Motors & Drives

Rockwell Automation Allen-Bradley PowerFlex 6000T Medium Voltage VFD Saves Space

July 12, 2023

The Allen-Bradley PowerFlex 6000T medium voltage variable frequency drive (VFD) from Rockwell Automation has a compact design that is suitable for applications in IEC markets when industrial space is limited.

Sharon Spielman

The PowerFlex 6000T drive offers a compact A-frame design that is well suited to new and retrofit industrial applications such as fans, pumps and compressors. The drives can be used for motor control applications from 100 kW to 11,000 kW (190 hp to 14,600 hp) and for motors rated from 2.3 kV to 11 kV.

The drive is equipped with TotalFORCE technology, a smart industrial control that allows for real-time operational intelligence. Features of the control system include:

system performance monitoring
delivery of faster commissioning with adaptive control
energy savings with economizer mode
reduction in downtime and repair costs with predictive maintenance alerts
easy to startup and troubleshooting of all drives on the common control platform.

The PowerFlex 6000T VFD can accept up to 13.8 kV primary voltage, nearly twice the input voltage, in a footprint that is 2310 to 3010 mm (7.58 to 9.87 feet) wide. It can be applied to 3 to 4.16 kV applications with a built-in high-voltage input. High-voltage feeds can be directly connected to the drive from the main distribution line without additional step-down transformer or substation equipment.

The drive also features easy configuration, integration and visualization in the Studio 5000 design environment. The Add-on Profile includes the preconfigured data translator, visual user interface and data configurator. This is also the tool that sends drive data to the control system.

Compact Design Made for Small Spaces

The drive’s compact A-frame design works for new and retrofit industrial applications where industrial space is a premium—specifically for high-voltage primary installations.

Design features of the PowerFlex 6000T medium voltage VFD include availability for 2.3 kV to 4.16 kV in three frame sizes—up to 70 A, 71 to 140 A, and 141 to 215 A; rear access is not required; top or bottom line/load cables; standard surge arrestors; IP31/IP42 enclosures available; 80 dB(A); reduced commissioning time; minimum 100,000 hours MTBF; and an automatic power cell bypass option available without size increase.

PowerFlex 6000T drives can manage motor control in demanding applications such as those in heavy industries such as oil and gas refining; mining, mineral and metal processing; power generation plants; and water and wastewater treatment facilities.

About the Author

Sharon Spielman | Technical Editor, Machine Design

As Machine Design’s technical editor, Sharon Spielman produces content for the brand’s focus audience—design and multidisciplinary engineers. Her beat includes 3D printing/CAD; mechanical and motion systems, with an emphasis on pneumatics and linear motion; automation; robotics; and CNC machining.

Spielman has more than three decades of experience as a writer and editor for a range of B2B brands, including those that cover machine design; electrical design and manufacturing; interconnection technology; food and beverage manufacturing; process heating and cooling; finishing; and package converting.

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