The Toshiba T300MVi Medium Voltage VFD is rated at 2000 HP, and in a Nema 1 enclosure.  This is the standard Toshiba Medium Voltage drive with input switchgear, input vacuum contactors, and is rated for 248 amps at 4160 volts.  The drive has a built in 24 pulse isolation transformer which makes for a quick and easy installation.  (See HERE  for more details).   This medium voltage VFD can be tuned to work on a lower horsepower application as well.

EMA offers startup and installation assistance on the Toshiba T300Mvi medium voltage VFD.   Contact us now for pricing and firm delivery information.

If you have an existing medium voltage VFD, we offer repair and field service on the Toshiba medium voltage VFD, the Siemens Robicon Perfect Harmonyu Medium Voltage VFD, the Allen Bradley Powerflex 7000 medium voltage VFD, and the WEG MV 1 Medium Voltage VFD.

Rebecca works from our Cortland, NY facility, and leads an active life as a wife, mom, farmer,  and community worker in addition to her sales engineer duties at EMA. She’s a terrific member of our team.

Rebecca says..   At one time sales consisted of beating down doors and countless hours of chasing down leads. However, with the assistance of modern day technology including the internet, traditional sales procedures have taken on a new course. Sales people not only practice traditional sales phases but also need to keep abreast of the new forms and trends of selling. With internet there are various groups including LinkedIn with over 200million members, which are highly utilized today by people not only selling but those looking to buy your product and services.
As a LinkedIn Member I post valuable information for my followers on a regular basis. I connect with people I can help and that can help me achieve my goals. Through this process I have generated new business for EMA and myself. I do still believe traditional sales methods are irreplaceable as a face to face meetings hold value that is immeasurable. People still appreciate the sincerity of the individual who makes the “business sale” more of a “long term business partnership”.
So thank you to my LinkedIn connections, colleagues and constitutes for viewing my profile. My goal for 2013 is to continue to provide you with the valuable information to assist you and achieve continued growth on LinkedIn for myself and EMA.
Sincerely,
Rebecca
Rebecca Zeeuw
EMA Account Manager

Things are changing.  Business has entered the “next wave” of asset productivity improvement – one that places new and additional stresses upon operations and productivity management.  Enhanced demands for operational effectiveness, improved revenue and customer satisfaction, integrally linked to a simultaneous reduction in capital, operating and support costs.[1]  To achieve these objectives will demand a new strategy to reach unprecedented levels of equipment availability, reliability and maintainability.

These demands have raised the discussion of “maintenance strategy” to a new level of importance, particularly among superior production and manufacturing companies.  Identified as an expense on the operating budget, and a frequent target of cost-reduction programs, most understand the value and role of maintenance in today’s plant floor environment.

Maintenance, however, has been interpreted and classified in a number of different ways.  Within the United States the most popular maintenance strategy is “Preventive Maintenance.”  The term refers to a maintenance strategy which is explicitly centered to prevent faults from occurring by any viable and promising tools and techniques.”[2]  However, a new maintenance strategy is rapidly emerging as the dominant methodology – Predictive Maintenance.

Predictive maintenance seeks to employ a strategy of measurements and analysis to detect the early onset of equipment degradation, thereby eliminating causal stressors, compensatory damages, and allow for a coordinated program between operations and production to perform the required maintenance.  Basically, predictive maintenance is classified as such because it aims to prevent the occurrence of failure by execution of in-time maintenance.[3]

The Big Question:  Does Predictive Maintenance deliver on its promises?  Is Predictive Maintenance Cost Effective?

S&C Electric Company, a manufacturer of power distribution equipment, located on the North Side of Chicago responds with a resounding Yes.  “Repair work orders are down 90%; production machinery uptime has increased from 90% to 97%.  These improvements are estimated to save at least $4 million annually.”[4]

ENEL, Italy’s largest power company, implemented a predictive maintenance strategy at their Brindisi power station.  They have reported enhanced plant management, increased reliability, safety standards and the residual life of machine components, reduction in unnecessary repairs, and a major reduction in maintenance costs.  “The end result is an economic optimization of resources and improved overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), a recognized measure of plant effectiveness.”[5]

Cabot Corporation in Midland, MI reduced plant downtime from 18% to 4% while production increased by 10%.[6]

Alabama Power experienced a 10% reduction in routine maintenance through faster troubleshooting and predictive maintenance.[7]

The Important Question:  Is a Predictive Maintenance Strategy Right for Your Company?

Introducing a Predictive Maintenance strategy requires an implementation analysis and should not be viewed as an all or nothing approach.  EMA has been actively involved in working with clients across a wide industry spectrum to determine how to implement a Predictive Maintenance strategy.  If maximizing asset utilization while reducing costs is of interest to you, we invite you to contact EMA at 800-848-2504.  You may also contact us by hitting the contact icon on the top right of this page, or by clicking the “live support” icon.

