Engineering Commons^™

Variable Frequency Drive (Vfd) Specifications For Irrigation District Pumps, Charles M. Burt, Kyle Feist, Gary Wilson

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This information was compiled by ITRC and includes specifications for standards, warranties, submittals, VFD size, and other technical details to aid districts in the selection and implementation of VFD system.

Pump Operation With Vfd Controlled Motors, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

There are numerous reasons to consider using a VFD (variable frequency drive) controller with pumps in irrigation and drainage.These include: 1

1. Proper matching of the pump characteristics with the system. Reasonable engineers and salespersons will almost always overdesign pumps. It is very simple – if the pump is too small, there will be complaints. If, on the other hand, the pump delivers a bit more pressure than needed, there is rarely a complaint. Reasons to overdesign include:

Variable Frequency Drives - Planning Your System, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

Many irrigation districts are installing Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) to increase their level of service to their customers and/or to reduce their energy consumption. This brochure is intended to help irrigation districts properly evaluate what type of VFD they need and how to install it.

However, not all VFDs are the same. The performance quality of a VFD will depend on the characteristics of the particular VFD, as well as how the VFD system is set up. Many times it is the seemingly small details that will have a large impact on performance in the long run. This brochure is …

Variable Frequency Drives And Scada — Are They Worthwhile Investments?, Charles M. Burt, Daniel J. Howes

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

Managers and personnel from five California irrigation districs were interviewed to determine if installing variable frequency drives (VFDs) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems were worthwhile investments.

Delano-Earlimart Irrigation District: Variable Frequency Drive Study, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This report was conducted to study the pump station operation at Delano-Earlimart Irrigation District (DEID) after the installation of a variable frequency drive (VFD) control. The district is currently involved with the California Energy Commission's low-interest loan program for the installation of VFD units on their pump stations near Delano, California. Delano-Earlimart Irrigation District is a special water district organized under Division 11 of the California Water Code and encompasses 56,500 acres in Southern Tulare County and Northern Kern County. DEID has 18 individual pumping stations. DEID installed VFDs on key pumps at three different plants (D-3, D-12, and D-14).

Estimating The Payback For An Electrical Vfd (Variable Frequency Drive) Application In A Pumping Plant Which Presently Spills Excess Pumpage, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This report includes equations and tips for pump selection criteria and estimating the annual KW-hr savings for a VFD installation, including the maximum potential savings and the approximate amount of KW-hr that would have been consumed if one pump had been converted to VFD.