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Tech Note: Keeping Motor Drives at the Ready Eases Retrofit of an Existing Processing Line, and Re-activation of a Mothballed Line
(Intermediate Circuit Capacitor Reforming of Spare and Stored Converters)
by Kjell Ingman and Mikko Lammi Introduction With manufacturing orders in the U.S. rising throughout the last half of 2003, and the economy showing indicators of a new cycle of growth, demand for all types of manufactured goods is following suit. Processors forced to mothball production areas or lines to weather the recent downdraft now will find themselves needing to retrofit existing processes, to improve throughput. They also will need to re-activate equipment that has waited in standby mode. As many plant engineers know, there is a penalty to electrical equipment, if it is mothballed for long. Whether stored as spare parts, or taken offline as part of a production pullback strategy, electrical products such as motor drives need to be maintained and activated periodically. This enables the system to provide optimum performance when brought back online. (Note: a converter is the front portion of a drive that converts AC line current to DC current.) Heres a guide to that process. The particulars mentioned below apply to ABBs ACS600 Single Drive and Multidrive units but the same guidelines apply generally to all converters. One Year? Need to Reform DC link capacitors need to be reformed (re-charged), if the drive has been non-operational for more than one year. Without reforming, capacitors may be damaged when the converter starts to operate. The reforming methods and guidelines detailed here assume that a drive has been stocked and/or used in clean and dry conditions. How to Check a Drives Age Again, as a general rule, it is recommended that end users reform the capacitors once a year. To determine the age of a drive, check its serial number; this defines the week/year in which the converter was built. Serial numbers for ABB, as an example, can be in one of the following configurations: 7 digit -- e.g., 7260034, 7 denotes manufacturing year (1997), 26th manufacturing week, and 0034 is the running manufacturing number; 8 digit -- e.g., 18250125, 1 denotes manufacturing country (1= Finland), 8 equals the manufacturing year (1998), 25th manufacturing week, and 0125 is the running manufacturing number; 10 digit -- e.g., 1983200725, 1 denotes manufacturing country, 98 is the manufacturing year, 32nd

manufacturing week, and 00725 is the running manufacturing number. Reforming time The converter is kept at a safe voltage during the reforming time required to wake up the capacitors. The reforming time required (see Fig.1) depends on how long the converter has been stocked (non-operational):
Capacitor reforming time
6 Forming time in hours 5 4 3 2 1 0 0 1 Method 1 2 3 4 5 Method 2 6

Non-operational time in years

Figure 1. Capacitor reforming time for Method 1 and Method 2

Drives Stocked (non-operational) Less Than Two (2) Years Switch the power on to the converter for a time given in Figure 1 (Method 1). The converter wakes up its capacitors by itself. In the case of ABB ACS600 Multidrive units, power them up once a year, to keep the capacitors in operational condition. Converters Stocked (non-operational) for Two (2) Years and Longer Use method 2A or method 2B (below) for capacitor reforming, if the converters have been stocked (nonoperational) for two or more years.

WARNING! The inverter module of certain, specific multidrive units must be reformed outside the cabinet. Check with your manufacturer regarding specific models/units to which this guideline applies! Reforming Method 2A Capacitor reforming is achieved by switching in a rectifier and a resistor circuit, which are connected to the converter DC link. The reforming circuit (Fig.2) is shown below (A = Rectifier; R = Resistor; C = Capacitor). Circuit component values for different voltages are given in the table following Figure 2. Refer to the reforming time required from Figure 1.

WARNING! The converter supply must be disconnected, while reforming circuit is connected.

Ux

C R
Disconnect UC DW1 Ux V1 CONVERTER V2 UC D+ W2

U1

U2

Figure 2: Reforming circuit for method 2A.

Recommended components C A R 380 V < Ux < 415 V SKD 82/16 220 Ohm / 700 W 22 nF / 2000 V 380 V < Ux < 500 V SKD 82/16 470 Ohm / 1200 W 22 nF / 2000 V 525 V < Ux < 690 V SKD 82/16 680 Ohm / 1700 W 22 nF / 2000 V

Table 1: Component values for reforming above. (Notes to Table: the part numbers listed under column A are specific to ABB drives, as are the Nan farads measurements of the capacitors in column C. These are by way of example.)

Reforming Method 2B This capacitor reforming method is based on availability of a DC power supply, which is connected to a converter DC link. An appropriate reforming voltage is (1.35... 2 )x UX. Power supply current charges the converter capacitors. The power supply must be able to limit current to 500mA or less. If the power supply doesnt provide current limiting, then a resistor (R), per Table 1 should be installed as an option (per Fig.3 below). Again, refer to reforming time required from Figure 1.

WARNING! The converter supply must be disconnected, while the reforming circuit is connected.

DC Power supply

R
Disconnect UDCW1 Ux V1 UDC+ W2

CONVERTER

V2

U1

U2

Figure 3: Reforming circuit for method 2B. Keeping Drives Ready for Production You basically have two choices -- decide to reform/recharge your array of drives with in-house electrical engineers, or call on your third-party supplier for help. Due diligence in this procedure will ensure these drives are re-charged, and make it easier to bring the drives back on stream quickly and efficiently. This also includes the motors and mechanical equipment that the drives control and power. Additionally, annual reforming of stored or non-used drives ensures that they remain at the ready, to provide the peak capacities and the operational parameters that were manufactured into the converters originally. Neglecting this critical maintenance procedure can, in a worst-case scenario, result in the capacitors failing, as well as the drives. This, in turn, means a delay in re-starting a line or process.

For more detailed help regarding the procedures above, call ABB Customer Service at 1-800-752-0696, and ask for Technical Support. ABB Inc., Automation Technologies, Drives, Motors and Power Electronics, is the world's largest manufacturer of electric motors and drives. In the USA, an integrated channel of sales representatives, distributors, and system integrators allow ABB, New Berlin, Wisconsin, to supply a complete line of energy-efficient electric drives, motors and engineered drive systems to a wide range of industrial and commercial customers. Products manufactured include AC and DC variable speed drives for electric motors from 1/8th through 135,000 HP, large AC machines and drives, medium-voltage drives, power electronics and rectifier systems, AC & DC motors, and applicationspecific drive system solutions to meet diverse customer needs (http://www.abb-drives.com). ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enables utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 120,000 people. The company's U.S. operations employ about 9,500 in manufacturing and other facilities in 40 states. ### Authors Note: Kjell Ingman (kjell.ingman@fi.abb.com) and Mikko Lammi (mikko.i.lammi@fi.abb.com) are technical manager and design engineer, respectively, for ABB Industry Oy, and are based in Helsinki, Finland.

For more information please contact: Call ABB Technical Support Drives, Motors and Power Electronics New Berlin, Wisconsin 1-800-752-0696 phone 262-785-0397 fax ABB Media Relations Ken Graber 262-780-3873 phone 262-785-8501 fax ken.j.graber@us.abb.com