Category: ALSTOM

The AL129A (often listed as AL129A CD101152) is a critical Power Supply Module

primarily used in industrial automation and control systems.

It was originally manufactured by Alstom (and later GE following their acquisition

of Alstom’s power business).

It is a “chopper converter” style power module specifically designed for the Alspa

CE2000 and CE3000 series controllers, which are commonly found in power plants,

gas turbines, and HVDC (High Voltage Direct Current) transmission systems.

Common Applications Power Generation: Providing stable power to controllers for

gas, steam, and hydroelectric turbines.

Grid Infrastructure: Used in substation automation and HVDC systems to ensure

reliable protection and control equipment operation.

Industrial Automation: Integrated into complex control systems requiring high-efficiency

power conversion and “isolated” outputs to protect sensitive electronic components.

Status and Availability Since the Alspa CE2000/3000 series is an older platform,

the AL129A is frequently categorized as a “legacy” or “discontinued” part.

You will most commonly find it through specialized industrial surplus suppliers or

as a refurbished unit with a test certificate (often under the Alstom code U0100050).

Dependable Drives – Reliable Support

Drive dependability is affected by many factors including environment, build up of heat,

over voltages and vibration. The potential for such problems in small drives is high

due to the size constraints. With ALSPA MV500 drives, high dependability has been

achieved through carefully considered design aspects, coupled with excellence in

manufacture and assembly.

•50°C ambient rating – for tough applications where operating conditions are hot

•Single, two processor design pcb uses 50% less connections between control and

power devices giving less potential problems, greater dependability and a more robust

drive

•Industrialised mounting brackets cast as part of heatsink

•IP21/NEMA 1 rating

The renowned back up for which ALSTOM has industry-wide recognition supports all ALSPA

MV500 drives globally.

Small in Size – Big on Features

The ALSPA MV500 drive combines the flexibility of much larger drives in a

physically compact size. ALSPA MV500 is designed for most applications and,

therefore, size is recognised as important.  Equally important, however,

is the need to ensure that heat dissipation and dependability are not

compromised by size reduction. 

With the ALSPA MV500 this has been achieved.

•Plug-in communication packages including Profibus-DP, DeviceNet and

Interbus-S ensure that ALSPA MV500 provides exceptional communication

facilities for this size of drive

•Intelligent thermal management technology reduces nuisance tripping and

ensures minimum motor noise to give the user maximum drive performance

•Mains dip ride-through gives protection against expensive process stoppages,

minimising product wastage, breakages and downtime.

•Optional higher level parameters give additional flexibility viaserial communications

•Open loop vector control provides maximum shaft torque

•Units up to 4kW rating fit space saving 200mm deep cubicles

•PID controller, PTC input, skip frequencies & 50:1 minimum speed range standard

on all units

For more complex applications, additional,menus are available if required.

Complex features such as PID control and multi motor control,usually only found

on larger drives, are built into MV500 waiting for configuration via the serial link.

• Simple installation and start up

• Models available for 230V and 400V operation, single and three phase input

• Most drive applications covered by just 10 parameters

• Advanced menus for applications not available from other small drives

• Fast installation and convenient cable management

• Non shaft rotating autotune assists fast set up

• RS485 serial communications as standard

• Intelligent thermal management ensures minimum motor noise with maximum drive protection

• Large power terminals for ease of cabling

• Pluggable terminals for fast access

• Model sizes 2-4 have built-in braking transistor for fast dynamic braking

• Easy options:

– Cloning module for rapid, accurate parameter transfer

– Full EMC compliance with space saving filters

– Future proof fieldbus compliance

– PC Windows® based set up software for advanced configuration

– IP65 multi-language remote keypad

Easy to use – Simple to install

The new ALSPA MV500 drive from ALSTOM Power Conversion brings reductions

not only in drive costs but,equally as important nowadays, reductions in complexity. 

No drives knowledge is required to install and use MV500 in most applications,

ideal for today’s busy process engineer.

In addition to straightforward installation, ALSPA MV500 provides ease of operation

with just10 para meter settings covering most drive applications.

