DC bus voltage (650V DC nominal at 480V

input) will occur at the motor and can cause motor winding failure.

The patented reflected wave correction software in the PowerFlex 70/700

will reduce these over-voltage transients from a VFD to the motor. The
correction software modifies the PWM modulator to prevent PWM pulses
less than a minimum time from being applied to the motor. The minimum
time between PWM pulses is 10 microseconds. The modifications to the
PWM modulator limit the over-voltage transient to 2.25 per unit volts
line-to-line peak at 600 feet of cable.

400 V Line = 540V DC bus x 2.25 = 1215V

480 V Line = 650V DC bus x 2.25 = 1463V
600 V Line = 810V DC bus x 2.25 = 1823 V

The software is standard and requires no special parameters or settings.

500 Inverter
V/div
<Tα
0
1670 Vpk

Motor
500
V/div

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Time ( sec)

The above figure shows the inverter line-to-line output voltage (top trace)
and the motor line-to-line voltage (bottom trace) for a 10 HP, 460V AC
inverter, and an unloaded 10 HP AC induction motor at 60 Hz operation.
500 ft. of #12 AWG cable connects the drive to the motor.
 Reflected Wave 2-153

Initially, the cable is in a fully charged condition. A transient disturbance

occurs by discharging the cable for approximately 4ms. The propagation
delay between the inverter terminals and motor terminals is approximately
1ms. The small time between pulses of 4ms does not provide sufficient time
to allow the decay of the cable transient. Thus, the second pulse arrives at a
point in the motor terminal voltage's natural response and excites a motor
over-voltage transient greater than 2 pu. The amplitude of the double pulsed
motor over-voltage is determined by a number of variables. These include
the damping characteristics of the cable, bus voltage, and the time between
pulses, the carrier frequency, modulation technique, and duty cycle.

The plot below shows the per unit motor overvoltage as a function of cable
length. This is for no correction versus the modulation correction code for
varied lengths of #12 AWG cable to 600 feet for 4 and 8 kHz carrier
frequencies. The output line-to-line voltage was measured at the motor
terminals in 100 feet increments.
No Correction vs Correction Method at 4 kHz and 8 kHz Carrier
Frequencies - Vbus = 650, fe = 60 Hz
2.6
No Correction 4 kHz Carrier
2.5 Corrected 4 kHz Carrier
2.4 No Correction 8 kHz Carrier
Corrected 8 kHz Carrier
per Unit Vout/Vbus

2.3
2.2
2.1
2
1.9
1.8
1.7
1.6
0 100 200 300 400 500 600
Cable Length (Feet)

Without the correction, the overvoltage increases to unsafe levels with

increasing cable length for both carrier frequencies.
The patented modulation correction code reduces the overvoltage for both
carrier frequencies and maintains a relatively flat overvoltage level for
increasing cable lengths beyond 300 feet.

To determine the maximum recommended motor cable lengths for a

particular drive refer to Cable, Motor Lengths on page 2-51.

Refer to: www.ab.com/drives/techpapers/menu for detailed technical papers.