When it comes to energized testing of your electric motor with a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) there are a variety of considerations. In addition to your electric motor health, broad concerns such as drive health and power distribution health should also be considered. To help you prioritize your approach to these considerations we have come up with a Good, Better, Best plan for testing your VFD motors.
Good practice in monitoring your VFD motor is testing from the line side of your VFD. You will be focusing primarily on the distribution system health with a secondary indication of the drive condition. Power Quality (drive input) and Power Circuit fault zones are the primary focus. Faults in either of these fault zones will have a detrimental impact on your electric motor.
Better practice in monitoring your VFD motor is testing from the load side of your VFD. You will be focusing on the motor health with a secondary indication of the drive health. Power Quality (drive output), Stator, Rotor, Insulation, and Air Gap Fault Zones are the primary focus.
Best practice in monitoring your VFD motor is testing both the line and load side of your VFD. You will have a complete evaluation of the line to load side distribution and all available fault zones.
Whether directly connecting to drive and motor with an MCEMAX, testing through MTAP’s, or permanently connecting a PdMAEYE to both line and load side, don’t miss the opportunity to evaluate your drive and motor using a Good, Better, or Best practice.
To see a case study on troubleshooting a DC Drive visit the PdMA YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFuhtXevJs4&t=5s
