JackpineSalvage
Plastic
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2022
I apologize if this is covered somewhere else, but I haven't found anything similar to my situation so far in the past postings here. I've been reading the forum for a long time, so I know asking questions without doing your research is definitely poor form. This isn't strictly a machine tool question, but it has enough similarities that youse guys are going to have the right answer. I don't have all the exact details of the machinery at my fingertips, but can fill them in once I get back to the shop in the morning. But the gist of it is this:
I have a fuel injector test bench that I will need to get powered up. Machine needs 380V 3 phase input. The bench is equipped with a 15hp motor to drive the high pressure pumps, and has a 2000w immersion heater to heat the fluid tanks. Currently (ha!) it is being fed from a 240V 3 phase service through a transformer to boost the voltage to 380V.
The heater circuit is dumb - wired into the bench's internal fuse panel and is regulated by it's own built-in thermostat. The motor control is more sophisticated - the motor is driven with an ABB VFD, controlled by the bench's internal computer system. So, 380V 3PH into the ABB unit, 380V 3PH out to the motor. I can say that the motor is being commanded for a relative soft and slow ramp-ups to target RPM - it's easier on the equipment to sneak up to 25,000 psi I suppose.
Now, the problem. My lease is up in a couple months, and for a host of reasons I'm inclined to move to greener pastures. My biggest problem is finding a small affordable space in the area that has 3 phase service. I'm leaning towards getting a rotary phase converter and installing it between the electrical service and the transformer (changing out the VFD in the test bench is a non-starter).
My question, after all that, is this: Is putting a 240V 1PH to 240V 3PH RPC upstream of a boost transformer an acceptable solution? It isn't a high utilization piece of equipment, so I can accept some lack of efficiency.
Does anyone make a "Magic Box" that inputs 240V 1PH and spits out 380V 3PH in the 15KW range, that would let me ditch the transformer?
I have a fuel injector test bench that I will need to get powered up. Machine needs 380V 3 phase input. The bench is equipped with a 15hp motor to drive the high pressure pumps, and has a 2000w immersion heater to heat the fluid tanks. Currently (ha!) it is being fed from a 240V 3 phase service through a transformer to boost the voltage to 380V.
The heater circuit is dumb - wired into the bench's internal fuse panel and is regulated by it's own built-in thermostat. The motor control is more sophisticated - the motor is driven with an ABB VFD, controlled by the bench's internal computer system. So, 380V 3PH into the ABB unit, 380V 3PH out to the motor. I can say that the motor is being commanded for a relative soft and slow ramp-ups to target RPM - it's easier on the equipment to sneak up to 25,000 psi I suppose.
Now, the problem. My lease is up in a couple months, and for a host of reasons I'm inclined to move to greener pastures. My biggest problem is finding a small affordable space in the area that has 3 phase service. I'm leaning towards getting a rotary phase converter and installing it between the electrical service and the transformer (changing out the VFD in the test bench is a non-starter).
My question, after all that, is this: Is putting a 240V 1PH to 240V 3PH RPC upstream of a boost transformer an acceptable solution? It isn't a high utilization piece of equipment, so I can accept some lack of efficiency.
Does anyone make a "Magic Box" that inputs 240V 1PH and spits out 380V 3PH in the 15KW range, that would let me ditch the transformer?
