Gambica launches on-the-job drives training course

Gambica, the organisation representing the instrumentation, control and automation industry, has launched a course to teach engineers, consultants and system designers how to use variable speed drives (VSDs) to save energy.

The course will focus on practical aspects of applying VSDs and will extend beyond the drive itself to examine other aspects such as power supplies and the driven equipment.

The modular correspondence course will cover a period of 150 hours and is designed to be completed within six months. Successful completion will lead to the award of a Gambica Certificate of Competence.

The first course is due to start in October and will cost £500. Up to 50 people are expected to take the courses each year. The scheme is being supported by the Government`s Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme.

Gambica has also been working with REMA, the trade association for motor manufacturers, to produce a technical report on the problems that can arise when motors are used with inverters. The problems occur because the motor`s winding insulation experiences higher voltage stresses than when it is connected directly to an AC supply.

The 24-page report, Motor Insulation Stresses under PWM Inverter Operation, explains that the stresses are caused by the interaction of the fast-rising voltage pulses produced by the drive and transmission line effects in the cable that links the drive to the motor. The magnitude of the stresses depends on the length of the cable.

The illustrated document, looks both at the theory and at practical ways of tackling the problem.

• Several companies have joined Gambica`s VSD group, including ABB Automation, Baldor, Lenze and Omron. The group now has 18 members.