High Voltage vs Low Voltage

From Imrtwiki

There were discussions around the selection between 415 Voltage and 3.3KV for medium size drives of around 500kW. There is a trend to use 415V drives where historically high voltage would have been specified. The group consensus was that lower voltage drives were easier and cheaper to maintain. Some or the drivers for this are the strict regulations that exist with high voltage system that necessitate extra training and restrictions in isolation and other practices. The trend seems to be that regulations for high voltage systems will become more onerous with controlling bodies such as Energy Australia trying to make users more accountable.

One issue mentioned by Noel from Blue Circle that supports use of high voltage motors is the increased cable size that is required by low voltage drives.

One trend with HV controls mentioned was the push from insurance companies to have Vacuum Breakers specified rather than the older technology Oil Circuit Breakers. This is due to the perceived fire risk caused by Oil Circuit Breakers.