ABB drives

Reference manual
Grounding and cabling of drive systems

L1 L1 ~
L2 L2 ~
L3 L3

PE PE U2 V2 W2
PE

V1
U1 W1

M
3~

L1 L1 ~
L2 L2 ~
L3 L3

PE PE U2 V2 W2

PE

V1
U1 W1
M
3~
 Reference manual
Grounding and cabling of drive
systems

© 2013 ABB Oy. All Rights Reserved. 3AFY61201998 Rev C

EN
EFFECTIVE: 2013-03-25
 5

Table of contents

1. Introduction to the manual

Contents of this chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Applicability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Target audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Purpose of this manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Contents of the manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Related documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Literature references on EMC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Literature and standards on bearing currents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Standard references on cabling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Terms and abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

2. Basics
Contents of this chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Objectives of grounding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Attenuating motor shaft and frame voltages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Bearing currents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Grounding structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Buildings without ground planes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
PE (protective ground) versus FE (functional ground) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

3. Cabling of drive systems

Contents of this chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Connecting the drive to the supply power network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Transformer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Grounded secondary (TN and TN-S systems) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Ungrounded secondary (IT systems) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Recommended input power cable types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Connection diagram of a shielded cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Input connection in high-power supply systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Busbar system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Cable bus system (parallel single-core cables) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Connecting the drive to the motor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Decreasing bearing current risk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
General instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Recommended motor cable types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Sufficient conductivity of the protective conductor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Calculating the cross-sectional area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Sufficient shield conductivity to suppress emissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Motor cable types for limited use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Not allowed motor cable types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Diagrams of recommended connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Grounding the motor cable shield at the motor end . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Motor cabling of high-power drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Potential equalization between the motor and driven equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
6

Connection diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Potential equalization of the motor frame and the terminal box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Example drive system cabling with potential equalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Motor cable connections to be avoided . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Asymmetrical four-core cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Connection diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
DC drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Selecting and connecting control cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
When to use shielded cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Connecting the cable shield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Analog and digital signals in separate cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Signals allowed to be run in the same cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Relay cable type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Serial communication (eg, fieldbus) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Cabling and insulation of pulse encoders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Galvanic isolation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Common mode inductors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Routing the cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Grounding diagram of an AC drive system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Grounding diagram of a DC drive system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

4. Interference coupling
Contents of this chapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Common impedance coupling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
How to decrease coupling via a ground loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Capacitive coupling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
How to decrease capacitive coupling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
How to decrease stray capacitance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Inductive coupling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
How to decrease inductive coupling between circuits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
How to decrease mutual inductance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
How to get extra disturbance suppression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Electromagnetic coupling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
How to protect against electromagnetic waves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Further information
Product and service inquiries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Product training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Providing feedback on ABB Drives manuals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Document library on the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
 Introduction to the manual 7

1
Introduction to the manual

Contents of this chapter

This chapter gives a description of the manual.

Applicability
This manual is applicable for low voltage AC and DC drive systems. The drive system in
this manual consists of the supply transformer, input power cable of the drive, the variable
speed drive (frequency converter), motor cable and motor.

Target audience
This manual is intended for people who are involved in variable speed drive system
installations and assembly.

Purpose of this manual

The purpose of this manual is tell you the grounding and cabling principles of variable
speed drive systems. The guidelines help you to fulfill the personnel safety,
electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and reliability requirements of the installation.

Note: The installation must always be designed and made according to applicable local
laws and regulations. ABB does not assume any liability whatsoever for any installation
which breaches the local laws and/or other regulations. Furthermore, if the
recommendations given by ABB are not obeyed, the drive may experience problems that
the warranty does not cover.
8 Introduction to the manual

Contents of the manual

The manual tells about the grounding and cabling principles of variable speed drive
systems, and gives examples for correct cabling and grounding practices. It also includes
a short description of interference phenomena.
The chapters of this manual are briefly introduced below.
Basics tells about grounding structures that are needed for interference-free operation of
variable speed drive systems and basics of protecting motor bearings.
Cabling of drive systems gives examples of correct cabling and grounding of variable
speed drive systems.
Interference coupling tells principally about different ways of interference coupling. It also
gives guidelines on how to decrease the coupling.

Related documents
See the drive hardware manuals for specific instructions of each drive type. For other
products, see their manuals.

