Motor control reduces noise & vibration

The fan was being driven by a single-phase motor controlled by a Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) system. This provided limited control over the speed of the fan resulting in noise at up to 72dB, in addition to significant vibration.

“Laboratory flow hoods provide safe ventilation in a number of applications in laboratory environments. In this case, the motor control was a simplistic PWM system. The poor control meant the motor created noise and vibration that was not acceptable in such a sensitive environment,” said Marcus Silva, Invertek Drives head of sales for Latin America.

“We introduced one of our variable frequency drive to the application. A combination of its ease to set up and commission, along with its ability to provide accurate speed control, meant the problems associated with the old system were solved immediately.

“The noise levels dropped to below 62dB and the issue of vibration was resolved. It also gives operators much more control over the level of ventilation needed by altering the speed of the motor.”

In this case, the Optidrive E3 VFD used was a 05HP single phase input/output, 220V, 4.3A, with an IP20 enclosure. The compact size of the drive meant it could be easily fitted to an existing panel, taking up little space.

“The Invertek solution made our equipment move to a different level when compared with our competitors,” said a spokesperson for AmbiKontrol. “We immediately had a reduction of up to 62dB in noise levels, in addition to motor vibration. Our customers noticed this straight away and were impressed with the system.”

www.invertekdrives.com