The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Compressors are used in many residential and commercial settings, such as for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and cooling/refrigeration systems. While starting, current drawn by the compressor is often high because the compressor motor's inductance has a very low resistance at low frequencies. As the speed of the motor increases, the current decreases.
However, as the voltage supplied to the compressor drops, the current increases. When power is provided to the compressor from an electrical grid, decreases in voltage of the electrical grid will cause the compressor's current to increase. A voltage decrease may occur on the grid in various circumstances, such as if a substation or transmission line fails. This voltage decrease may result in a dramatic increase in current drawn by the compressor.