Rockwell Automation has announced the launch of the Allen-Bradley PowerFlex 700L liquid cooled drive. This technology enables the unit to be utilised in conditions where air-cooled versions may increase costs or operate unreliably, for instance in dust-filled environments. The system offers high performance, energy efficiency and requires less floor space than conventional air-cooled units. Potential applications include chillers, lathes, centrifuges, oilfield machinery, marine propulsion and log carriages.
Available in power ranges from 150-860 kW, the PowerFlex 700L features IGBTs (insulated gate bipolar transistors) instead of diodes in its AC to DC converter section. This provides the drive with an active rectifier that enables the energy regenerated during motor braking to be safely returned to the facility's power system thereby boosting efficiency. Regenerative energy is actively modulated to reduce harmonic disturbance levels below IEEE 519 and CE requirements without additional filtering.
According to Rockwell Automation, unlike other liquid-cooled drives that require a coolant line to each power transistor, the PowerFlex 700L features a single cooling input and output. This proprietary liquid-cooled heatsink greatly increases power density, resulting in a drive that is up to 65% smaller than similarly power-rated air-cooled drives. The simplified cooling strategy makes it easy for users to integrate with existing systems, or incorporate a heat exchanger for dissipation to the atmosphere.
The active rectifier provides the PowerFlex 700L with the ability to boost and regulate the drive's DC bus voltage, thereby minimising the effects of input disturbances and power line dips and helping to protect sensitive processes. The design topology also provides a power line voltage boost that enables the drive to control a single voltage motor on both 480 and 380 V power lines. This flexibility is particularly beneficial to OEMs building machines for the international market.
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