• Easy options:

– Cloning module for rapid, accurate parameter transfer

– Full EMC compliance with space saving filters

– Future proof fieldbus compliance

– PC Windows® based set up software for advanced configuration

– IP65 multi-language remote keypad

Common Programming Tools

for all Drives and Automation

The new PEC family provides a single architecture for all drives in which the essential features are

implemented using common technologies, including:

• Pentium class processor operating at 32-bit with floating point calculations

• Common operating system, used by both drives and automation

• IEC 61131-3 programming with Function Block Diagram as the core language

• Common control structure built from a common library of function blocks

• Common programming tools

• Common HMI systems

• Communication interfaces including all popular fieldbusses

• All hardware, software and communication interfaces based upon industry standards

Flexibility and Options

Optional features can extend the functionality of all controllers in the family:

• Enhancement processors Pentium class or digital signal processor DSP

• Extendable user I/O

• Fieldbus options including WorldFIP,Profibus, Interbus, Ethernet, etc

Innovative Concepts

To satisfy the diverse requirements of its extensive range of available speed drives,

ALSTOM has a range of controllers available from 16-bit, fixed point, embedded

software versions to 32-bit floating point versions.

ALSTOM recently developed a new power electronic controller family (PEC) that ranges

from single card units (standard or advanced) for products and small systems to modular,

rack based arrangements, suitable for the most complex applications.

ALSTOM has embarked on a programme to make the PEC family available for all of its solutions.

The advantages that the PEC family will bring to the user are numerous, some features are highlighted

below.

Diagnostics and History

Records

Because the entire controller family is fully integrated, diagnostics is significantly enhanced.

All controllers in the range offer:

• Extremely powerful yet flexible history recording to enable analysis after a fault condition.

The data is exportable to common file formats for analysis by third party tools

• Extensive status monitoring of alarms, trips, and user defined events

• Tele-diagnostics / Tele-maintenance Diagnostics data can be viewed or extracted 

sing one of several common tools, including a Drive Data ManagerTM keypad,

a PC based visualisation package, or a central programming console(for a large system).

Recent innovations in drive solutions include:

a new type of electric propulsion that mounts the motor in an under-ship pod;

a 19MVA, 4.2kV an IGBT propulsion converter and motor for electric warship;

100MVA converters for pumped storage systems;

and 15MVA, 50Hz, three phase to single phase traction supply converters with

Active Energy Management.

For systems integrators, who need high-quality drive components to

build into their own drive solutions,ALSTOM’s range of drives also includes low voltage

drive modules, inverters, and rectifiers up to 3.6MW.

From simple to complex requirements from 200V fans or pump drives of a few kilowatts,

to large conveyor drives with sinusoidal current return to the mains supply, to a medium

voltage drive up to10kV output without any transformer

– ALSTOM’s drive range provides the solution.

And for special drive applications, customised products and solutions are available on request.

Standardised Equipments

DC drives from 7.5kW to 25MW (customised drives above 750kW) AC drives for low voltage

induction motors from 0.25kVA to 5MVA AC drives for medium voltage induction motors

from 300kVA to 25MVA AC drives for synchronous or wound rotor motors from 0.25kW to 100MVA

With more than 100 years of experience in installed drive power, ALSTOM is a recognised leader in

the industry, providing reliable high quality drives- produced at advanced manufacturing facilities in

France, Germany, Great Britain, and the United States- for all industrial sectors in most countries of the

world.

ALSTOM’s broad product line ranges from simple off-the-shelf low voltage drives at only 0.25kW,

up to the lar gest available engineered drives of over 100MW. And, because the company incorporates

its own drives into other manufactured equipment and systems, years of user experience addition,

manufactures large motors and generators.

Standardised Equipments

DC drives from 7.5kW to 25MW (customised drives above 750kW) AC drives for low voltage

induction motors from 0.25kVA to 5MVA AC drives for medium voltage induction motors

from 300kVA to 25MVA AC drives for synchronous or wound rotor motors from 0.25kW to 100MVA

Applications include:

• Cement mills, crushers

• Compressors

• Conveyors

• Cranes

• Extruders, mixers

• Fans and pumps

• Machine tools

• Marine propulsion

• Metal rolling mills

• Mine hoists

• Paper making

• Presses

• Process lines

• Rolling roads

• Test benches

• Wind tunnels

• Wind turbines

Investing in the Future

ALSTOM Power Conversion invests more than five percent of its industrial control revenues

in research and development to ensure that its products and technologies are always

on the cutting edge, and that its power electronic and automation solutions are the most

advanced in the world. The R&D effort in automation, drive systems and power electronics is

divided between a common development center in Paris and selected operating units in four

countries.

Research in power electronics is handled by a dedicated ALSTOM power electronics research team.

Hardware and software products developed through this process are marketed under the ALSPATM

trademark. Each one benefits from ALSTOM’s hands-on experience in the field, and from an ongoing

commitment to the continued development of increasingly more competitive, more reliable, and

more open solutions for higher performance.