With temperatures recently reaching the high 20s and low 30s across much of the UK, many industrial sites have experienced the impact of extreme heat on critical equipment.
Variable Speed Drives (VSDs) are designed to operate in challenging environments, but excessive temperatures remain one of the biggest causes of unexpected drive faults and failures.
If you experienced nuisance trips, overheating alarms or reduced performance during the recent hot weather, it may be time to review your drive maintenance strategy.
Why Hot Weather Causes Problems
Variable speed drives generate heat as part of their normal operation. During periods of high ambient temperature, cooling systems have to work much harder to keep internal components within safe operating limits.
Common issues include:
- Overheating alarms and trips
- Reduced drive efficiency
- Premature ageing of capacitors and electronic components
- Blocked or ineffective cooling fans
- Dust accumulation restricting airflow
- Increased risk of unplanned downtime
In many cases, the drive itself is not the problem. Poor ventilation, dirty filters and a lack of preventative maintenance are often the root cause.
The Importance of Preventative Maintenance
Regular drive servicing can help identify potential issues before they become costly failures.
A professional drive maintenance inspection should include:
- Cleaning cooling fans and ventilation paths
- Checking filters and air circulation systems
- Inspection of power and control connections
- Thermal inspections to identify hotspots
- Assessment of capacitor health and drive condition
- Review of operating temperatures and loading
These simple checks can significantly improve reliability and extend the life of your equipment.
Don’t Wait for the Next Heatwave
The recent warm weather may have highlighted weaknesses in your drive infrastructure, but the next period of extreme temperatures could be even more challenging.
At APDS, our engineers provide ABB drive servicing, preventative maintenance, fault diagnosis and lifecycle assessments to help keep your operations running efficiently throughout the year.
If your drives struggled during the recent heatwave, now is the ideal time to investigate why and put preventative measures in place before the next period of hot weather arrives.
For mor help and advice on maintaining your drive population, please contact us.
