Safety System and Method for Pump and Motor

• US 20100312398A1
• Filed: 06/09/2009
• Published: 12/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Briggs & Stratton Corporation, Danfoss Low Power Drives, Pentair Flow Technologies LLC (Pentair Plc (Ireland))
• Original Assignee: Pentair Flow Technologies LLC (Pentair Plc (Ireland))
• Inventors: Berthelsen, Lars Hoffmann, Holm, Martin Skov, Kidd, Melissa Drechsel, Baase, Gary Thomas II, Fink, Rasmus, Pasche, Michael Robert, Genaw, William James
• Granted Patent: US 8,564,233 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/282
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 15/0066 by changing the speed, e.g. of the driving engine
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 1/04 Arrangements for preventing response to transient abnormal conditions, e.g. to lightning or to short duration over voltage or oscillations; Damping the influence of dc component by short circuits in ac networks
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 7/0822 Integrated protection, motor control centres
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 25/04 Single phase motors, e.g. capacitor motors

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide a variable frequency drive system and a method of controlling a pump driven by a motor with the pump in fluid communication with a fluid system. The drive system and method can provide one or more of the following: a sleep mode, pipe break detection, a line fill mode, an automatic start mode, dry run protection, an electromagnetic interference filter compatible with a ground fault circuit interrupter, two-wire and three-wire and three-phase motor compatibility, a simple start-up process, automatic password protection, a pump out mode, digital input/output terminals, and removable input and output power terminal blocks.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a pump driven by a motor, the motor being connected to ground, a drive connected to the motor, the method comprising:

sensing a current between the drive, the motor, and ground;

determining whether there has been a loss of current indicating a ground fault;

simultaneously operating an electromagnetic interference filter while sensing the current and determining whether there has been a loss of current; and

removing power from the drive and the motor substantially immediately when there has been a loss of current.

2. The method of claim 1 and further comprising reducing electrical noise generated by the motor simultaneously providing protection against shock.

3. The method of claim 1 and further comprising operating the electromagnetic interference filter in order to help prevent noise interference with AM radio.

4. A method of controlling a pump driven by a motor, the pump and the motor installed in a well, the motor connected to a drive, the method comprising:

connecting the drive to a previously-installed motor in order to retrofit the motor;

determining whether the motor is a two-wire, single-phase motor or a three-wire, single-phase motor;

connecting the drive to the three-wire, single-phase motor; and

generating with the drive a first waveform and a second waveform, the second waveform having a phase angle of about 90 degrees offset from the first waveform in order to control the three-wire, single-phase motor.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the two-wire, single phase motor is a permanent split capacitor motor.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the drive can be used to control either a two-wire, single-phase motor or a three-wire, single-phase motor.

7. The method of claim 4 and further comprising automatically setting a minimum frequency and a maximum frequency for the three-wire, single-phase motor.

8. A method of installing a drive for a motor that drives a pump, the pump in communication with a fluid system, the drive including a control pad, the drive being connected to the motor by an installer, the method comprising:

entering a service factor current value using the control pad;

selecting one of a two-wire, single-phase motor;

a three-wire, single-phase motor; and

a three-phase motor;

entering a current time using the control pad;

entering a current date using the control pad; and

engaging one of a pump-out button and an automatic start button on the control pad.

9. The method of claim 8 and further comprising installing a first type of drive for either one of a two-wire, single-phase motor and a three-wire, single-phase motor.

10. The method of claim 8 and further comprising installing a second type of drive for the three-phase motor.