1

1 SECTION 23 05 14
2 VARIABLE FREQUENCY DRIVES
3 BASED ON DFD MASTER ELECTRICAL SPEC DATED 10/2/2017
4
5
6 This section has been written to cover most (but not all) situations that you will encounter. Depending
7 on the requirements of your specific project, you may have to add material, delete items, or modify what
8 is currently written. The Division of Facilities Development expects changes and comments from you.
9
10 The consultant shall carefully edit this section and coordinate the variable frequency drive (VFD) and
11 line reactors to the equipment being specified in the Div. 23 specifications. The VFD will be furnished
12 by the Div. 23 contractor(s) and be installed by the Div. 26 contractor. Coordinate VFD Div. 26
13 requirements with the Div. 26 consultant.
14
15
16 PART 1 GENERAL
17
18 Applicable provisions of Division 1 shall govern all work under this Section
19
20 SCOPE
21 This section includes variable frequency drives, bypass starters, and line reactors. Included are the following topics:
22 PART 1 - GENERAL
23 Scope
24 Related Work
25 Reference
26 Reference Standards
27 Submittals
28 Operating and Maintenance Data
29 Equipment Startup
30 Warranty
31 PART 2 - PRODUCTS
32 Manufacturers
33 Design and Construction
34 Performance Requirements
35 Control Features
36 Protection Features
37 Diagnostics
38 Quality Assurance Tests
39 Bypass Equipment
40 AC Input Line Reactors
41 Output Line Filters
42 PART 3 - EXECUTION
43 Variable Frequency Drives (VFD)
44 Construction Verification Items
45 Functional Performance Testing
46 Agency Training
47
48 RELATED WORK
49 Section 01 91 01 or 01 91 02 – Commissioning Process
50 Section 23 08 00 – Commissioning of HVAC
51 Section 22 30 00 – Plumbing Equipment
52 Section 23 12 13 - Facility Fuel-Oil Pumps
53 Section 23 21 23 - Hydronic Pumps
54 Section 23 34 00 - HVAC Fans
55 Section 23 64 15 - Water Cooled Chillers
56 Section 23 65 00 - Cooling Towers
57 Section 23 73 13 - Modular Indoor Central-Station Air-Handling Units

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1 Section 26 05 26 - Grounding and Bonding for Electrical Systems