This particular Perfect Harmony Robicon VFD was faulting out on “IGBT Device Out of Saturation Fault”. Upon arrival I checked all the power components on the Robicon VFD and found no shorts.

NOTE:  IF you need service, call 800-848-2504 now, or hit the contact Icon on the top right of this page OR the “Live Support” icon.

I disconnected the motor, powered up the drive,  and ran a cell diagnostic test, which all the cells passed. I then ran the medium voltage drive without the motor; it ran for few seconds and faulted on “Overspeed”. This is normal for a drive that is operated without a motor attached. This can alleviated, if necessary, by tuning the speed PID gains,  but in this case, I saw no reason to do so.

I then powered down the MV VFD. After waiting for the bus capacitors to discharge,  I measured the resistance between the phases and ground. I found the motor phase to ground reading 18 ohms, indicating a shorted motor to ground. The customer also had a megger at the job site,  so we megged the motor and it would not go beyond 0.3 V with readings of 10K Ohms to ground. We concluded the motor was bad.

While finding a bad motor isn’t especially uncommon, given the size of this motor, and most medium voltage VFD applications, one needs to be certain that the motor is in fact- failed.  Removing and replacing a 2500 Horsepower 4160 volt motor is difficult mechanically, and replacements are not always readily available.  Since oil pipeline VFD applications are normally critical, it’s important not to make a false diagnosis.

While at the job site I looked at the bus capacitors which I noticed had their venting holes plugs raised. (See Electrolytic Bus Capacitors: The Ticking Time Bomb )

Bus Capacitors older than 10 years should be carefully examined. There are 432 bus capacitors on a 2500HP 4160V Robicon Perfect Harmony MV VFD.  Beyond the 10 year mark,  the chances of catastrophic damage increases exponentially. EMA routinely offers PMs on the Perfect harmony that includes replacing electrolytic buss capacitors. (See Medium Voltage VFD Preventive Maintenance)

See the bottom of this page for your nearest EMA location, OR hit the contact Icon at the top right of this page.  We can quote preventive maintenance to your Oil Pipeline Medium Voltage VFDs of all brands. We routinely repair and service The Allen Bradley Powerflex7000, WEG MV01, Mototronics MVSS and Toshiba T300MVi.

I think you’ll like it, or at the very least, if you’re a dad, you’ll relate to it.

Click HERE to give it a listen.  (This fun Christmas song recording is by the Toetapping Gospel Band here in Georgia)

Merry Christmas..  and Happy New Year!

Eddie Mayfield

We have the Yaskawa E7 variable frequency drives in both bypass and standalone mode. These units are being sold on a first come first serve basis.  Call 800-848-2504 to inquire about stock, or hit the contact icon at the top right of this page.    EMA can also provide installation and start up services.

EMA has been in the electronic motor drive training business for over 20 years, and moving into the medium voltage training is a natural progression.

We began offering field service and shop repair service on medium voltage VFD s several years ago, and its become a significant part of our service offering.

We will cater the level of training to your needs.  If you primarily just need operator and safety training, then that’s what you’ll get.  If on the other hand, you need in depth medium voltage VFD troubleshooting training, then we’ll provide it.  Classes range from 1 to 3 days, depending on the level of training you want, and on the expertise of your maintenance personnel.

Want to talk to us about your medium voltage training needs?  I can assure you we’re the easiest company to do business with you’ve ever run across.  Just hit the contact icon at the top right of this page, and tell us what kind of equipment you have, and a very brief synopsis of the skill levels your people presently have.   We’ll get right back in touch with you.

We have tested this unit, and it works fine. It is clean, and unused. It is available immediately from our Norcross Georgia facility.

There is a paint overspray splotch on the left side of the door, where someone let a nearby paint sprayer get away from them, but otherwise, it looks brand new.

Contact us at 770-448-4644 or hit the contact icon on the top right of this page.

We’ll be happy to send you more pictures, or discuss with you.   We can ship it anywhere within the US at cost, or, you can pick it up here in Georgia.

This is a great price and product for anyone needing a 4160 across the line medium voltage vacuum starter.

Dale and Jena Forehand are authors and sought-after speakers for Marriage and Family Conferences, Men’s Conferences, Women’s Conferences, Parenting, Student and Children Events.  Dale and Jena have conducted marriage conferences all across the country, and are regular keynote speakers for LifeWay’s Festivals of Marriage. They have been featured on the cover of LifeWay’s HomeLife Magazine, CBN’s The 700 Club, published STAINED GLASS MARRIAGE (April 2003), and have produced several devotional materials including the AUTHENTICITY CD SERIES, and the newly released AUTHENTIC WOMAN , a 40-DAY Devotional Bible Study.  They also have an internet teaching program called “Keepin it Real with Dale and Jena.”