„ Literature references on EMC

Interference-free electronics by Dr. Sten Benda. Ordering number ABB 3BSE
000877R0001, ISBN 91-44-3140-9, ISBN 0-86238-255-6.
IEC 61000-5-2:1997. Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) – Part 5: Installation and
mitigation guidelines – Section 2: Earthing and cabling
Technical guide No. 3. EMC compliant installation and configuration for a power drive
system (3AFE61348280 [English])

„ Literature and standards on bearing currents

High Frequency Bearing Currents in Low Voltage Asynchronous Motors 3GZF500930-8.
A New Reason for Bearing Current Damage in Variable Speed AC Drives by J. Ollila, T.
Hammar, J. Iisakkala, H. Tuusa. EPE 97. The European Conference on Power Electronics
and Applications 8–10 September 1997 Trondheim, Norway. Pages 2.539 to 2.542.
On the Bearing Currents in Medium Power Variable Speed AC Drives by J. Ollila, T.
Hammar, J. Iisakkala, H. Tuusa. Proceedings of the IEEE IEDMC in Milwaukee, May 1997.
Evaluation of Motor Power Cables for PWM AC Drives by John M. Bentley, Patric J. Link.
IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, 1997, Volume 33, pages 342–358.
Minimizing Electric Bearing Currents in Adjustable Speed Drive Systems by Patric J. Link.
IEEE IAS Pulp & Paper Conference Portland, ME, USA June 1998.
IEC 61000-5-2:1997. Installation and mitigation guidelines – Earthing and cabling
IEC 60034-17:2002 Rotating electrical machines, Cage induction motors when fed from
converters – Application guide
IEC 60034-25:2004. Rotating electrical machines – Guide for the design and performance
of cage induction motors specifically designed for converter supply
Laakerivirta ja sen minimoiminen säädettyjen vaihtovirtakäyttöjen moottoreissa by Ilkka
Erkkilä. Automaatio 1999 14.–16.9. Helsinki.
GAMBICA/REMA Technical Report No. 2 – Motor Shaft Voltages and Bearing Currents
under PWM Inverter Operation. 2006.
 Introduction to the manual 9

GAMBICA/REMA User guide No. 3. Installation Guidelines for Power Drive Systems.
2006.
Technical guide No. 5. Bearing currents in modern AC drive systems (3AFE64230247
[English])

„ Standard references on cabling

EN 50174-2:2009. Information technology – Cabling installation – Part 2: Installation
planning and practices inside buildings
IEC 60364-4-44:2007. Low-voltage electrical installations – Part 4-44: Protection for safety
– Protection against voltage disturbances and electromagnetic disturbances

Terms and abbreviations

Term/ Explanation
Abbreviation
EMC Electromagnetic compatibility
EMI Electromagnetic interference
FE Functional earthing (grounding). Earthing a point or points in a system, installation or
equipment, for purposes other than electrical safety. IEC 60050-195 (195-01-13):1998.
PE Protective earthing (grounding). Earthing a point or points in a system, installation or
equipment for purposes of electrical safety. IEC 60050-195 (195-01-11):1998.
Shield Part of an electromagnetic barrier that separates the shielded circuits from the external
sources of EMI or confines the EMI effects to the shielded volume.
An electromagnetic barrier is a closed surface of shields and other elements made up to
prevent electromagnetic waves from propagating in space or along conductors or to confine
the propagating.
The barrier can be made of
• metal
• conductively coated equipment cases
• interconnecting cable shields
• filters or surge arresters on conductors that go through the shield or mesh
• waveguides working below the cutoff frequency at ventilation openings.
In a protected system, the barrier is everywhere so impervious that guided and space waves
of EMI sources outside the barrier do not degrade the performance of the protected system.
TE Technical earth (ground). This term has been replaced with FE.
10 Introduction to the manual
 Basics 11

2
Basics

Contents of this chapter

This chapter tells about grounding structures that are needed for interference-free
operation of variable speed drive systems and basics of protecting motor bearings.

Objectives of grounding
Traditional grounding is based on electrical safety. It ensures personnel safety in all
circumstances and limits material damages due to electrical faults. For interference-free
operation and reliability of the drive system, more profound methods are needed: high-
frequency grounding and equipotential ground planes on building floor, equipment
enclosure and circuit board levels.
12 Basics

Attenuating motor shaft and frame voltages

Proper cabling and grounding strongly attenuates motor shaft and frame voltages that can
cause high-frequency bearing currents and lead to premature bearing replacements.

„ Bearing currents
This drawing shows schematically two types of bearing currents: high-frequency
circulating current (5) and shaft grounding current (7).

Drive
INVERTER Motor cable Motor Gear Load
2
1 MOTOR CABLE MOTOR GEAR LOAD

5 6

+DC
1 Common mode
voltage pulse
-DC

High frequency High frequency High frequency

2 common mode 4 shaft voltage 5 circulating current
current

3 PE-current 6 High frequency 7 Shaft grounding

frame voltage current
 Basics 13

Grounding structure
A well structured grounding begins with ground electrodes which are connected to each
other reliably to form a network. In addition, interference-free operation of electronics
requires equipotential areas (ground planes or a mesh) on all structural levels where
building floors, equipment enclosures and circuit boards are connected. The conductors
that connect the electrical equipment to the network need to be short to minimize the
grounding impedance.
This diagram shows the configuration of ground electrodes and the grounding network that
ABB recommends.

