A frequency converter is an electronic device used to adjust the speed of an asynchronous, PM or Sychron reluctance motor. This leads to the following advantages:
· Improvement of the process control
· Lower energy consumption and efficient power generation
· Less mechanical stress for motors and equipment
· Optimized operation of various applications with electric motors
Variable speed drives can also convert energy from natural and renewable sources, such as solar, wind or tidal, to feed into the grid or make it available for local consumption. Frequency converters are used in hybrid technologies to combine conventional energy sources and stored energy for higher-level energy management.
Inverters are also known by many other names: Variable speed drives, three-phase drives, variable speed drives, inverters, power converters and power converters.
They are available in versions for control cabinets and rooms, for mounting directly in the plant or as decentralized solutions for mounting close to the motor or engine.
To convert 50hz to 60hz, we use a two-stage power conversion process to assure that the output voltage is precisely regulated and isolated from noise and disruptions on the input AC power source. As shown in the figure below, the input AC power is processed through an AC-to-DC power converter that assures the input power factor is as close to one as possible. This reduces the current on the input source, providing the environmentally friendly benefit of reducing the carbon emissions from the electric power provider.
The output of the AC-to-DC converter is provided an energy storage bank. The energy storage bank keeps the output load supplied with power even if the input power should be momentarily interrupted.
The output of the energy storage bank is connected to a DC-to-AC converter (also known as an inverter) that generates a pure sine wave output of 120V 60Hz.
For clarity, not shown in the diagram are the input and output filters that limit electrical noise emitted into the input and output AC power and the input and output protection circuits.
