On the display
The panel reads SYS X GATE DRIVER; X is the number of the affected system. In the fault tables the line is printed with a placeholder word in front of GATE DRIVER: that placeholder (YYYYYYY) indicates a FAULT condition, where the unit restarts, or LOCKOUT.
What it means
This is a hardware-generated VSD fault — an IGBT Gate Driver hardware fault — and it is a system fault for all units, with immediate shutdown. Each phase bank assembly carries one gate driver control board for every compressor. While the IGBTs are gated on, the board keeps watch on the saturation voltage drop across each of the six IGBTs. If that voltage rises past the prescribed limit, the board decides a short circuit is present, switches every IGBT in the module off at once, and the system shuts down immediately. The identical fault is raised when the gate driver board's power supply voltage drops below the permissible limit.
Why it appears
- The IGBT saturation voltage (VCE SAT) rose past the prescribed limit because of a short circuit condition.
- The IGBT Gate Driver board's power supply voltage fell below the permissible limit.
Setpoints and thresholds
- Auto-restart safety: the system locks out on the 3rd fault in 90 minutes.
Reset and restart
This is an auto-restart safety, so after a trip the system restarts on its own; a lockout only sets in at the 3rd fault within 90 minutes. In the lockout state the manual states: A lockout will not restart until the operator clears the fault using the keypad.
Questions engineers ask
What does SYS X GATE DRIVER mean on a YORK YCAV?
It is a hardware-generated VSD fault: the IGBT gate driver board has seen the saturation voltage (VCE SAT) go past its prescribed limit — read as a short circuit — or its own power supply voltage fall below the permissible limit. It is a system fault for all units and shuts the system down immediately.
Why does my YCAV trip on GATE DRIVER?
Each compressor's gate driver control board in the phase bank assembly monitors the six IGBTs while they are gated on. The fault appears when an IGBT's saturation voltage points to a short circuit condition or when the board's supply voltage drops too low.
Does GATE DRIVER stop the whole chiller?
Yes. It is a system fault for all units and causes an immediate shutdown.
How do I clear a GATE DRIVER lockout on a YCAV?
The fault restarts by itself, but it locks out on the 3rd fault in 90 minutes. A lockout restarts only after the operator clears the fault using the keypad.
Messages next to this one
Source
Written from the manufacturer's manuals for the YORK YCAV; every number and designation on this page is checked against them before publication. The row of the manual this message comes from:
All YORK YCAV messages: fault codes · YORK YCAV documentation · YORK manuals