The Schneider Electric VW3A4647 is a passive harmonic filter designed to reduce current harmonics on Altivar variable-speed drives. It's rated for 72 A continuous at 480 V, 60 Hz, three-phase, and mounts in an IP20 enclosure — meaning it lives inside the panel, not out on the wall. Efficiency hits 98 %, so the power loss through the filter is minimal — about 2 % of the load current goes to heat, which matters when you're sizing ventilation in a packed cabinet. The THDI performance varies by drive model: 10 % for ATV61W and ATV71W units at 37–45 kW, and 16 % for ATV61H and ATV71H units at the same power range. That's the harmonic current distortion after the filter, measured at rated load.
The 72 A rated current sets the maximum continuous load the filter can carry. That's sized for the 37–45 kW / 50–60 hp Altivar drives listed in the compatibility table — one filter per drive, no sharing. Power factor correction is load-dependent: cos phi hits 1 at 150 % of line current, drops to 0.85 at 75 % load, and sits at 0.99 at full load. That means the filter does its best work when the drive is pulling hard — at light loads the displacement factor is lower, which is typical for passive designs. Terminal capacity is 50 mm² — that's a substantial lug, sized for the 72 A feed. Class F insulation means the winding can handle 155 °C hot-spot temperature without degrading.
Environmental limits and derating
Operating temperature range is 5–40 °C without derating; above 40 °C up to 55 °C, derate current by 3 % per °C. At 50 °C ambient, that's a 30 % reduction — the 72 A filter becomes a 50 A filter. Plan the cabinet cooling accordingly. Altitude derating kicks in above 1000 m: 5 % current reduction per additional 1000 m. At 3000 m, the 72 A rating drops to about 64.8 A. Humidity range is 5–85 % non-condensing. Storage temperature spans -25 to 55 °C — that's the handling limit, not the running limit.