Enhancing refrigeration reliability with advanced motor-drive control

ABB provides high-efficiency motor and drive solutions for refrigeration compressors, combining advanced control, reliability, and energy performance.

 

Matched motor-drive packages simplify integration, while variable speed technology ensures precise temperature control, optimized performance, and reduced energy consumption for more sustainable systems.

Efficient, reliable and flexible compressor control with ABB wall-mounted drives

Discover how ABB wall-mounted drives help cooling and refrigeration compressors run more efficiently, reliably, and flexibly across demanding applications.

Optimize compressor performance in chiller systems

Learn how variable speed drives optimize compressor operation in chiller systems, improving energy efficiency, reliability, and control across different applications and operating conditions.

Explore the full application guide to learn how ABB variable speed drives, together with motors and control components, optimize compressor performance, improve energy efficiency, and ensure reliable operation across chiller systems.

Key benefits

Optimized efficiency that fits your compressor design

<p>High-efficiency motor and drive performance reduces energy consumption and operating costs, while flexible mounting options make integration easier, including wall mounting, flange mounting, and cabinet mounting even horizontally.</p>

High-speed drives for high-speed compressors

<p>ABB drives deliver precise torque control and smooth motor performance up to 1600 Hz, with high switching frequencies up to 16 kHz and a compact design that reduces cabinet size and simplifies integration.</p>

Compressor-independent solution

<p>ABB’s comprehensive portfolio of drives, motors and PLCs supports refrigeration, air, gas, and high-speed compressor applications, from compact units to advanced industrial systems. Flexible and scalable automation enables seamless integration with HMIs, drives, safety systems, and third-party systems, with wall-mounted drives available up to 355 kW.</p>

A2L and A3 refrigerant compliance

<p>ABB drives are compliant with IEC/UL 60335-2-40, supporting safe and reliable operation with A2L and A3 refrigerants while helping machine builders meet regulatory requirements with confidence.</p>

Precise cooling control with built-in redundancy

<p>ABB drives feature built-in cooling compressor control firmware for accurate temperature regulation and stable operation. ABB PLCs add reliable multi-sensor monitoring and control, giving machine builders deeper process insight to improve compressor stability, performance, and equipment health.</p>

Optimized power quality and performance

<p>Improve power quality and maximize efficiency with ultra-low harmonic drives that reduce harmonics by up to 97%, eliminate the need for external filters, and maintain near-unity power factor for stable, reliable operation.</p>

Real-time visibility for smarter compressor operation

<p>ABB PLCs provide an open connectivity platform for monitoring critical compressor and process parameters. Real-time data delivers clear visibility of equipment health and performance.</p>

Related content

Engineering behind the 315-355 kW high power drive

Discover how wall-mounted drives in the 315 kW and 355 kW range are designed for demanding compressor applications, combining compact size, flexible mounting, and simplified installation.

Drive-based control for HVACR cooling compressors

In this guide, we explore how variable speed drives enable precise compressor control, integrate multi-compressor systems, and simplify commissioning with built-in HVACR functionality. Dive into the details.

Wall-mounted drives for cooling and refrigeration

This video highlights how wall-mounted drives support compressor performance with flexible installation and streamlined commissioning. See how it works

Ensuring safety and compliance: our commitment to refrigerant conformity

ABB Drives have achieved an important milestone to serve the needs of machine builders in refrigeration sector. A range of our HVACR, machinery and general purpose drives are now compliant to be used in systems with A2L and A3 refrigerants according to IEC/UL60335-2-40.

Efficient refrigeration control — Reducing operating costs and CO₂ emissions using AC drives

Refrigeration can account for a large share of energy use in food and beverage operations. This paper explains how variable speed drives improve efficiency, reduce operating costs, and lower CO₂ emissions in refrigeration systems.

Compress to impress: selecting the right drives for energy efficiency

How variable speed drives (VSDs) can help reduce the inefficiencies of compressors.

Industry insight: The hidden energy drain in food production

Industrial refrigeration is one of the most energy-intensive processes in food production—yet it remains rooted in traditional, constant-speed operation. Bridging the gap between mechanical reliability and digital optimisation is now key to unlocking its full efficiency potential.

Digital solutions to better your business

  1. Select, dimension and integrate

    Choose and configure Drives, Motors, PLCs, HMIs, recommendations, check sizing, validate efficiency - all in one convenient place.

  2. Simplify commissioning

    Drive Composer is a start-up and maintenance tool for ABB's common architecture drives.

  3. Ensure reliability and uptime

    ABB Ability™ Condition Monitoring for powertrains provides continuous visibility into the health and performance of your drives, motors, and applications. It delivers real-time intelligence that helps your teams detect anomalies early, analyze performance trends, and plan maintenance with confidence.

  4. Optimize performance

    Unlock the full potential of your motor and drive systems with ABB Crealizer™, an open software plat-form seamlessly integrated into ABB drives’ operating system.

  5. Implement cyber security

    Protect your assets from cyber attacks with safe and secure products and solutions that comply with laws and regulations, as well as targeting compliance towards required security standards.

Our offering

Motors & Generators

High-efficiency motors and generators that deliver energy savings, reliability, and productivity in demanding applications.

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World-class drives, systems, and packages that improve energy efficiency, reliability, productivity, safety, and performance.

Services

Comprehensive services for motors, generators and drives. Improve performance, extend lifetime and reduce costs with expert support worldwide.

PLC Automation

Proven PLC technology that enhances productivity, reliability, safety, and connectivity across industries and infrastructure.

Traction

High-performance electric drivetrain solutions for rail, industrial vehicles, transport and beyond.