VFD Cable, Essential or Overkill
Steve Wetzel, Principal Engineer, Southwire Company

Variable frequency drive (VFD) systems can have issues with both radiated and non-radiated electromagnetic interference (EMI) which decreases system productivity.  If EMI is left uncontrolled; motors, drives and other electrical devices in the facility may have operational issues or even be damaged.  We will explore how VFD cable can mitigate many of these issues.  We will identify three critical components to a VFD cable and explore how each component works to control the adverse effects of the drives high frequency pulse width modulated waveforms.

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Steve Wetzel has an electrical engineering degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and is a Principal Engineer for The Southwire Company. He is a member of the Insulated Cable Engineers Association (ICEA) and is active in the working group responsible for creating a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) cable standard. Steve started learning about VFD systems and cables when he worked for Siemens, who created the first VFD cable construction in the 90s. He has been involved in VFD systems from the cable perspective ever since.