1
1 Power and communications
2 ground
2 Equipotential bonding
3 Soil
4 Multiple bonded ground
electrodes

4 3

„ Buildings without ground planes

In many old buildings, well structured ground planes are missing. In thise systems,
connect the drive cabinet PE busbar to the factory ground only at one point as shown
below.

~
~

PE PE

M M M
14 Basics

„ PE (protective ground) versus FE (functional ground)

Today’s ABB policy is to use uniform, equipotential PE grounding in drive systems. The
principle is extended to all structural levels of installations in large buildings which contain
electrical equipment. Example levels are floor, equipment cubicle and circuit board levels.
It is not possible to keep all levels of a large system at the same high-frequency potential,
but uniform PE grounding at each level ensures electromagnetic compatibility.
In previous ABB products and electronic equipment of other manufacturers and in end
user installations, other installation philosophies, for example, systems with PE and FE
(former TE) are also used.
The FE system of co-operating equipment can be either general or partial (only part of the
equipment uses FE ground). If the PE and FE grounds are connected together at one
point only, the PE/FE structure resembles a one-ground-level uniform PE system and may
need an effective local high-frequency ground.
The diagrams below show an PE and FE system and an uniform PE system. C denotes
control electronics.

FE

C C C
PE
FE

PE C C C
C C C
PE
 Cabling of drive systems 15

3
Cabling of drive systems

Contents of this chapter

This chapter gives examples of correct cabling and grounding principles of variable speed
drive systems.

General
Obey the instructions of this chapter when you select drive system cables with a local
vendor and ground the drive system.
Select the cables case-by-case in accordance with the local regulations concerning short-
circuit protection, operating voltage, permissible touch voltage appearing under fault
conditions and current-carrying capacity of the cable. In addition, choose a cable type
which supports the EMC protection and reliability of the drive system.
We have not drawn switches or input cable protection fuses to the drawings in this chapter.
The drawings only show how to connect the cables.

Connecting the drive to the supply power network

This section gives recommendations for the drive supply transformer and input cabling.

„ Transformer
We recommend a transformer which is dedicated to variable-speed drives and has a static
screening between the primary and secondary.

Grounded secondary (TN and TN-S systems)

ABB drives can be equipped with EMC filters which reduce disturbances.
16 Cabling of drive systems

Ungrounded secondary (IT systems)

All drive EMC filters are not applicable for use in IT (ungrounded) systems. Disconnect
these filters before you connect the drive to the supply network. For instructions, see the
drive hardware manual.

WARNING! If a drive with a not applicable EMC filter is installed on an IT system (an
ungrounded power system or a high resistance-grounded [over 30 ohm] power system),
the system will be connected to earth potential through the filter capacitors. This may
cause danger, or damage the drive.

„ Recommended input power cable types

We recommend shielded symmetrical multicore cables for the input cabling. However, the
other cable types listed below can also be used.

PE Symmetrical shieded cables. See section Recommended motor cable types on

page 19 for more information. The same cable types can be used for the input
and motor cabling.
The reactance of a multicore cable is low which enables the longest supply
cabling. With parallel multicore cables, also high currents are possible.

PE

A four-conductor system (three phase conductors and a protective conductor on

PE
a cable tray).
WARNING! Do not use unshielded single core cables for drives with
IGBT supply unit on IT (ungrounded) networks. A dangerous voltage
can become present on the non conductive outer sheath of the cable.
This can cause injury or death.

A four-conductor system (three phase conductors and a PE conductor in a PVC

conduit) is allowed for input cabling with phase conductor cross-section
PVC less than 10 mm2 (8 AWG) or motors < 30 kW (40 hp). Not allowed in USA.
 Cabling of drive systems 17

„ Connection diagram of a shielded cable

Connect the shield to PE at both ends as shown below.

L1 L1 ~ PE
L2 L2 ~
L3 L3

PE PE
PE

„ Input connection in high-power supply systems

High-current (> 300 A) variable speed drives can be supplied through a busbar or cable
bus system.

Busbar system
Connect the metal conduit (shield) of the busbar system to the PE busbar at either one or
both ends.

L1 L1 ~
L2 L2 ~
L3 L3

PE PE
18 Cabling of drive systems

Cable bus system (parallel single-core cables)

A cable bus system consists of parallel single-core cables for phase conductors.
Compared to a corresponding busbar system, the cable bus system has
• better cooling due to separate conductors -> less conductor material is needed
• lower reactance -> longer distances are allowed.
Arrange the cables as shown below to get an as equal current distribution as possible.

