Overnight power “flicker” blamed for seven hours of unchecked outflow
By Andrew Harris
Village of Wellsville Department of Public Works issued a notice this morning after finding that a major overflow from water treatment facility on the Bolivar Road occurred overnight.
DPW chief Dean Arnold explained that the accidental release of approximately 71,500 gallons from the Waste Water Treatment Plant as caused by “a power flicker from an incoming power line to the village.”
The specifc failure was reported as a “VFD” or a Variable Frequency Drive. Electrical-World.com explains what a VFD is:
“A Variable Frequency Drive (VFD), also known as an adjustable frequency drive (AFD) or variable speed drive (VSD), is an electronic device that controls the speed and torque of AC motors by varying the frequency and voltage of the power supplied to the motor.
Think of it as a sophisticated dimmer switch for your motors – but instead of just controlling brightness, it precisely manages speed, acceleration, and energy consumption.”
