What is a Variable Frequency Drive?
Variable Frequency Drives, also referred to as AC Drives, AC inverters, Variable Voltage Drives, or Variable Speed Drives (VSD), are solid-state devices that are used to control the speed of 3-phase AC motors. Their most common application is the control of 3-phase AC induction motors. An AC induction motor’s speed is dependent upon the motor’s physical construction. Specifically, the number of electromagnetic poles distributed in the motor’s stator and the frequency of the AC voltage applied to the motor determine its speed.
A VFD provides a variable frequency voltage waveform to an AC induction motor. Since the motor’s speed is dependent on the frequency of its AC voltage, the drive provides control over motor speed by changing both the voltage and the frequency of the motor’s AC waveform.