L1 L2 L3
L2 L3 L3 L1 L1 L2

Connect single-core cables without concentric protective shield (armor) as shown below.

L1 L1 ~ PE
L2 L2 ~
L3 L3

PE PE

WARNING! Do not use unshielded single core cables for drives with IGBT supply
unit on IT (ungrounded) networks. A dangerous voltage can become present on
the non conductive outer sheath of the cable. This can cause injury or death.

In single-core cables which have a concentric protective shield (armor, A below), the
phase current induces voltage to the cable shield. If the shields are connected to each
other at both ends of the cable, current will flow in the cable shield. It is necessary to
prevent this current for personnel safety. Therefore, connect the cable shield to the PE
busbar at the transformer side only and insulate the shield at the drive side.

L1 L1 A
~
L2 L2
~
L3 L3

PE PE
 Cabling of drive systems 19

Connecting the drive to the motor

„ Decreasing bearing current risk
The bearing current risk depends on voltages which have an effect across the motor
bearings. Three basic types of voltages can be measured in AC drive applications: shaft
end-to-end voltage, shaft voltage to ground or motor frame voltage to ground.
Incorrect motor cabling strongly increases these voltages in medium and high power
motors. As a result, the lifetime of the motor, gearbox and driven machine bearings
decreases. On the other hand, correct cabling and 360° grounding of the cable shield at
both ends effectively decrease these voltages. Symmetrical, shielded cables decrease the
motor frame voltage. The effect is more significant at high motor currents.

„ General instructions
Keep the length of the unshielded part of the motor cable as short as possible on the drive
side and at the motor junction box. For special instructions, refer to the drive and motor
product manuals.
Bond cable trays well electrically to each other and to the grounding electrodes. Aluminium
tray systems improve local equalization of potential.

„ Recommended motor cable types

To fulfill with the personnel safety, EMC and reliability requirements, and for the longest
possible lifetime for the drive system, we recommend these motor cable types.

PE Symmetrical shielded cable with three phase conductors and a concentric PE

conductor as shield. The shield must agree with the requirements of IEC 61439-
1, see below. Check with local / state / country electrical codes for allowance.

Symmetrical shielded cable with three phase conductors and symmetrically

PE
constructed PE conductor, and a shield. The PE conductor must agree with the
requirements of IEC 61439-1, see section Sufficient conductivity of the
protective conductor.

Symmetrical shielded cable with three phase conductors and a concentric PE

conductor as shield. A separate PE conductor is required if the shield does not
agree with the requirements of IEC 61439-1, see below.
PE
20 Cabling of drive systems

Sufficient conductivity of the protective conductor

The protective conductor must always have an adequate conductivity.
The cross-sectional area of the protective conductor must agree with the conditions that
require automatic disconnection of the supply required in 411.3.2. of IEC 60364-4-41:2005
and be capable of withstanding the prospective fault current during the disconnection time
of the protective device.
The cross-sectional area of the protective conductor can eighter be selected from the table
below or calculated as described in section Calculating the cross-sectional area below.
This table shows the minimum cross-sectional area related to the phase conductor size
according to IEC 61439-1 when the phase conductor and the protective conductor are
made of the same metal.
Cross-sectional area of the phase conductors Minimum cross-sectional area of the
S (mm2) corresponding protective conductor
Sp (mm2)
S < 16 S
16 < S < 35 16
35 < S < 400 S/2
400 < S < 800 200
800 < S S/4

Calculating the cross-sectional area

According to IEC 60364-5-54, the equation below determines the minimum allowed cross-
sectional area of the protective conductor for disconnection times that are not more than 5
seconds:

I 2t
S=
k
where
S Cross-sectional area of the protective conductor (mm2)
I R.m.s value of the prospective fault current which can flow through the protective device in a fault
of negligible impedance (A)
t Operating time of the protective device for automatic disconnection (s)
k Factor which depends on the material of the protective conductor

Factor k
This table shows the values of factor k for for insulated protective conductors not
incorporated in cables and not with other cables.
Conductor insulation Material of conductor
Copper Aluminium Steel
Values for k
70ºC PVC 143 95 52
90ºC XLPE 176 116 64
85ºC rubber 166 110 60
Note: The initial temperature of conductor is assumed to be 30 ºC.
 Cabling of drive systems 21

Sufficient shield conductivity to suppress emissions

To effectively suppress radiated and conducted radio-frequency emissions, the cable
shield conductivity must be at least 1/10 of the phase conductor conductivity. The
requirements are easily met with a copper or aluminum shield. The minimum requirement
of the motor cable shield of the drive is shown below. It consists of a concentric layer of
copper wires with an open helix of copper tape or copper wire. The better and tighter the
shield, the lower the emission level and bearing currents.

