Originally Posted by
cba_melbourne
There is no VFD manufactured for a single country. It would not be commercially viable. VFD's are invariably made for the world market. That is why manufacturers speak od 100V class, 200V class, and 400V class VFD's (there are higher classes too, but irrelevant here).
Take a single phase 100V VFD, it will work in Japan on their 100V home supply, it will work in the USA on their 110 and 120V supplies, and many other countries in South America and Canada. These VFD's have a voltage doubler input stage, so they can output twice their input voltage and drive a 200V 3ph motor. But they only make these as low HP units, so their input current do not overload a 100V home power outlet.
Take a single phase 200V class VFD, it can run from a wide range of input voltages, typically 200-240V +/-10% (that is 180V to 264V). It will work in Japan on their 200V, it will work in the USA on their 220V (this is 2 times 110V out of phase by 180 degrees from a center tapped roadside transformer, as supplied to some homes over there), it will run in Europe on their 230V, and it will run in Australia on our 240V. And in many other countries too, including Russia and China and India. Think about it, the manufacturer has to make only one single model, and it can be sold all over the world. But the output voltage will never be greater than the input voltage. The VFD can however limit its maximum output voltage to any desired value (from 0 up to its input voltage).
A three phase 400V class VFD will work from 380V to 500V +/-10% input voltage (that is from 342V to 550V), making it again suitable for worlwide use. Its output voltage can again not exceed its input voltage, but it can limit its maximum output voltage to any value.
A similar trend to standardisation can be seen with motors, but motors cannot be made with voltage ranges as wide as VFD's. Motors can be hooked up to a VFD either in star or delta, both will work equally well provided the voltage matches the VFD output. Modern small HP motors are designed with a wide voltage range. A 230V motor will work perfectly well on a VFD with 220 or 240V output. A motor made to run in Japan on 200V will not be happy if run at 240V - it would burn out - it will be necessary to limit the VFD output voltage (simply by setting a parameter in the VFD software). Older motors do not have such wide voltage ranges, and sometimes they cannot be easily hooked up in star because the star point is not wired into the junction box. A motor can however always be run at a lower than its nameplate voltage, it just will not deliver its rated horsepower.
Edit: I am not aware of one single 200V class VFD on the market capable of providing a higher output voltage than its input voltage. There is no mass market for such a VFD, like there is in North America for 100V input 200V output VFD's. Over there, all small 3-phase motors are 220V and most homes only have 110V. In the rest of the world, nearly all small motors can be wired for 230 and 400V, so a 200V class VFD can drive them. And for the few old motors that cannot be hooked up either star or delta the market is too small to make a profit. It is possible for such VFD to be made on order.... for extra money, and not just one off but there would be a minimum order.