AC Inverter Drives

Manufacturers of inverter drives report that of the units returned to them as faulty, up to 80% do not reveal any defects. Such returns are more a result of incorrect programming and/or fault diagnosis by maintenance personnel. This comprehensive course is designed to counter such difficulties by enabling the maintenance engineer to correctly set up, maintain and carry out effective fault-finding on inverter drive systems. Unlike some product-specific courses, this course is substantially generic - effectively covering most of the variable speed drive systems found in industry today and providing a thorough understanding of drive operation within the context of industrial systems.

Suitable for anyone who is required to maintain or configure inverter drives (electricians, instrument technicians, etc). Whilst a knowledge of basic electrical principles is desirable, no prior knowledge of motor theory or electronics is necessary.

The practicalities of configuring, fault-finding and maintenance are demonstrated and then practiced by participants on purpose-built training rigs allowing considerable experience to be gained on a representative range of proprietary drive systems. The course is supported by comprehensive course notes. Candidates gain experience of using Danfoss, Siemens, Mitsubishi, Omron and Allen Bradley drive systems.

On completion of the course, participants will be able to

• apply safe working practices when working with variable speed drives
• demonstrate an understanding of the principles of operation of a range of inverter drive systems
• correctly configure, operate and monitor drive systems
• identify and correct configuration errors
• differentiate between drive faults, motor faults and power faults
• differentiate between control / power circuit drive faults
• appreciate the concepts of fieldbus communications and SCADA systems.