4
5

1 3 2

1 Insulation jacket
2 Copper wire screen
3 Helix of copper tape or copper wire
4 Inner insulation
5 Cable core

„ Motor cable types for limited use

A four-conductor system (three phase conductors and a PE conductor in a PVC
conduit) is allowed with phase conductor cross-section less than 10 mm2
PVC (8 AWG) or motors < 30 kW (40 hp). Not allowed in USA.
Note: Shielded cable is always recommended. Foil shield is common in this
power range. Using a non-shielded cable even in this motor power range may
cause interference of other equipment.

Corrugated cable with three phase conductors and a protective conductor or

cable in EMT conduit is allowed for motor cabling with phase conductor cross
EMT section less than 10 mm2 (8 AWG) or motors < 30 kW (40 hp).

A well-shielded (Al/Cu shield) four-conductor system (three phase conductors

and a PE conductor or four conductors) can be used for up to 100 kW motor
power rating with potential equalization as shown in section Potential
equalization between the motor and driven equipment on page 24.

„ Not allowed motor cable types

Single-core cables are not suitable for motor cables!
PE

Symmetrical shielded cable with individual shields for each phase conductor is
PE
not allowed on any cable size for input and motor cabling.
22 Cabling of drive systems

„ Diagrams of recommended connections

Concentric Cu shield
PE ~
~

PE U2 V2 W2

V1
U1 W1
M
3~

Concentric Al/Cu shield

PE
~
~

PE U2 V2 W2

V1
U1 W1
M
3~

Fe armor
~
~
PE
PE U2 V2 W2

V1
U1 W1
M
3~
 Cabling of drive systems 23

Al/Cu shield
Limited use (up to ~
100 kW motors,
requires potential
~
equalization, see page
24) U2 V2 W2
PE

V1
PE
U1 W1
M
3~

„ Grounding the motor cable shield at the motor end

Always ground the motor cable shield at the motor end. For minimum radio frequency
interference, ground the motor cable shield 360 degrees at the lead-through of the motor
terminal box, or ground the flattened twisted shield (width > 1/5 · length).

b > 1/5 · a

b
a
24 Cabling of drive systems

„ Motor cabling of high-power drives

Always connect the cables to high-power drive systems symmetrically as shown below.

DC bus

U V
~
W

123 123 123

123 123 123

V
U W
M
M
3~
3~

„ Potential equalization between the motor and driven equipment

With motors from 100 kW upwards, a potential equalization connection between the motor
frame and the machinery is sometimes needed due to the grounding conditions of the
driven machinery. Potential equalization is typically needed in applications such as pumps
(grounded by water) and gearboxes with central lubrication (grounded by oil pipes). As low
inductance is the objective, a copper plate or strip with a cross-section of at least 70 mm ×
0.75 mm is required between the motor frame and the gearbox/pump frame. Alternatively,
at least two separate 50 mm2 cables can be used. The distance between the cables must
be at least 150 mm.
Potential equalization has no electrical safety function. The purpose of it is purely to
equalize the potentials. When the motor and the gearbox are mounted on a common steel
fundament, no potential equalization is needed.
Install the potential equalization through the shortest possible route. If protection from dirt
is needed, use a plastic tube, not a metal conduit.
 Cabling of drive systems 25

1 Flat braid. Diameter of hole for

cable lug 13 mm..
1
2 Busbar. Connection hole
diameter 13 mm.
3 mm 3 Cables. Diameter of hole for
cable lug 13 mm.
Use M12 screws with washer.
28 mm
2 × 50 mm2 Cu

2 3
0.75 mm

> 150 mm

70 mm

Connection diagram

V1
U1 W1
M
3~

Driven
machinery
26 Cabling of drive systems

„ Potential equalization of the motor frame and the terminal box

The motor manufacturer connects the motor terminal box the PE terminal of the motor
frame with a copper cable if the potential equalization between the terminal box and the
motor frame is needed. Typically, this is done in ATEX approved AC motors.

