ABB ACH580-01-039A-4 HVAC AC Drive 18.5 kW 38 A

18.5 kW HVAC drive on frame R3

ACH580-01-039A-4 is a wall-mounted ABB ACH580 drive made for heating, ventilation and air conditioning. ABB’s catalogue rates it at 18.5 kW and 38 A in no-overload use on a 380 to 415 V network, and builds it on frame R3. Typical jobs are supply and extract fans, chilled-water and heating pumps, cooling-tower fans and similar variable-torque loads in commercial and industrial buildings. The 18.5 kW rating sits mid-way in frame R3, a popular size for air handling units.

ABB equips the ACH580 with building functions rather than generic machine macros, among them motor flying start, motor preheating, an energy optimiser with kWh counters and stall and overload protection. See more ratings under AC drives; the sister platform is described on the ABB ACS580 page.

Technical specifications

Duty ratings of the ACH580-01-039A-4

Voltage changes the answer. A 380 to 415 V network gives 18.5 kW and 38 A nominal, 36.1 A light duty. A 440 to 480 V network gives 34 A light duty for 25 hp. Because HVAC loads are variable torque, light duty usually applies, with about 39.7 A (110%, derived) available for a minute. Ratings are for +40 degrees C.

Frame R3 in IP21 form stands 490 mm tall including the gland box (490 mm without it), 203 mm wide and 229 mm deep, and weighs 11.8 kg. The IP55 build measures 490 x 206 x 237 mm at 13 kg. With a main switch or C1 filter variant the IP55 body becomes 733 x 207 x 258 mm and 15 kg.

For energy-efficiency work, ABB’s IE4 SynRM motor table lists the ACH580-01-039A-4 alongside 15 kW M3AL132SMD4 at 3000 rpm (33.5 A nominal, motor efficiency 93.3%, package efficiency 90.7%); 15 kW M3BL160MLB4 at 3000 rpm (34.8 A nominal, motor efficiency 93.3%, package efficiency 90.5%); 15 kW M3BL160MLB4 at 1500 rpm (33.7 A nominal, motor efficiency 93.9%, package efficiency 91.3%). These numbers describe that specific pairing; ABB calculates them for the combined drive and motor, and other motor types need their own check.

Type code and option codes

An order line starts with ACH580-01-039A-4: 01 marks the wall-mounted drive, 039A is the rating field and 4 the voltage class. Typical plus codes are +F316 for the disconnect switch plus a C1 filter, +C135 for flange mounting, +L501 for the CMOD-01 relay and 24 V module and +L523 for CMOD-02 with an isolated PTC interface.

Network options are ordered with +K codes. Examples from the table are BACnet/IP via FBIP-21 (+K465), Modbus TCP via FMBT-21 (+K491) and PROFINET IO via FPNO-21 (+K492); the standard protocols stay available regardless.

Across the range ABB specifies Safe Torque Off certified to SIL 3 / PL e, an EMC category C2 design for frames R1 to R9, six digital inputs and two analog inputs, two analog outputs and three relay outputs and a 24 V DC auxiliary supply of 250 mA.

Applications in buildings and industry

The ACH580-01-039A-4 is aimed at the variable-torque loads that dominate HVAC energy use. On air handling units it controls supply and extract air volume to follow occupancy or a duct pressure setpoint. On chilled-water and heating circuits it holds differential pressure or flow while valves open and close across the building. On cooling towers it adjusts air flow to the condenser-water temperature. Running these loads at reduced speed instead of throttling with dampers or valves is where most of the energy saving comes from, and the built-in energy optimiser and kWh counters let facility teams see that saving in the drive data.

In the Gulf, cooling is the largest electrical load in most commercial buildings, hospitals, malls, hotels and district-cooling plants, so drives of this size are found throughout mechanical rooms in Muscat and across the region.

Selection and integration

Size the drive on the motor nameplate current at the actual supply voltage, not on kilowatts alone, and use the light-duty figures for typical HVAC loads. Choose IP21 for a clean plant room or panel, and the IP55 build where the drive will be mounted near the equipment in a dustier or more humid space. For building management integration, decide on the protocol early: BACnet/IP, Modbus TCP and PROFINET IO are available as listed option modules, and the standard protocols remain available without them. Agree the point list with the BMS contractor, including start and stop, speed reference, running feedback, fault status and energy data.

Installation and commissioning practice

Mount the drive vertically on a solid wall with the clearances required in the ABB manual so that cooling air can pass freely. Keep motor cables separate from control and network cabling, and use a shielded motor cable with the shield bonded at both ends. During commissioning, enter the motor nameplate data, set minimum and maximum speeds to protect the duct or pipework, and enable flying start for loads that may already be turning when the drive starts. Motor preheating is useful for motors that stand idle in humid conditions, and stall and overload protection should be set to match the motor.

Site conditions in Oman and the GCC

Ratings are stated for a given ambient temperature, so drives in rooftop plant rooms, which can become very hot in summer, need proper ventilation or air conditioning to stay within the rated conditions. Fine dust and sand favour the IP55 build or a ventilated enclosure that keeps contamination out. Coastal humidity and salt air make it worth keeping panels closed, inspecting connections during maintenance, and using motor preheating on standby equipment.

Source document and RFQ

Figures come from the ABB drives for HVAC ACH580 series catalogue (3AUA0000186691, revision F, dated 9.14.2019), linked on this page. Seven Star LLC supplies the ACH580-01-039A-4 on request from Muscat; send the motor nameplate, supply voltage, enclosure class and building-network protocol with your RFQ, and the quotation states availability and lead time.

Confirm before ordering: the complete type code with plus options, motor current at your supply voltage, site temperature and altitude, and that this catalogue revision still matches ABB’s current listing for the type.