AC Motor Controllers and Drives
Liquid-Cooled AC Drive From Rockwell Automation Features Compact Size and Expanded Application Flexibility
Allen-Bradley PowerFlex 700L delivers power regeneration capabilities, energy efficiency and application versatility
MILWAUKEE, June 1, 2006 - Manufacturers and industrial motor users requiring a high-horsepower drive with a space-saving design can take advantage of the new Allen Bradley PowerFlex 700L liquid-cooled drive from Rockwell Automation. Featuring the ability to withstand increasingly rugged environments, motor control users in a variety of industries will benefit from the drive's high-performance, energy-efficient liquid-cooled technology.
Unlike other liquid-cooled drives which require a water line to each Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) power transistor to control heat, the PowerFlex 700L features a single cooling input and output to the IGBTs. This proprietary liquid-cooled heatsink greatly increases power density resulting in a drive that is up to 65 percent smaller compared with similar horsepower air-cooled drives. This design also helps simplify plumbing, since users can apply one line for the drive and dissipate heat to
other liquids, such as recycled plant water - or in a water-to-air heat exchanger loop if the heat needs to be distributed back to the air.
Available in horsepower ranges from 200 to 1,150 hp, the PowerFlex 700L features IGBTs instead of diodes in its AC to DC converter section. This provides the drive with an active rectifier that permits excess energy created by the motor to be regenerated into the facility's power system. This regenerative energy is actively modulated so it will not create harmonic disturbances, making the drive one of the quietest in the industry.
Application Versatility
Because the drive can be sealed for protection from the elements, users can install the drive in conditions where air-cooled drives cannot operate, such as dusty or wet environments and outdoor locations. Potential applications include HVAC/chillers, pumping applications (including water/wastewater settings), oil field machinery, marine propulsion, forming and stamping, log carriages and lathes, mining and centrifuges.
"The drive reduces the need for ventilation for cooling so it can be placed in virtually any setting, including a dusty factory, outdoors or in applications that would traditionally require large control rooms to house the drives," said Glenn Frazier, product manager, Rockwell Automation. "It also requires less floor space than air-cooled drives further increasing the product's application versatility.
Energy Efficient
The drive's active rectifier technology reduces power line harmonics to levels below IEEE 519 and CE requirements without installing additional hardware. The drive's power regeneration capabilities are particularly beneficial in high-horsepower applications where motors need to be stopped quickly, such as presses and centrifuges. Excess energy created by the motor can be put directly back into the facility's power system to be used by other processes, thus boosting energy efficiency.
The active rectifier provides the drive with another key capability - it can boost and regulate the drive's DC bus voltage. This capability helps minimize the effects of input voltage disturbances and power line dips, thus helping protect sensitive processes. This technology also provides a power line voltage boost that enables the drive to control a single voltage motor on both 480V and 380V power lines. This capability is particularly useful to OEMs that want to build one machine with one motor voltage but sell it into any global location.
Rockwell Automation (NYSE: ROK), is a leading global provider of automation, power, control, and information solutions that help manufacturers achieve a competitive advantage in their businesses. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., U.S.A., the company employs about 21,000 people serving customers in more than 80 countries.
For more information on the PowerFlex 700L drive please contact the Rockwell Automation Response Center, 10701 Hampshire Avenue South, Bloomington, Minn., 55438, (800) 223-5354, ext. 1917.
Rebecca Archibald
Rockwell Automation
(262) 512-8318
rkarchibald@ra.rockwell.com
