Process reliability is absolutely critical. Machines have become pretty reliable, but motor drives have not been able to keep pace. There is a general impression that semiconductors drives, although versatile, are not as rugged and reliable. There is good news, however. Cell-based power drives possess reliability and availability close to one hundred percent.
So, what is special about cell-based drives? Cell-based drive design is the latest in the power electronics market. Multiple power cells based on low voltage IGBTs are interconnected in a modular design to provide the desired output which is good enough to drive virtually any machine. Variable frequencies are available from zero to 150 KHz. A high mark is the ability to bypass a sick cell quickly without interrupting the operation or causing transients on the line. Here are some of the advantages of cell-based power drives:
It is for these reasons that cell-based power drives are now dominating the industrial power solutions.