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Sel ecti on of Inducti on Motors for Industri al Appl i cati ons (photo by http://www.i ecee.org)
Ashok Parikh
Selection of Induction Motors for Industrial Applications (part
1)
Introduction
All types of industries are invariably required to install dif f erent types of electric motors as prime mover f or
driving process equipment participating in their respective production line up. The continuous process of
technical development has resulted into availability of highly diversif ied types of electric motors.
Hence, an utmost care should be exercised in selection of most appropriate type of motor considering
number of technical factors for each application, so that the motor would provide desired and optimum
performance.
The characteristics of motors vary widely with the nature of their application and the type of duty they are
expected to perf orm. For example, the applications like constant speed, constant torque, variable speed,
continuous/intermittent duty, steep/sudden starts, f requent start/stops, etc. should be taken into
consideration caref ully when deciding f or the type of a motor f or that specif ic application.
Moreover, the motors are required to perform quite often under abnormal conditions during their total
service lif e.
Stator and Rotor Damages
In view of above, an incorrect selection of motor always lands the industrial buyer into all sorts of
problems, including premature failure of the motor, causing severe production curtailments.
Like one mentioned above, a number of other f actors and design f eatures like weather conditions,
stringent system conditions, abnormal surroundings, hazardous area, duty cycle, motor efficiency,
etc. should be considered while deciding the rating and subsequently drawing out the technical
specif ications of the motor.
Abnormal
condit ions and
ef f ect s
The usual abnormal
conditions
encountered by the
motors are given
below.
1. Abnormal Syst em
Condit ions
1. Voltage
1. Undervoltage
2. Overvoltage
3. Unbalance in 3-phase
4. Single phasing
5. Voltage surges
2. Frequency
1. Low f requency
2. High f requency
2. Abnormal Operat ing condit ions
1. Locked rotor or stalled rotor
2. Reswitching/Frequent start-stops
3. Momentary interruption/Bus transf er
4. Overloading
5. Improper cable sizing
3. Environment al condit ions
1. High/low ambienttemperature
2. High altitude
3. High humidity
4. Corrosive atmosphere
5. Hazardous atmosphere/surroundings
6. Exposure to steam/salt-laden air/oil vapour
4. Mechanical problems
1. Seized bearings
2. Incorrect alignment/f oundation levelling
3. Incorrect f ixing of coupling
4. High vibration mounting
5. External shock due to load
5. Condit ion at locat ion
1. Poor ventilation
2. Dirt accumulation
3. Exposure to direct sunlight
Though, above mentioned abnormalities may prevail f or short or long duration or may be transient in
nature, major impact of the listed abnormal conditions is overheating of the motor along with one or
several of the other ef f ects as f ollows.
Change in the motor perf ormance characteristics like drawl of more power and consequent deterioration in
motor ef f iciency, etc.
Increase in mechanical stresses leading to:
1. Shearing of shaf ts
2. Damage to winding overhang
3. Bearing f ailures
4. Insulation f ailures
Increase in stator and rotor winding temperature leading to:
1. Premature f ailure of stator or rotor insulation (For wound rotor motor)
2. Increased f ire hazard
3. Breakage of rotor bar and/or end ring (For squirrel cage motors)
All the motors encounter few or several of these abnormalities during the course of their service lives.
Consideration of listed abnormal conditions at design stage greatly helps to minimise the effects of
abnormal conditions to maintain a consistent perf ormance.
Design Considerations
Following are the most important design factors required to be considered when selecting a motor f or any
of the diversif ied industrial applications.
Out put in kW/HP
There are two principle limitations for selecting the motor output:
1. Mechanical limit at ion
The breakdown torque, which is the maximum torque that the motor can produce when operating without
stalling. This is a critical design f actor in motor applications, particularly for the motors subjected to
occasional extreme load conditions.
Another critical f actor is the locked-rotor torque, which is the maximum torque that the motor can produce
during startup f rom steady-state condition, a critical design f eature f or conveyor drives.
2. Elect rical limit at ion due t o insulat ion provided on t he mot or windings
The electrical load on the motor can be imposed till the winding insulation is able to withstand the
prescribed temperature rise over an ambient f or that particular class of insulation. Lif e of the motor greatly
depends on the temperature rise of the windings.
Anticipated lif e-span of the motor can be achieved provided it is operated at its rated output without
overloading and the prescribed preventive maintenance practices are religiously f ollowed.
Speed of t he Mot or
Most of the motors are directly coupled with the driven equipment where in the speed of the motor and
the driven equipment will be same.
In order to meet the speed of the driven equipment, the devices like gearbox, chains or belts are
introduced between motor and driven equipment. In this case, it may be necessary to provide the rotor
shaft suitable f or its attachment with the speed decreasing or increasing device and hence the
specif ication should include such specif ic requirement.
In case a variable speed drive is to be used f or the speed variation, the motor should be compatible f or this
specif ic application. The standard motor may not provide desired perf ormance when operated via variable
speed drive.
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Power Supply Volt age and Frequency Variat ions
Variations in the power supply parameters, i.e. voltage and f requency signif icantly af f ect overall
perf ormance of the motor. As provided in IS:325-1996, the permissible voltage variation is 5 to 10%,
permissible frequency is 50Hz 3%, and permissible combined variation is 6 %.
The effect of undervoltage is more serious than that of overvoltage.
The higher torque, resulting f rom overvoltage, can handle a little overload without undue heating of the
winding, but only f or a short duration. Continuous operation with undervoltage condition increases the
current at the rate of about 20% f or every 5% reduction in the supply voltage, increasing the rated copper
loss.
This results into heating and prolonged temperature rise, and f inally the burning of winding. During a
motor start-up, the torque reduces by 10% f or each 5% reduction in the supply voltage, causing more
starting current and consequently more rapid heating of the
winding.
Large burned out i nducti on motor
The
motor
offers
reduced efficiency at either overvoltage or undervoltage. Power f actor drops sharply with higher voltage
and improves with lower voltage. Even when motor is lightly loaded, over-voltage cause rise in current and
temperature thus reducing the lif e of motor. The variation in f requency by +5 % decreases the torque by
about 10% and vice-versa at 5% f requency, the torque increases by about 10%.
It is, theref ore, of utmost importance to consider the combined ef f ect of variation in voltage and f requency
both when purchasing the motor.
Unbalance in the supply voltage results into a current unbalance of 6 to 10 times the percentage
voltage unbalance. This in turn results into generation of negative sequence currents in the rotor causing
its overheating and premature f ailure.
It is theref ore vital to specif y the permissible limits of variations in the power supply parameters f or the
motor in accordance with the requirement of the driven equipment. However, the permissible limits should
never be more than provided in the applicable Indian Standard IS:325-1996 (Reaf f irmed in 2002).
Will be continued very soon