Cu-cable
2
50 mm

PE
 Cabling of drive systems 27

„ Example drive system cabling with potential equalization

4 5 5

3 3
3×120 mm2 Cu
*
*

D E *
6
2 2 M

C B 7

3
1
2
A
8

E
D B
C

A Electrically conducting shaft

B Bonding for pump and fan motors with 100 kW < PN < 350 kW or IEC 315 < frame size < IEC 400 and
for other motors with PN > 350 kW or frame size > IEC 400. The shaft can go from the motor to the
gear box, pump, supporting intermediate bearing or to the fixed machine frame.
C Optional bonding 4 Incoming cubicle of the drive
D Bonding for motors bigger than 1500 kW 5 Inverter module cubicle of the drive
E Bonding for motors bigger than 1500 kW 6 Main grounding bus
1 Fixed machine frame, pump or gear box 7 Earth electrode
2 Machine frame 8 Pulse encoder
3 360-degree grounding - -
* Both ends and the middle of the PE busbar of the drive should be conneced to the main grounding bus in
the electricla equiplent room.
Instructions for bondings B, C, D and E
• Make short direct (metal-to-metal) connections.
• Use only non-metallic electrical tube.
• Protect the wiring junctions against corrosion with durable paint or protective compaound.
See section Potential equalization of the motor frame and the terminal box on page 26.
Potential equalization is not needed when
• motor shaft is non-conductive or there is an insulating coupling
• motor and gear box are mounted on a common steel plate
• motor is flange mounted directly on the machine frame.
28 Cabling of drive systems

„ Motor cable connections to be avoided

If other than the recommended cable types are used, the following rules are mostly useful.
Complying with them does, however, not exclude effects of improper cabling and can void
warranty.

Asymmetrical four-core cables

If you have a cable where the phase conductors are not at an equal distance from the
ground conductor,
• do not use the ground conductor as the protective conductor
• connect the ground conductor to the PE terminal only in the drive and isolate it at the
motor end. However, if the cable has a fine-pitch interlaced steel plate armor the
conductivity of which is at least 10% of the conductivity of the phase conductor,
connect the armor to the PE terminal at the drive and motor ends.
• use a separate protective conductor with a cross-sectional area of at least the value
given in section Sufficient conductivity of the protective conductor on page 20.
• put the power cable and the protective conductor at least 300 mm apart (not on the
same cable tray) in order to prevent inductive disturbance currents in the protective
conductor. Note: This lay-out can violate the regulations of some countries. In
this case, use other cable types.
• make the potential equalization connection between the motor frame and the
machinery as described under Potential equalization between the motor and driven
equipment on page 24.

Connection diagrams
Separate protective
grounding conductor ~
PE ~
L1

L2
L3 PE U2 V2 W2

TO BE AVOIDED

V1
U1 W1

3~M
 Cabling of drive systems 29

Separate protective
grounding conductor, ~
tape Fe armor (armor
conductivity < 10% of ~
the phase conductor
conductivity)
PE U2 V2 W2
PE
L1

L2
L3

V1
TO BE AVOIDED U1 W1
M
3~

Separate protective
grounding conductor, ~
tape Fe armor (armor
conductivity > 10% of ~
the phase conductor
conductivity)
PE U2 V2 W2
PE
L1

L2
L3

TO BE AVOIDED V1
U1 W1
M
3~
30 Cabling of drive systems

„ DC drives
Obey the same basic cabling guidelines what we give for AC drive systems. The most
economical power cable for DC systems has an even number of conductors. You can also
use a shielded three-core cable. Use the 2+1 / 1+2 principle (see the figure below) when
you install three-core cables in large drive systems, where several power cables are
needed. This way the power is shared evenly between the cables.

AC bus

+ -
+ -
123

123 123

123 123

+ -
-
123

M
M

-
The excitation cable is a heavy source of interference because of the abrupt commutation.
Therefore, always use shielded excitation cables.
Do not use single-core cables for DC drives.
Motors with stator serial winding must have a grounding brush on the shaft to avoid
bearing problems.
 Cabling of drive systems 31

Selecting and connecting control cables

It is very important to use correct cable types to get the EMC compatibility. A wrong cable
type can cause severe interference problems. Shielded control cables decrease
disturbances.
Note: Keep any signal wire pairs twisted as close to the terminals as possible. Twisting the
wire with its return wire decreases disturbances caused by inductive coupling.

„ When to use shielded cables

Use a double-shielded twisted pair cable for analog signals. We recommend this cable
type for the pulse encoder signals also. Use one individually shielded pair for each signal.
Do not use common return for different analog signals.
A double-shielded cable (figure a below) is the best alternative for low-voltage digital
signals but single-shielded (b) twisted pair cable is also acceptable.

a b

Always use a shielded cable for safety low-voltage (SELV) control signals.
A shielded cable with correct voltage rating is the best alternative for 115/230 V AC digital
signals but you can also use an unshielded multi-core cable.