They will be leading the marriage conference.  For more information call 770-921-1452.

I recently did a start up on a 3000 HP 4160 volt WEG MV01 medium voltage VFD in California. (IF you require service on a medium voltage VFD, hit the live support chat icon, or call your nearest EMA facility (see bottom of page) OR, hit the contact icon on the top right)

This VFD was acquired through acquisition of a company that was operating the medium voltage WEG VFD in Michigan. The WEG medium voltage VFD was disassembled for shipment in Michigan, by a contractor that was not available to reassemble it.

So we were faced with a bit of a puzzle; we had to reassemble a complex and expensive medium voltage VFD, when we were not there during dis-assembly. Mistakes can be very costly on any medium voltage drive, but to make matters worse, this particular medium voltage VFD was rated for a 13.8 KV input, and a 4160 volt output.

We discovered this by talking to the customer prior to arriving on site. The customer had assumed that it required a 4160 volt input, and didn’t have 13.8 KV available. We assisted him in procuring the proper transformer.

EMA supervised the rewiring. This required wiring from the (now available) 13.8 KV feed to the switchgear, and then to the phase shifting transformer, and then to the medium voltage VFD.

A typical medium voltage VFD start up requires megging the medium voltage phase shifting transformer and motor. The power wires also have to be hi-potted on new applications. This is very important to prevent extensive damage to the VFD and potential harm to personnel.

In addition to the electrical issues, there were mechanical issues, involving assembling the different sections of the MV VFD. I took the job of doing the internal electrical wiring of the VFD myself to make sure that there were no mistakes in both the wiring and the fiber optic cabling. There was minor electrical damage to the equipment during transit, and I was able to repair it.

After a week of labor putting the medium voltage VFD, input transformer, and switchgear all together we ran into a delay in getting the medium voltage rated cables. Despite this delay, we were able to get all the internal electrical and fiber optic connections finished. I performed a low voltage test on the WEG medium voltage VFD. This is very important step of starting a WEG MV01 MV VFD.

The WEG MV01 MV VFD uses the low voltage VFD type topology in its pre-charge network with some exceptions. The MV01 MV VFD uses three phase 460V input and generates 4160V using an internal transformer. The WEG MV01 uses two stages of pre-charge networks just like in low voltage VFDs. Once the 1st and 2nd stage pre-charging is finished and the handshake between the switchgear and the MV VFD is normal, the VFD will allow the switchgear to close and put medium voltage to the MV VFD.

This handshake is very important, for if the pre-charging is not complete, and the switchgear closes, damage to power components and harm to personnel can result. The low voltage test is essential to verify that the handshake between the MV switchgear and the WEG medium voltage VFD is all set before even connecting the power wires from the 13.8KV feed to the input of the switch gear. Once the handshake was verified, I was comfortable with allowing the electrician to wire the 13.8KV to the input of the switch gear.

With just the 460V input, I was able to charge the bus to 5000V and bump the motor and check rotation. This also gives me assurance that the firing circuits are working properly. If there were firing issues on the power arms, I would have fault indications from the MV VFD. Since this particular WEG MV01 VFD ran the motor before, I simply verified all the motor data was accurate.

I also did calibration testing of the power arms and the temperature feedback boards on the VFD. All the tests came out normal.

The final stage of the start up was to bring in the 13.8KV through the phase shifting transformer to the MV VFD. As explained earlier, this is accomplished automatically when the VFD “Power on” button is pressed and the handshake between the MV VFD and the switch gear is good. After pressing the “Power on” button in the front panel of the WEG MV01, the VFD went through the 1st and 2nd stage pre-charging and closed the switch gear. This allows the medium voltage to be applied to the WEG medium voltage VFD. At this point I verified that the bus voltage level and other status indications were normal and then started to perform a test run of the motor. After 30 minutes of testing with no load, I released the MV VFD back to the customer to run production.

This particular medium voltage VFD is used on a motor that runs a pump used in desalinization.

EMA repairs and services not only WEG medium voltage VFDs, but on Siemens Robicon  Perfect Harmony medium voltage VFDs, Toshiba T300MVi medium voltage VFDs, TMIEGE medium voltage VFDs, and the Allen Bradley Powerflex7000 medium voltage VFD. Call your nearest EMA location should you need help on your MV VFD.

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(Find your nearest EMA location on the bottom of this page, OR, hit the live support chat button, OR hit the contact ICON on the top right of this page)