VFD Customers - How to find?

[moha0266]

Hello,
I am a Graduate student that is working on a project pertaining to VFDs. As part of this project, I am required to interview customers who use VFDs. The objective is to specifically understand customers' perspectives about using VFDs. For example, their original need for some sort of rotation control, how easy/difficult it was for them to determine what their rotation control needs were, their current experience with using VFDs etc.

In order to do so, I am trying to search for customers in the market across multiple industries (oil & gas, mining and metals, food processing, paper and pulp, agriculture, waste water management etc.) that use VFDs in different applications (such as compressors, pumps, fans etc.).

I am struggling to find specific contacts of such customers that I can reach out to for interviews. Can anyone help provide me with any leads on how to find specific cutomers that I can reach out to?

Any help on this front is greatly appreciated!

Thank you,
Archana

 

[SceneryDriver]

Hello,
I am a Graduate student that is working on a project pertaining to VFDs. As part of this project, I am required to interview customers who use VFDs. The objective is to specifically understand customers' perspectives about using VFDs. For example, their original need for some sort of rotation control, how easy/difficult it was for them to determine what their rotation control needs were, their current experience with using VFDs etc.

In order to do so, I am trying to search for customers in the market across multiple industries (oil & gas, mining and metals, food processing, paper and pulp, agriculture, waste water management etc.) that use VFDs in different applications (such as compressors, pumps, fans etc.).

I am struggling to find specific contacts of such customers that I can reach out to for interviews. Can anyone help provide me with any leads on how to find specific cutomers that I can reach out to?

Any help on this front is greatly appreciated!

Thank you,
Archana

I'm happy to talk with you. I work in the entertainment industry, and we use VFDs extensively to move automated scenery. Let me know if you're interested in chatting.


SceneryDriver

 

[sii]

I'd be willing to contribute. We have several hundred VFD's in our facilities.

 

[moha0266]

Thank you so much SceneryDriver and sii. I will PM you in just a bit.

 

[moha0266]

I was wondering if there were other VFD users/experts in this community that would be willing to share their experiences as a VFD distributor/end-user for this graduate school project.

Thank you again for your time!

 

[mgookin]

Post your questions right here. You'll get plenty of responses.

 

[jumper]

Post your questions right here. You'll get plenty of responses.

Some might even make sense.

Maybe............

 

[b1miller]

Using VFD's

Using VFD's

Working for a systems integrator in the waster water and water treatment industries we used them a lot. From smaller 2 hp up to 1000 hp at 4160V. Our customers found that they could save energy and in fact some our local utilities even provided subsidies for their installation and use. By using a VFD to control flow/pressure we were able to eliminate flow control valves in many cases which would also lead to reduced system installation costs. We even began using them in smaller pump sizes where the input power was single phase.

 

[tom baker]

As mentioned, a common use is where there is only single phase, oversize the VFD and use to run a 3 phase motor, 3 phase motors are smaller and less expensive than single phase.
With the pump laws, you will save 1/8 the power when cutting speed in half. We had a 30 hp pump that ran 24x7 for pressure, went to a VFD, power bill went from $1500 to $300 a month.

 

[mgookin]

As mentioned, a common use is where there is only single phase, oversize the VFD and use to run a 3 phase motor, 3 phase motors are smaller and less expensive than single phase.
With the pump laws, you will save 1/8 the power when cutting speed in half. We had a 30 hp pump that ran 24x7 for pressure, went to a VFD, power bill went from $1500 to $300 a month.

And the motor lasts longer too, right?

 

[Jraef]

In response to where to "find users", in general you would start by asking for the electrical maintenance supervisor (or lead, or manager, the term varies) at a facility. Ultimately they will be the ones who live with and have opinions on VFDs that match what you appear to be looking for. They may or may not want to take the time to talk you you, you will have to accept and respect that. I have a student at UCLA who was given my name as someone to speak to about Soft Starters for some similar project he is doing. He has bugged me and hassled me so much that I'm almost ready to talk to him and give him a bunch of BS answers that will negatively skew his report just to punish him and make him go away. Don't be like that.

But if you are respectful and accepting of "No", then you should be OK. Just remember, it's just like dating; if you only ask 3 people and get rejected 3 times, it looks bad but if you ask 30 people and get rejected 20 times, you got 10 responses!