Line-Reactor with enclosure and small footprint

electro89

Member
Join Date
Mar 2012
Location
Canada
Posts
106
I'm looking for several line reactors rated under 5HP that are totally enclosed and can withstand a dusty environment without needing to be mounted in a box. We've purchased a product like this from SEW in the past, but 5HP is the lowest they carry. The reason we need this type is due to limited wall space, and these units are tiny compared to the recommended enclosure we'd need to install (they're only about twice the size of the reactor itself). I've scoured the internet and talked to suppliers but no luck, so any help would be greatly appreciated!
 
I have use enclosed MTE reactors in the past. They are enclosed in small, NEMA 1 enclosures so you have finger-safe protection. The boxes are large enough where you can mount multiple reactors in one box. We then stack them bottom to bottom and attach them to the sides of our enclosure. It allows four, 4-amp or less reactors to be mounted in a small space outside of your enclosure so you don't add heat to it. I know you said no enclosure, but the hazard still needs to be protected against.

Allen Bradley also sells the MTE units with their part number and price tag if you have better access to A-B than MTE.

I found that you can configure the part numbers on the both the MTE and A-B websites with a similar interface.
 
Since you said dusty environment, I believe the enclosures for the reactors will need to be rated NEMA 12 and have sealed access at the wire entry points.
dust carries a class 2 rating requirement. since you are in Canada, please check your plant hazard rating and local electrical codes.

james
 
I have use enclosed MTE reactors in the past. They are enclosed in small, NEMA 1 enclosures so you have finger-safe protection. The boxes are large enough where you can mount multiple reactors in one box. We then stack them bottom to bottom and attach them to the sides of our enclosure. It allows four, 4-amp or less reactors to be mounted in a small space outside of your enclosure so you don't add heat to it. I know you said no enclosure, but the hazard still needs to be protected against.

Allen Bradley also sells the MTE units with their part number and price tag if you have better access to A-B than MTE.

I found that you can configure the part numbers on the both the MTE and A-B websites with a similar interface.
Thank you for the reply. I'm not sure if I understand, are you mounting the enclosed reactors in the box or outside?

The only issue with the NEMA 1 rating is that it will be installed in a fairly dusty environment. The reactors we purchased in the past are IP66 rated and sealed/protected against hazard.
 
Since you said dusty environment, I believe the enclosures for the reactors will need to be rated NEMA 12 and have sealed access at the wire entry points.
dust carries a class 2 rating requirement. since you are in Canada, please check your plant hazard rating and local electrical codes.

james
Yep that's exactly what I'm looking for. The SEW ones as I mentioned are IP66 rated and safe for mounting outside a panel. I have such a hard time believing they are the only manufacturers of a product like this
 
One other way to look at this is that you can get the same benefits of having a line reactor by having one larger one feeding multiple drives. So so example if they are all 1HP drives where the minimum circuit size is being used anyway, buy that 5HP reactor and use it ahead of 4 or 5 VFDs.
 
I have bought some that were encapsulated for a humid environment, but they were still more or less open frame mounting in a crappy nema 1 box.

I think I ended up throwing away the boxes and mounting them inside an existing nema 4 enclosure (they were 7.5HP and I had the space).

https://hubbellcdn.com/prodimage300/ACME_PPH_534_F_PRODUCT_IMAGE_300.jpg
It's funny you mentioned Hubbell because I just came across their product line of reactors. I guess "encapsulated" was the magic search word. The ones I found are NEMA 3R rated, so I think these will be good!

If anyone's wondering, Invertek sells a product line that seems very similar to SEWs, so here is the data sheet for the reactor I was hoping to find below 5HP (last page): https://www.invertekdrives.com/clie...-guides/82-IPIND-IN Input Chokes Iss 2.10.pdf
 
It's funny you mentioned Hubbell because I just came across their product line of reactors. I guess "encapsulated" was the magic search word. The ones I found are NEMA 3R rated, so I think these will be good!

If anyone's wondering, Invertek sells a product line that seems very similar to SEWs, so here is the data sheet for the reactor I was hoping to find below 5HP (last page): https://www.invertekdrives.com/client-uploads/download-manager/user-guides/82-IPIND-IN%20Input%20Chokes%20Iss%202.10.pdf
Most NEMA 3R enclosures are ventilated and would not be dust tight.
 
One other way to look at this is that you can get the same benefits of having a line reactor by having one larger one feeding multiple drives. So so example if they are all 1HP drives where the minimum circuit size is being used anyway, buy that 5HP reactor and use it ahead of 4 or 5 VFDs.
I like that idea but unfortunately all the drives won't always be running at the same time and all the disconnects and drives are already mounted.
 
I like that idea but unfortunately all the drives won't always be running at the same time and all the disconnects and drives are already mounted.
Doesn't matter if they are all running at the same time or not, all that matters is that the amp rating of the reactor is equal to or greater than the input amps of all of the VFDs combined. And it can go anywhere ahead of the VFDs, i.e. a common feeder circuit.


fetch
 
Doesn't matter if they are all running at the same time or not, all that matters is that the amp rating of the reactor is equal to or greater than the input amps of all of the VFDs combined. And it can go anywhere ahead of the VFDs, i.e. a common feeder circuit.


fetch
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the line reactor is much more effective when the load is running at the reactors current rating, for example, a motor running 1A on a 10A reactor would limit the voltage much less a motor running at 9A. If either motor is not running at all, there will be no change in voltage to the drive. That being said, having 1 of these 10A reactors feeding both the motors mentioned would only be truly helpful to the 1A if both were running at the same time.
I agree that your configuration can be done, but in my case, our voltage spikes are high enough that we need that voltage dropped way down to prevent over-voltage trips while the drive is running.
 

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