AC drives permit wider use of magnet motors

Parker Hannifin has launched a range of AC drives that allows energy-efficient permanent magnet motors to be used in a wide range of pump, fan and compressor applications.

AC650S Series drives eliminate the need to run permanent magnet motors with closed-loop speed sensors, enabling them to be used as replacements for induction motors, helping manufacturers improve both performance and profitability.

Using the AC650S drives to switch from induction to permanent magnet motors can cut energy consumption by up to 12 per cent while reducing the combined drive and motor envelope by as much as 75 per cent, according to Parker.

To date, permanent magnet motors have not been widely used in many industrial applications as they require additional speed or position-sensing mechanisms and control by high-end drive units, making them relatively costly and complicated to install.

As a result, even though they are less efficient and considerably larger in size, induction motors have generally been the preferred choice for design and production engineers.

By using an algorithm control based on motor voltage and current output, the AC650S drive enables standard permanent magnet motors to be used in closed-loop applications, without the need for additional sensors.

Engineers can therefore achieve the energy savings from brushless motors such as Parker's NX and Atex EX Series.

Similarly, engineers have the opportunity to design more compact control systems, which can be up to 25 per cent smaller than a conventional induction motor assembly.

The AC650S drives provide high start-up torque, without the need for additional tuning, and offer a range of features to make them quick and simple to setup and install.

For example, each drive is supplied with free software configuration tools, with pre-set macros for many common applications, and requires just a few motor parameters to be input during commissioning.

Additionally, the AC650S has front panel-mounted LCD and input controls, with simple diagnostics, integrated EMC filters and analogue and digital I/O, including RS232 programming ports.

The drive can also be supplied with optional Profibus-DP and Modbus RTU interfaces, while a cloning module is available to enable up to 10 drive configurations to be stored for ease of maintenance.

The AC650S range of drives is available in three frame sizes, covering single and three-phase applications, from 0.25kW to 7.5kW and output frequencies from 0 to 500Hz.

Parker also provides full technical and applications support through its global network of manufacturing and customer-service centres.

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