C-1
Appendix C How to Select the Right AC Motor Drive
C.1 Capacity Formulas
C.2 General Precautions
C.3 How to Choose a Suitable Motor
The choice of the right AC motor drive for the application is very important and has a big influence on the drive’s
lifetime. If the capacity of the AC motor drive is too large, it cannot provide complete protection to the motor and
motor might be damaged. If the capacity of the AC motor drive is too small, it cannot provide the required
performance and the AC motor drive might be damaged due to overloading.
Simply selecting the AC motor drive with the same capacity as the motor cannot completely meet the application
requirements. Therefore, a designer should consider all the conditions, including load types, load speeds, load
characteristics, operation methods, rated output, rated speed, power and the change in load capacity. The
following table lists the factors you need to consider, depending on your requirements.
Item
Related Specification
torque
Time
ratings
Overload
capacity
Starting
torque
Load type
Friction load and weight load
Liquid (viscous) load
Inertia load
Load with power transmission
● ●
Load speed and
torque
characteristics
Constant output
Decreasing torque
● ●
Load
characteristics
Shock load
Repetitive load
High starting torque
● ● ● ●
Operation mode
Short-time operation
Long-time operation at medium/low
● ●
Rated output
(instantaneous)
Constant output current (continuous)
● ●
Rated speed
Maximum frequency
Base frequency
●
Power supply
Power supply transformer capacity
or percentage impedance
Voltage fluctuations and unbalance
Number of phases, single phase
protection
● ●
Load capacity
change
Mechanical friction, losses in wiring
Duty cycle modification ●