„ Connecting the cable shield

Description
A signal cable shield left unconnected (ungrounded) at both ends does not suppress
disturbances. Grounding a signal cable shield at one end only suppresses the
electromagnetic field and inductive disturbances enough in most cases.
Grounding a signal cable shield at both ends improves disturbance suppression above a
certain frequency, but forms also a loop where low-frequency current flows if the ends of
the cable shield are at different potentials. Therefore, if high-frequency grounding is
needed, the other end of the shield should be grounded via a capacitor. In some
equipment the capacitor is incorporated.
32 Cabling of drive systems

Instructions
Ground the outer shields of all control cables 360 degrees at a grounding clamp at the
drive cable lead-though. Also, connect the pair cable shields and grounding wires to a
grounding terminal at the drive side. The grounding terminal can be a special clamp, screw
or terminal block marked with PE, FE, GND or one of the following symbols:

3( *1' )( )(
7(

Leave the other ends of the control cable shields unconnected or ground them indirectly
via a high-frequency capacitor with a few nanofarads, for example, 3.3 nF / 630 V. You can
also ground the shield directly at both ends if the ends are in the same ground plane with
no significant voltage drop between the ends.

„ Analog and digital signals in separate cables

Use separate shielded cables for analog and digital signals. Never mix 24 V DC and
115/230 V AC signals in the same cable.

„ Signals allowed to be run in the same cable

Relay-controlled signals, the voltage of which does not exceed 48 V, can be run in the
same cables as digital input signals. Run the relay-controlled signals as twisted pairs.

„ Relay cable type

The cable type with braided metallic screen (for example ÖLFLEX by LAPPKABEL,
Germany) has been tested and approved by ABB.

„ Serial communication (eg, fieldbus)

See the fieldbus adapter module user’s manuals.

Cabling and insulation of pulse encoders

Always use a double-shielded cable for the pulse encoder signals.
Ground the cable shields only at the pulse encoder interface module if the pulse encoder
is not isolated from the motor and earth. However, if the encoder is isolated from the motor
and earth, connect the cable shields to the encoder housing also.
For more information, see the user’s manual of the pulse encoder interface module and
the pulse encoder manual.

Galvanic isolation
We recommend galvanic isolation of control signals especially at long distances. Galvanic
isolation improves the interference immunity. It prevents interference caused by common
impedance coupling (ground loop) and suppresses inductive coupling interference. Isolate
and amplify weak signals at the source end only. Otherwise, the signals can also be
isolated at the receiving end.
 Cabling of drive systems 33

Common mode inductors

In applications of high emission level such as trains, trams and moving machines,
common mode inductors can be used in signal cables to avoid interfacing problems
between different systems.
Wrap the signal conductors through the common mode inductor ferrite core as shown in
the figure below. The ferrite core increases inductance of conductors and their mutual
inductance so that common mode disturbance signals above a certain frequency are
suppressed. An ideal common mode inductor does not suppress differential mode signals.

I1 Iin
Iin, Iout Load current (normal mode)
Iout
I1, I2 Disturbance current
I2
(common mode)
 1,  2 Flux caused by disturbance
 in  out
 in,  out Flux caused by load current

1
2

Routing the cables

Route the motor cable away from other cable routes. Motor cables of several drives can be
run in parallel installed next to each other. The motor cable, input power cable and control
cables should be installed on separate trays. Avoid long parallel runs of motor cables with
other cables in order to decrease electromagnetic interference caused by the rapid
changes in the drive output voltage.
Where control cables must cross power cables, arrange them at an angle as near to 90
degrees as possible. Do not run extra cables through the drive.
The cable trays must have good electrical bonding to each other and to the grounding
electrodes. Aluminum tray systems can be used to improve local equalizing of potential.
A diagram of the cable routing is shown below.

Motor cable
Drive
Power cable min 300 mm (12 in.)

Input power cable Motor cable

min 200 mm (8 in.) 90 °

min 500 mm (20 in.)

Control cables
 34 Cabling of drive systems

Grounding diagram of an AC drive system

This drawing shows an example of the typical grounding of an AC drive system.

INCOMER SECTION
INCOMING SECTION DRIVE SECTION DRIVE SECTION DRIVE SECTION
 Cabling of drive systems 35

Grounding diagram of a DC drive system

This drawing shows an example of the typical grounding of a DC drive system.

INCOMER
INCOMING SECTION
SECTION DRIVE SECTION DRIVE SECTION DRIVE SECTION
36 Cabling of drive systems
 Interference coupling 37

4
Interference coupling

Contents of this chapter

This chapter tells principally about different ways of interference coupling. It also gives
guidelines on how to decrease the coupling.
38 Interference coupling

Common impedance coupling

Common impedance coupling is possible if interference source circuits have a common
current path (see the figure below), for example, in the grounding or power supply circuit.
Current changes in the interfering circuit cause potential changes across the common
impedance:

u = R·i - L di
dt
where u denotes the voltage and i the current. The voltage across an inductor is equal to
the product of its inductance and the time rate of change of the current through it.

