PQube3 VFD Remote Monitoring Tool

Per the IEEE, electrical equipment that regularly undergoes preventive maintenance is less likely to fail compared to equipment not subjected to preventive maintenance. See our blogs on preventive maintenance. As more and more companies try to maximize equipment/machine run time, the use of remote monitoring tools like the PQube3 on critical VFDs as a tool to prevent failures will continue to grow.

This growth will include critical VFD applications and even medium voltage VFDs. The PQube3 also serves as a predictive maintenance tool. This is achieved by PQube3’s ability to trend key VFD indicators like bus voltage ripple, power supply ripple and current imbalance. The PQube3 then stores the data for expert analysis.

Based on the data trends, we at EMA can predict when the bus capacitors are nearing the end of their useful lifespan. We can then take the necessary measures to replace them before the VFD is damaged. See our blog on bus capacitor failure.

In addition to the PQube3’s ability to be utilized as a preventive maintenance tool, the PQube3 also serves as a power quality meter. This does a great job measuring voltage and current harmonics in water and waste water plants and manufacturing facilities. The PQube3 is able to measure voltage sags and swells, helping customers decide if VFD input power losses are due to the utility company or internal issues.

Unlike most power quality meters that are on the market, no special software is required to connect to the PQube3. It can be accessed and programmed through any web browser. With access to Wi-Fi or to the customer’s network, we can assign a static IP address to the PQube3 and generate real time automatic email failure notifications for key indicators on the VFD. These failure notifications can be sent to the customer’s smartphone, tablet or laptop. This feature has allowed EMA to remotely troubleshoot minor VFD failures for our customers and reduce unnecessary down-time as well as save on service call fees for a minor failure.

As part of the preventive maintenance tool, we also have the capabilities to generate weekly and monthly reports that are sent automatically to the customer on the health of the VFDs. With the customer’s permission, these reports can also be sent directly to EMA where our on-call service engineer will evaluate any notifications and respond accordingly to resolve VFD related failures and assist in keeping your equipment operating.

Contact us via email or any of the contact methods on the right of this page, (including live support) or call 800-848-2504800-848-2504 for further information on the PQube3.

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