ARGE PUMPS AND COMPRESSORS IN THE MEGA-watt range are often required by the petrochemical industry. The associated motors are often large enough for soft starting or may also be so large to dictate the requirement of soft starting. Soft starting may also be required because of the nature of the process or the driven equipment. Direct online (DOL) starting results in the severe transients in the machine and associated power system, which can be avoided by soft starting. One or more large drives in a process plant can often benefit from the adjustable-speed operation for improved process control or energy savings. The reliability of the process is, however, extremely important because outages frequently result in major production or financial losses. Therefore, a reliable, flexible, safe, and cost-effective system is required.