Reactor Accessories

Line Reactors protect Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) from input power line disturbances by smoothing and slowing down incoming voltage distortion. They also reduce harmonics generated by the VFD that travel back into the power line. A line reactor is coil of wire that forms a magnetic field that current flows through. The magnetic field limits the rate of the rise of the current, reducing harmonics. Line Reactors help to stabilize the current waveform and act as an impedance between the power source and the VFD. The impedance will protect the input section of the VFD and reduce the harmonic current drawn from the power system by the drive.

Load Reactors provide a buffer between Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) and motors to reduce the voltage stress on the motor and to condition the waveform into a more suitable profile. This allows the motor and lead cable to operate cooler, putting less stress on the current carrying components of the drive application. A standard Pulse Width Modulated (PWM) drive produces a square wave power supply to the motor. That modulated square waveform has sharp edges on the waveform transitions. The drive will simulate a usable waveform modulated at very fast speeds to vary the speed of the electric motor. Those fast waveform pulses create the voltage distortion and spikes that can cause damage to the motors insulation system and shorten the motors lifespan. The design inductance of the line reactor will act to soften the sharp edges and slow down the distortion as the voltage is provided to the motor.