Elevator Drives

Past, Present and Future

As Presented
at
NAVTP Annual Forum
Atlanta, Georgia
May 3, 2007
Elevator Drives - Discussion
 History
 Requirements
 Motor and Control Types
 Industry Trends
 Future Drives
 History
 236 BC – First Passenger Lift,
Archimedes
 1853 – Safe Elevator Demo,
Elisha Otis
 1857 – First Safe Elevator
Installation,
Cooper Union, NYC
 1861 – Otis Elevator Patent
Otis Patent 1861
 History
 1873 – First Modern DC Motor
 1874 – J. W. Meaker Door Opener Patent
 1880 – First Electric Motor Controlled
Elevator Siemens / Sprague
 1882-1889 – Tesla AC Induction Motor
3-Phase Squirrel Cage Design
 1889 – Otis Elevator Uses DC Motor
 Otis
DC
Elevator
Motor

Circa 1889
 History
 1891 – Ward Leonard Variable
Speed Control
– AC Induction Motor Turning DC Dynamo
– Rheostat to Control Generated Voltage
– DC Voltage Controls DC Motor Speed

 1900-1970’s – Ward-Leonard M-G Sets

and DC Motors Used for
Variable Speed Elevators
 AC Motors Used 1 and 2 Speed Starters
Otis No. 1 Geared DC Machine
with DC Motor
Circa 1915
Otis Gearless DC Machine

Circa 1919
M-G Set Controls
(Otis Elevator, 1920’s)
Otis Type 84
26 Broadway,NYC

Circa 1930’s
 History
 1975-Present
– Thyristor (SCR) DC Drives
Control Elevators
– All Analog Components in the 70’s
– Replaces Aging M-G Sets

 1980’s – Microprocessors Improve

– Car Dispatch and Motor Drive Controllers
Otis type 84,NYC
with Encoder
Westinghouse #205
with Encoder
 History
 Late 1980’s –
– Variable Frequency Inverters AC Induction Motors,
Geared Applications Only
 Early 1990’s –
– More AC Inverters and Motors Begin to Displace
Small DC, 3-15 HP
 Mid-1990’s –
– Vector Control AC Inverters 10-40 HP Almost as
Good as SCR-DC.
– KONE Introduces PM EcoDisc AC Machine
 History
 Late 1990’s –
– Custom Gearless AC Induction Machines
– First Fully Regenerative AC
Elevator Drives
– Much Discussion on PM-AC and MRL
– SCR-DC Still Used for Medium and
Large Building Mods
 History
2000-Present –
– More PM-AC Motor Manufacturers. PM Gearless
Begins to Replace AC Geared
– EU Focus on Efficiency and Harmonics/EMC
– Lower Cost IGBT Inverter Components
– North America Begins to Focus on Energy Reduction
– New Construction Leaning toward AC
– SCR-DC Still Used on Medium-Large Building Mods
Elevator Drive
Requirements
 Elevator Duty Cycle

2.5
P
O
W
EMPTY CAR
E FULL CAR
R 1.0

K
I 0
L
O
W -1.0 EMPTY CAR FULL CAR
A
T
T
S
-2.5
Four Quadrant Operation
 What Customers Want
 Repeatable Elevator Performance
 Smooth Operation
 Reliable Operating Life
 Effortless Installation
 Custom Control Interface
 High Efficiency
 Conformance to All Codes
 Low Installed Cost
Elevators vs. Industrial Applications
 Infinitely Variable Speed Range
 Infinitely Variable Torque Range with
Smooth Bump Less Operation
 Millions of Repeated Operating Cycles
with High Peak Torque
 High Inertia Resonant Load
 Accurate Stopping Position
 Unattended Operation 24/7/365
Elevators vs. Industrial Applications

