DC drives are utilised in a variety of both commercial and industrial applications, which include processes such as rolling mills, printing presses, and elevators.  When operating as it is supposed to, DC drives not only use energy more efficiently, but also provide better process controllability than their electromechanical counterparts.  DC drives are known to present a unique set of challenges when it comes to power quality performance, thus making the technology one of the most difficult to protect against electrical variations.  However, despite these challenges, personnel and consultants have managed to be quite successful when it comes to protecting customer processes containing DC drives against electrical problems.  An important element here is to have adequate knowledge regarding what solution to apply and when to apply it.

Important considerations regarding the use of DC drives involve those applications where the need exists for either high torque or precision speed control.  In addition, DC motors are also the popular choice of designers and system integrators working with mature processes, seeing as they are more comfortable and familiar with using DC motors.  This coupled together with the fact that installation costs are lower, and one begins to realise why engineers continue to select DC drive technology over some of the new AC-drive alternatives.  To allow one to specify power-conditioning solutions for DC drives, it is important to understand that different types of DC drives are available. 

Even though it is true that DC drives can possibly present problems to end users who experience difficulties with the compatibility of their electrical environments, the many advantages of DC drives means that they stay a great choice in a variety of applications. 

In order to improve the power quality ride-through of DC drives, engineers need to fully understand drive operation as well as the torque and speed requirements of facility processes.  After securing that information, they can then decide what the best solution for their particular situation will be.