Calculation of Motor Capacitances for Prediction of the Voltage Across the Bearings in Machines of Inverter-Based Drive Systems

The occurrence of high-frequency discharge bearing currents (also called "electric discharge machining (EDM) currents") that can occur in machines of inverter-based drive systems depends strongly on the value of the capacitive voltage divider "bearing voltage ratio" (BVR) of the machine. This paper presents a straightforward approach to calculate the involved motor capacitances in order to predict the voltage across the bearing and, thereby, the likeliness of such EDM currents that are caused by this voltage to occur. The approach is based on the design parameters of the machine and does not involve additional measurements. It combines ease of application and satisfying accurateness, and allows prediction of the risk of endangerment of an inverter-based drive system due to discharge bearing currents