 Quiet Operation
 Long Operating Life
 Long-Term Product Support
 Types of Motors
 DC Shunt Field
– High Speed Geared
– Low Speed Gearless
– Full HP Range 5 – 600 HP
– 89–94% Efficient
– High Torque Capacity Accel/Decel
– In Elevator Service for 70+ Years
– Requires DC Generator, SCR or Other AC-DC
Power Conversion from AC Utility Power
– DC Motor Can Act Like a Generator
 Types of Motors
 AC Induction
– High Speed Geared, 2–75 HP
– Few Low Speed Designs for Gearless
– 85–94% Efficient
– Many with Single or 2 Speed Starters
– Can be Variable Speed by Inverter Control
of Frequency
– Torque Strength Derived from Out of Phase
Excitation Current
– Requires Flux Vector Control for Wide
Operating Speed Range
– Can Act Like a Generator
 Types of Motors
 AC Permanent Magnet (PM)
– New Designs for Compact Gearless Machines
– Torque Strength from Permanent Magnets
– 90–95% Efficient
– Compatible with Inverters to Control Speed
– Requires Synchronous Flux Vector / Angle Control
to Regulate / Modulate Torque
– Supply Limited to Specialty Machine Builders
– Not Suitable for High rpm Speed Geared Designs
– Can Act Like a Generator
 Modernization
 Why keep a DC machine?
– Many large DC machines cannot be
easily replaced with AC.
– Large Installed Base of DC Machines
Worldwide
– DC Motors and Machines are in Good
Working Order and Provide Excellent
Ride Quality
 Large DC Machines
Otis 72
and 269
 Types of Motor Drives
For DC Motors For AC Motors
 M-G Set  Variable Voltage
 SCR-DC  V V V F Inv. (V/Hz)
Open/Closed Loop
 PWM-DC
 Vector Control Inv.
Open/Closed Loop
 Synchronous PM Inv.
Closed Loop
 Regen or Non-Regen
 Elevator Power Consumption
…the need for Regeneration
 Horsepower = Torque x Speed
 Gearless Friction Losses are 10-20% of Elevator
HP Rating
 Moving inertia absorbs energy during acceleration
that must be removed during deceleration.
 Mechanical, electric and electronic losses are
proportional to torque or current flow.
 Energy Wasted / Dissipated During Deceleration
= Heat
 Excessive heat in control rooms must be removed.
 Practical Energy Considerations
 Low Speed Elevators 50–150 fpm
– Almost Always Geared… or PM Gearless
– Low Speed Usually Means Low Power
2-35 HP / 2-25 kW
– Most power is consumed by frictional losses.
– True regeneration is not critical.
– High Gearbox Losses During Regeneration
– Drive type makes little difference in overall
energy consumption.
– If DC, Good Candidate for Conversion to AC by

– Replacing Motor
Low Installed Cost is Usual Critical Issue
 Practical Energy Considerations
 Medium Speed Elevators 150–450 fpm
– Geared and Some Gearless… Including PM
– 15-60 HP / 12-45 kW
– Lower Frictional Losses in Gearbox
– Recovery of inertia energy becomes important,
particularly with gearless.
– Resistive Braking Still Possible but Need to Perform
Heat Load Calculations for Equipment Room
Practical Energy Considerations

 High Speed Elevators 500-1,600+ fpm

– Low Friction Gearless
– 45-600 HP / 34-450 kW or Larger
– True Regeneration is Mandatory
 Industry Trends
 Energy Consumption Reduction
– kW-hrs / Month
– Harmonics, Power Factor

 Performance
– Reduced Floor–Floor Time
– Reduced Vibration

 Low Maintenance
– Cleanliness

 Larger PM Machines
– More Gearless Applications
 Energy Consumption
 Elevator Speed and Payload
 Frequency of Use
 Hoist Way Efficiency
 Motor Efficiency
 Power Conversion Efficiency
 Idle Losses
 Regeneration
 Drive Type Comparison
Desired Diode – PWM -
Feature SCR-DC PWM Inv PWM
Installed
Cost 
Smallest External
vol. Wt. XFMR 
Pwr conv 90%
w/ XFMR 93-96% 92-94%
efficiency
 Drive Type Comparison
Desired Diode – PWM -
Feature SCR-DC PWM Inv PWM
Regen-
eration  No 
Low
Harmonics No No 

Unity
Pwr No No 
Factor
 Drive Type Comparison
Desired Diode – PWM -
Feature SCR-DC PWM Inv PWM
Flexible With Below
Motor V XFMR Vac input 
Stand-by
Friendly No  
AC / DC
Motor No No 
 Future Expectations
 More PM Gearless
– Low and High Power

 More Interest in Energy Conservation

– Overall Efficiency
– Regeneration

 More Restrictions on Harmonics and EMC

– Sinusoidal High pf Utility Line Current
– All Inclusive Drive Units with Filters
 Future Elevator Drives
 PWM-PWM Double Converter-Inverter
– Regulated Harmonics
– Unity pf
– Fully Regenerative
– Compatible with DC Stand-by Power
 PM Operation without Resolver
– Electronic Alignment Sensing
 Compact All Inclusive Packaging
 Works with AC Ind. or PM or DC Motors
 World’s Tallest Buildings

Magnetek has Elevator Drives in 17 of

the 30 tallest buildings in the world.