ITT Goulds Pumps identified the need for a new test facility at their plant in Seneca Falls, NY to test and package a new line of larger and engineered pumps manufactured in Seneca Falls. Because pumps of various sizes and speed ranges will be tested in the facility, it was necessary to have the new facility equipped with Medium Voltage Variable Frequency Drive (MV VFD) technology on the control side. Goulds Pumps awarded the contract to WEG Electric Corp. because of their experience in providing MV VFD systems for similar applications.

WEG studied this unique application and determined that it would require two MV VFD systems each capable of powering up to 6,000 HP motors. The WEG MVW01 Drive is capable of driving motors up to 8,000 HP but since the application required increased horsepower in the future our engineers went to work on developing a drive capable of these higher outputs.

Each MV VFD system was designed and delivered to drive a 6,000 HP motor. The PLC provided with this system allows both MV VFD systems to be configured to run in parallel, giving Goulds Pumps a 12,000 HP output with future expansion capabilities built right into the base MV VFD systems (Up to 16,000 HP by adding power modules). The unique aspect of this design and installation is that the expansion capability can be accomplished without making any changes to the equipment layout or existing electrical room as all components are already mechanically suitable for this expansion. This means no additional space will be required.

Since additional equipment was needed to keep this state of the art testing facility flexible for years to come, WEG worked closely and tirelessly with two additional vendors to ensure all elements of the complete system integrated seamlessly.

From the time discussions began between Goulds Pumps and WEG until the MV VFD systems were commissioned, it took little over a year for completion, which was very ambitious for an engineered application like this; however, this was required in order to meet the project schedule set forth by ITT Gould Pumps.

WEG – “Transforming Energy into Solutions”.