2 Section 26 05 29 - Hangers and Supports for Electrical Systems
3 Section 26 05 53 - Identification for Electrical Systems
4 Section 26 27 02 – Equipment Wiring Systems
5
6 REFERENCE
7 Applicable provisions of Division 1 govern work under this section.
8
9 REFERENCE STANDARDS
10 ANSI/IEEE 519 Guide for Harmonic Control and Reactive Compensation of Static Power Converters
11
12 SUBMITTALS
13 Submit shop drawings and product data under provisions of Division 1, General Conditions of the Contract.
14
15 Include physical, electrical, and performance characteristics of each variable frequency drive and associated
16 components, including dimensions; weight; input and output performance; voltage, phase, current and overcurrent
17 characteristics; installation instructions; protective features; wiring and block diagrams indicating specified options;
18 electrical noise attenuation equipment where required to meet the criteria specified; line side voltage notch wave
19 form and line side current harmonics; certified efficiency versus load and speed curves; and required operating
20 environment.
21
22 OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE DATA
23 All operations and maintenance data shall comply with the submission and content requirements specified under
24 section GENERAL REQUIREMENTS.
25
26 Delete the following if there are no additional requirements.
27 In addition to the general content specified under GENERAL REQUIREMENTS supply the following additional
28 documentation:
29 1. [A/E and commissioning provider to define detailed operation and maintenance data requirements for
30 equipment specifications added to this section.]
31
32 EQUIPMENT STARTUP AND AGENCY TRAINING
33 Provide the services of a factory trained and certified technician to approve the installation; start-up, test, and adjust
34 for proper operation of the unit(s). Upon completion of the equipment startup, submit a complete manufacturer’s
35 field report, including startup and test log, signed by the factory trained technician. Coordinate with the Temperature
36 Control Contractor and the Balancing Contractor. The startup shall be coordinated with Division 26. Electrical and
37 shall be completed within ten (10) working days from the startup date as set by the DFD representative.
38
39 WARRANTY
40 The warranty shall be for a period of twenty-four (24) months from the date of project Substantial Completion.
41 Further, the warranty shall include all parts, labor, travel time, administrative costs, overhead, travel expenses,
42 technical support and any and all other costs to provide the warranty service.
43
44
45 PART 2 PRODUCTS
46
47 MANUFACTURERS
48
49 ABB, Toshiba, Danfoss, Trane/Danfoss, GE, Emerson, Yaskawa, Eaton/Cutler Hammer, Mitsubishi, Allen Bradley
50
51 The consultant shall identify any VFDs to be installed in plenum areas and specify plenum
52 rated devices in those areas.
53 DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
54 The unit shall be variable torque, modular design for control of the motors as specified in Division 23 and rated at
55 the motor full load nameplate amps.
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1 The unit shall be U.L. listed, solid state, microprocessor based with a pulse width modulated (PWM) output wave
2 form (none others are acceptable).
3
4 The VFD shall employ a full wave bridge rectifier and capacitors to minimize the ripple of the rectified voltage to
5 maintain near constant DC voltage. Insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBT’s) shall be employed as the output
6 switching device.
7
8 The VFD package shall contain the equivalent of 5% impedance to reduce harmonic distortion. The 5% equivalent
9 impedance shall be provided in the form of a DC bus choke, an input AC line reactor in each phase, or a
10 combination of the two methods.
11
12 Control circuitry shall be plug-in, plug-out modular basis with a corrosion resistant coating on printed circuit boards.
13
14 Units to be suitable for an operating environment from 0°C to 40°C temperature and humidity up to 90% non-
15 condensing.
16
17 Electrically and physically isolate control circuitry and conductors from power circuitry and power conductors.
18 Control conductors and power conductors shall not be run in the same pathway.
19
20 The unit enclosure shall be NEMA [1, 12] as required for the application minimum and all components shall be fully
21 factory assembled and tested prior to leaving the manufacturing facility.
22
23 A manual bypass is required on VFD installations where adequate redundancy of mechanical
24 systems does not exist and a bypass is required to make the building functional on VFD failure.
25 This determination should be made based on evaluating the mechanical system, what it is
26 serving, the consequences of a failure, and economic impact on the project. There may be some
27 cases when a manual bypass is not economical (such as in very small motor applications). If a
28 bypass is provided, it is the AE’s responsibility to design the mechanical system it is serving with
29 proper sizing, mechanical components, etc. to operate under full speed without damage or
30 failure of the mechanical system. The AE shall schedule the VFD and bypass requirements on
31 the mechanical plans.
32
33 Include the following operating and monitoring devices mounted on the front cover:
34 A fused disconnect switch to de-energize the drive [and bypass circuit] with door interlocked handle and
35 lock-open padlocking provisions.
36 Operating mode selector switch marked "hand-off-auto".
37 Manual speed adjustment via keypad, mounted on the door.
38 Manual bypass selector switch to select power through drive or bypass (if a bypass is provided).
39
40 [Provide a manual bypass circuit and bypass starter to transfer from variable frequency drive operation to bypass
41 operation (if a bypass is provided).]
42
43 PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS
44 Units shall be suitable for input power of electrical system as scheduled on the drawings ±10%, 3 phase, 60 Hertz
45 nominal.
46
47 Use a current limiting control device to limit output current to 110% continuous for one minute; also refer to
48 Protection Features in this section. Full load output current available from drive shall not be less than motor
49 nameplate amperage. The full load amp rating of the VFD shall not be less than the values indicated in the NEC
50 Table 430-150.
51
52 Output power shall be suitable for driving standard NEMA B design, three phase alternating current induction
53 motors at full rated speed with capability of 6:1 turndown.
54
55 Additional performance capabilities to include the following:
56 Ride through a momentary power outage of 15 cycles,

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1 Start into a rotating load without damage to drive components or motor,