„ How to decrease coupling via a ground loop

• Use one-point grounding to prevent low-frequency coupling.
• Keep the inductance as low as possible to decrease high-frequency coupling. To get
lowest impedance, the relation between the length and width of a grounding conductor
(twisted shield) should be less than five. In practice, this is possible only with multi-
point grounding.

b > 1/5 · a

b
a
 Interference coupling 39

Capacitive coupling
Capacitive disturbance is coupled by a changing electric field. The coupling is possible in
circuits which have stray capacitance with each other.

Un

R
U1

Interference voltage (Un) is proportional to frequency (f), voltage level of the interfering
conductor (U1) and stray capacitance between the conductors (C12):

Un = j2 S f · U1 · C12 · R.

„ How to decrease capacitive coupling

• Decrease stray capacitances between circuits.
• Decrease the impedance level of the victim circuit.
• Limit the frequency level of the interfering circuit.
• Limit the voltage level of the interfering circuit.

„ How to decrease stray capacitance

• Use metal casings for devices.
• Use shielded conductors.
• Increase the distance between conductors.
• Use a ground plane between conductors.
40 Interference coupling

Inductive coupling
Inductive disturbance is coupled through magnetic field. Current in the interfering circuit
generates a magnetic flux around its conductor. When a changing magnetic flux goes
through a closed loop, a changing voltage is induced to the victim circuit and, as a result,
an interference current flow in the closed loop.

Un

U1

Interference voltage (Un) is proportional to the frequency (f) and current (I1) of the
interfering conductor and to the mutual inductance of the circuits (M12). Mutual inductance
is proportional to the area of the loop perpendicular to the magnetic field lines (A cos T )
devided by the distance between the conductors (r):
Un = j2 S f · M12 · I1

A cos T
M12 = P
2 Sr

„ How to decrease inductive coupling between circuits

• Decrease mutual inductance between the circuits.
• Filter the high-frequency content of the interfering circuit.
• Decrease the current of the interfering circuit.

„ How to decrease mutual inductance

• Use twisted pairs as signal cables.
• Increase the distance between conductors.
• Decrease the loop area by galvanic isolation.
• Avoid parallel conductors and coils.

„ How to get extra disturbance suppression

• Shield the victim conductor with a material that has high permeability. High-
permeability material "short-circuits" magnetic circuits, so that most of the flux flows
through this material.
• Use a metal enclosure or shield to decrease high-frequency disturbance.
• Use high-conductive metal shield materials such as aluminium and copper.
 Interference coupling 41

Electromagnetic coupling
Electromagnetic energy can propagate in free space as waves. Every conductor which
carries a changing current is a potential transmitter antenna of electromagnetic waves. All
conductors can also operate as receiver antennas. In addition, every conductor, whether it
is a part of an active circuit or not, shapes the electromagnetic fields and potentially
amplifies the antenna operation. Sometimes, a solid insulator can behave in the same
way. The efficiency of the antenna increases at high frequencies (above 10 MHz) when the
antenna dimensions exceed about 1/100 of the wave length. The dimensions and
operation frequencies of normal digital electronics fall into this range.
Also, a part of the climatic interference, for example, lightning at a long distance, lies at
frequencies from 10 to 100 MHz. A stroke of lightning close to an electronic equipment
easily stops the normal function of the equipment and can damage it. The coupling
decreases as the distance increases.

„ How to protect against electromagnetic waves

• Use ground planes or mesh structures as local ground.
• Use shielded cables.
• Use metal enclosures for equipment. Leaky doors are problematic.
• Make only small openings in enclosures.
• Prevent unintentional antenna structures.
• Ground systematically at short (< 1/10 wavelength) intervals.
• Leave the other ends of the control cable shields unconnected or ground them
indirectly via a high-frequency capacitor with a few nanofarads, eg, 3.3 nF / 630 V.
These procedures decrease the electromagnetic coupling at both the source and the
victim side.
42 Interference coupling
Further information
Product and service inquiries
Address any inquiries about the product to your local ABB representative, quoting the type
designation and serial number of the unit in question. A listing of ABB sales, support and
service contacts can be found by navigating to www.abb.com/drives and selecting Sales,
Support and Service network.

Product training
For information on ABB product training, navigate to www.abb.com/drives and select
Training courses.

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Your comments on our manuals are welcome. Go to www.abb.com/drives and select
Document Library – Manuals feedback form (LV AC drives).

Document library on the Internet

You can find manuals and other product documents in PDF format on the Internet. Go to
www.abb.com/drives and select Document Library. You can browse the library or enter
selection criteria, for example a document code, in the search field.
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3AFY61201998 Rev C (EN) 2013-03-25