RMC-12-44 MAINTAINING ADJUSTABLE SPEED DRIVE RELIABILITY AFTER OBSOLECENCE: REPLACE OR REFURBISH?

Description:

The installed base of electronic high capacity adjustable speed drives (ASD) has grown over the past 30 years. This growth was made possible due to the development of power semiconductor devices like thyristors that made the ASD an attractive commercial solution. Technological advances in communications, micro processing, high-speed switching and cooling systems have made these products more reliable, smaller, and more commercially accepted in industry. With technological advancement, invariably there is obsolescence of older equipment. Maintaining older adjustable speed drives becomes commercially less attractive and sometimes impossible as parts become scarce. This paper presents a case study in which an ASD operator was faced with decisions on how to maintain their equipment after obsolescence was announced. Potential solutions and alternative options are evaluated against cost and facility downtime. The paper concludes with the options available to ASD operators that eliminate the concern of maintaining the adjustable speed drive and obsolescence after 20 years of operation. It will help the operator make the decision based on the application.