2 Capable of automatic restart into a rotating load after a preset, adjustable time delay following a
3 power outage
4 Input power factor: Min 0.95 throughout the speed range
5 Minimum efficiency: 95% at 100% speed, 85% at 50% speed
6
7 CONTROL FEATURES
8 Use control circuits compatible with input signal from temperature control system in the automatic mode and from
9 manual speed control in the manual mode. Vary motor speed in response to the input control signal. Include
10 components necessary to accept the signal from the temperature control system in the form that it is sent. Refer to
11 Division 23 00 00.
12
13 Include the following additional control features:
14  Hand-Off-Automatic (HOA) selector switch to select local or remote start/stop and speed control
15  Analog input, selectable 0-10v or 4-20 mA, for automatic control from the temperature control system
16  Local speed control at the VFD
17  Adjustable acceleration and deceleration rate so that the time period from start to full speed and from full speed
18 to stop can be field adjusted
19  Adjustable minimum and maximum speed settings for both automatic and manual modes of operation
20  Manual transfer bypass circuit
21  Field adjustment of minimum and maximum output frequency
22  Two (2) sets of programmable form “C” contacts for remote indication of variable frequency drive condition.
23 Note: default programming to be set for “Drive Run & Fault”.
24  Illuminated display keypad.
25  External Fault indicator
26  One (1) input for a N.O. dry contact type input for a 2-wire remote start/stop
27  One (1) input for a N.C. dry contact type input for external faults: (freezestats, fire alarm, smokes, etc). This
28 input shall be factory wired to prevent both the VFD and bypass starter operation when external fault is present.
29  One (1) N.O. dry contact output for proving motor status. This output shall be programmed to detect belt or
30 coupling break that would remove the load from the motor. The dry contact will open on loss of load or VFD
31 being off.
32  PID control loop capable of VFD control from an external device connected to a VFD analog input.
33  When specified in the 23 09 93 sequence of operations, provide a VFD input and output for shutoff damper
34 control that shall operate as follows: When the fan is remotely or locally commanded to start, VFD contact shall
35 energize the shutoff damper to open the damper. The damper position end switch shall be wired to a run
36 permissive input on the VFD and enable the VFD to start when the damper end switch provides the damper is
37 open. This feature shall be provided for both inverter and bypass operation (if bypass option is provided).
38
39 For VFD’s that are to be integrated into the building automation system the following paragraph should be used.
40 Determine by discussing with Agency staff and DFD, if this type of interface is currently being utilized on the
41 Agencies existing buildings/campus. If so, it should be provided. Determine if the system the VFD is integrated
42 into requires a different protocol such as LonWorks FTT-10, Modbus RTU, or Modbus TCP. If so, modify the
43 protocol from BACnet MSTP to the appropriate protocol.
44
45 The VFD controller shall convert VFD information into the BACnet MSTP protocol that will be compatible with the
46 building direct digital energy management system (EMS) supplied on the project. This output shall be through a
47 serial interface port capable of two-way communication with the building EMS provided on this project. Final
48 connection shall not require any additional intermediate gateway devices to provide throughput of data. The
49 following data shall be provided at a minimum:
50
51  Fault condition
52  Speed
53  Amperage
54  Frequency
55  Voltage
56  Bypass status (if supplied)

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1
2
3
4 PROTECTION FEATURES
5 Use electronic protection circuitry in the power circuits to provide an orderly shutdown of the drive without blowing
6 fuses and prevent component loss under the following abnormal conditions:
7 Activation of any safety device;
8 Instantaneous overcurrent and/or over voltage of output;
9 Power line overvoltage and undervoltage protection;
10 Phase loss;
11 Single and three phase short circuiting;
12 Ground faults;
13 Control circuit malfunction;
14 Overtemperature; and
15 Output current over limit.
16
17 Provide the following additional protective features:
18  Input transient overvoltage protection up to 3000 volts per ANSI 37.90A;
19  DC bus fusing which limit the rate of rise of the DC bus current and de-energizes the drive at a predetermined
20 current level;
21  Fusing for the control circuit transformer;
22  Grounded control chassis; and
23  Devices and/or control circuitry to ensure that the variable frequency drive and bypass starter are not both
24 energized and driving motor simultaneously.
25
26 DIAGNOSTICS
27 Provide an English character display (no error codes) with indicators for the following:
28 Phase loss
29 Ground fault
30 Overcurrent
31 Overvoltage
32 Undervoltage
33 Over temperature
34 Overload
35 DC bus status
36
37 QUALITY ASSURANCE TESTS
38 Use a factory heat stress test to verify proper operation of all functions and components under full load.
39
40 Field performance test of variable frequency drives to determine compliance with this specification will be
41 performed at the DFD's discretion and may include any specified feature, including operation of protective devices
42 through a simulated fault. Contractor will pay for initial testing. Should drive be found deficient by this testing,
43 drive manufacturer will be required to make any and all changes necessary to bring unit(s) into compliance with the
44 specified performance and demonstrate this performance by retesting. Cost of changes and retest will be by this
45 contractor.
46
47 Variable frequency drive manufacturer or designated representative to perform a field test of each drive, in the
48 presence of the DFD's representative, for the following items:
49  Provide general inspection to verify proper installation;
50  Demonstrate drive reaction to simulated power interruptions of two seconds and sixty seconds;
51  Demonstrate adequate protection during switching from variable frequency drive operation to bypass starter
52 operation and back again;
53
54 BYPASS EQUIPMENT
55 Bypass Starters:

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1 The bypass starters for 208 volt motors, 20 HP and less; and 480 volt motors, 40 HP and less, shall be
2 across-the-line magnetic starter type.
3
4 The bypass starters for 208 volt motors, 25 HP and more; and 480 volt motors, 50 HP and more, shall be
5 solid state reduced voltage starting type.
6
7 Bypass Configuration:
8 Provide one main fused disconnect switch to de-energize both the drive and bypass circuit. Provide a drive
9 input disconnect switch to allow the drive to be isolated while the bypass circuit is energized. Provide one
10 output drive contactor and one output bypass contactor. The two output contactors shall be electrically
11 interlocked to allow only one contactor to be closed at any one time.
12
13 Provide motor overload protection in the bypass circuit.
14
15 Provide bypass equipment in a common enclosure with the VFD or, if not available, in a separate enclosure.
16
17 AC INPUT LINE REACTORS
18 When needed to comply with the requirement for 5% equivalent impedance, furnish and factory install AC input
19 line reactors.
20
21 Line reactors shall be installed in each phase of the AC input side of the VFD and mounted within a common
22 enclosure with the VFD.
23
24 Line reactor shall be a three phase inductor, iron core, 600V, Class H insulation, 115 degree C rise, copper windings
25 with screw type terminal blocks.
26
27 Include the following section if 460VAC drives on the project have output line lengths over 120 feet. It is not
28 desirable to locate VFD’s outside and we would prefer adding an output line filter and locating the VFD inside.
29 As a rule, do not exceed line lengths of 300 feet for 460VAC motors. Specifically call out what drives will require
30 output filters to eliminate confusion if line lengths are indeterminate.
31
32 OUTPUT LINE FILTER
33 Provide a three phase dV/dT output filter for any 460VAC drive with output line length of over 120 feet or as
34 specified.
35
36
37 PART 3 EXECUTION
38
39 VARIABLE FREQUENCY DRIVES
40 Install where indicated on drawings and in accordance with approved submittals and manufacturer's published
41 recommendations. Installation to be by the Division 26 00 00 - Electrical contractor.
42
43 Input power wiring shall be installed in a separate conduit, output power wiring shall be installed in a separate
44 conduit and control wiring shall be installed in a separate conduit. Do not mix input power, output power, or control
45 wiring in a common conduit. Separate conduits for input and output power wiring shall be provided for each motor.
46 Input and output power wiring for more than one motor shall not share a common conduit. Power wiring shall be
47 furnished and installed by the Div. 26 contractor. If provided, do not mount output line filter above the drive.
48
49 The consultant is to coordinate with the Division 26 00 00 - Electrical consultant to ensure that
50 VFD requirements, characteristics, and locations are correctly shown on the mechanical and
51 electrical plans.
52 Control signal for drive will be provided under Division 23.
53
54 Temperature Control Contractor will furnish and install the required temperature control wiring in metal conduit and
55 in accordance with Division 26 00 00 - Electrical of this specification.
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1 CONSTRUCTION VERIFICATION ITEMS

2 Contractor is responsible for utilizing the construction verification checklists supplied under specification Section 23
3 08 00 in accordance with the procedures defined for construction verification in Section 01 91 01 or 01 91 02.
4
5 FUNCTIONAL PERFORMANCE TESTING
6 Contractor is responsible for utilizing the functional performance test procedures supplied under specification
7 Section 23 08 00 in accordance with the procedures defined for functional performance testing in Section 01 91 01
8 or 01 91 02.
9
10 AGENCY TRAINING
11 All training provided for agency shall comply with the format, general content requirements and submission
12 guidelines specified under Section 01 91 01 or 01 91 02.
13
14 Contractor to provide factory authorized representative and/or field personnel knowledgeable with the operations,
15 maintenance and troubleshooting of the system and/or components defined within this section for a minimum period
16 of [XX] hours.
17
18
19 END OF SECTION

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