How can you use a machine designed in US which works at 460 V and 60 hz in Europe with the voltage 400v and 50 hz if the power is 36 kw?

Answer:

Answer

An electrical engineer would not recommend you to try to use in Europe such a high voltage piece of equipment that was designed for use in the US. One reason is that, if the machine uses an electric motor, the lower frequency of the mains supply in Europe, 50 Hz (50 cycles per second), may make the motor run too slowly compared to the speed it was designed to run at in the US, where the mains frequency is 60 Hz.

The answer given below mentions an "adapter" but such things are only appropriate for use with low energy appliances such as chargers for cellphones, shavers/razors, etc. Small adapters are fine to use to convert the mains supply from 120 volts to 230 volts, or vice versa, at relatively low levels of power. Something which runs at 460 volts is not at all the same kind of application!

In an area where the mains supply is delivered at 50 Hz it is much safer only to use equipment which has been designed to run on 50 Hz. OK, maybe you could use a transformer to increase the voltage but it would not be good practice to do so. Indeed, such a transformer, which should only be used if safely housed in a protective casing, might cost as much to buy - new or secondhand - as a machine that has been correctly designed to do the job using the standard European mains voltage and frequency.

Answer

Maybe you should get a different type of adapter. There are adapters available which increase or decrease the voltage respectively as conventionally used by you all in Europe.

First answer by Ananddave. Last edit by Martinel. Contributor trust: 883 [recommend contributor recommended]. Question popularity: 12 [recommend question].