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SMART SOLUTIONS FOR MAINTENANCE & RELIABILITY

Special Report

ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS

Optimize Motors Maintenance

and Load Studies
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How to spot warning signs for your electric motors and

catch problems before they turn into catastrophes
by Paul Barna, SKF

Across industries, plant operations routinely depend

erly performed, especially with small motors even if they

integrate high-quality components. Once a motor is up and
running, turn-to-turn insulation faults can cause trouble,
while adverse operating conditions can affect a motors bearings and cause them to fail prematurely.
Ultimately, optimized electric motor performance will be
reinforced with a mix of best practices, motor testing protocols,
and supporting technologies. From the perspective of predictive maintenance, such proactive measures will share common
goals: averting unplanned downtime and making timely fixes.

on electric motors to drive processes, productivity, and

profitability. But when motors fail for one reason or another,
the resulting unplanned downtime and maintenance costs
can exact a heavy toll. The good news is that proactive initiatives consistent with enterprise-wide predictive maintenance
strategies can help detect motor abnormalities before failure
occurs and keep equipment humming as intended.
The road to failure for electric motors can begin as early
as installation, which all too often is incorrectly or improp-

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PROPER SETUP FROM THE START

Unless an electric motor is installed

and set up properly, its expected service life will likely be in jeopardy.
Poor alignment often is an issue.
If the shaft of an electric motor isnt
aligned carefully with the driven components shaft, the bearings in both
applications will be subjected to added
forces that could significantly reduce
bearing service life in both pieces of
equipment. The best practice is to use
precision alignment tools to confirm
alignment is on track.
Another issue involves unbalance.
Substantial unbalance in the driven
unit can be transferred to a motor,
and the vibrations then can shorten
bearing service life. The best practice
here: Check the vibration level of the
driven unit as a clue toward the root
cause of the problem.
Excessive belt tension also can
become problematic. In most cases,
excessive loads from a belt can cause
unnecessarily high loads on a motors
bearings, significantly reducing the
service life of the bearings and the
belt. Higher loads also mean higher
operating temperatures, which can
reduce lubricant effectiveness and
consequently bearing service life.
Best practice: Check that the belts
have the correct tension using appropriate tools for the job.
TESTING TO UNCOVER
HIDDEN PROBLEMS

Various testing techniques can be

employed to identify hidden problems in electric motors with an
eye toward allowing for repair or
replacement in a timely manner.
Testing can be conducted when a
motor is offline or in service.
Static testing (performed when a
motor is offline) can help you ascertain
the condition of a motors insulation
and circuit, while dynamic motor
analysis (performed while a mo-

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Bearing problems and end-turn insulation system faults are top causes of motor failure.

tor is operating) can pinpoint issues

throughout the motors system relating
to power quality, motor performance,
and load. Together, these tests will
provide a picture of motor health and
deliver information to accurately diagnose and predict imminent failures.
The majority of motor failures electrically develop from turn-to-turn
end-turn insulation system faults. In
general, insulation in a motor typically begins to wear down as turns rub
together from movement generated
during motor startup. Insulation can
further degrade from the introduction of chemical deposits (usually
found when a motor is overgreased).
In the end, a compromised insula-

tion system in an electric motor will

escalate the chances for failure from
an electrical perspective.
Equally troublesome is normal aging of insulation that can be expected
from thermal, chemical, and/or mechanical causes. Dielectric strength
will diminish to a point where the
in-rush voltage causes electrical arcing and every start and stop of a
motor increases this fault in severity
until failure is inevitable. In short,
insulation deterioration gets worse;
dielectric strength drops below operating voltage; arcing action causes high
levels of induced current and high
heat; and the outcome is rapid failure
(sometimes within minutes).

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Static testing, supported by enabling

equipment, can help anticipate whether a motor is running toward electrical
failure. Static testing domains include
the following:
a winding resistance test (confirming
that windings are balanced with no
connection issues)
a meg-ohm test (verifying ground
wall integrity and presence of moisture and/or contamination)
a polarization test (determining
winding cleanliness, potential thermal degradation, and contamination
issues indicating embrittlement and
insulation deterioration)
ramp voltage/step voltage tests
(highlighting ground wall integrity
and contamination issues and useful
in determining severity of insulation
breakdown)
a surge test (identifying turn-to-turn
insulation integrity, coil shorts, and
inductance).
Resulting test values can be trended
over time with the application of fully
automated route-based testers able to
track the various domains throughout
a motors service life. When a motor
is operating, dynamic analysis will
open a wide window into the health
of a motor. Technologies for on-line
testing range from portable dynamic
motor analyzers to network-connected
monitoring systems. They can measure
power quality (including voltage levels,
voltage unbalance, and any distortion
of incoming power), motor performance (how hard a motor can work
through speed, torque, and operating
temperature), overcurrent or current
imbalances, torque characteristics
(whether a motor is over- or underworked and related levels of energy
consumption), connections (verifying
all phases are operating symmetrically
without unbalance), and variablefrequency drives (usually installed to
improve overall plant energy consumption and efficiency, but liable to create

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bad power feeds leading to premature

wear and possible failure).
Among recent innovations in online
testing technologies, a network-connected and permanently installed electrical processor analysis system can
automatically monitor motors from
anywhere in the world and continuously collect data on their health and
performance. Such a system with the
capability to monitor up to 30 motors
per unit can measure more than 40
electrical parameters, compare results
with standard limits, and display
alerts if limits have been exceeded.
EARLY WARNING SIGNS FROM BEARINGS

Bearings are critical components for

electric motors: They support and
locate the rotor, keep the air gap
small and consistent, and transfer
loads from motor shaft to motor
frame. Proper selection, installation,
and maintenance of bearings can
help promote extended service life in
electric motors.
But bearings can fail prematurely
thanks to root causes such as electrical erosion, inadequate or unsuitable
lubrication, and/or heavier-thanexpected or too-light loads.

Electrical erosion, also known as

electric arcing, develops when a stray
current uses a bearing as its path to
ground. The most frequent causes of
electric arc bearing damage include
asymmetry in the motors magnetic
circuit, unshielded power cables,
and/or fast-switching variable frequency drives.
Once electric arc bearing damage
has occurred, excessive vibrations,
increased heat, increased noise levels,
and reduced effectiveness of the motor bearings lubricant will together
shorten a bearings service life. The
extent of the damage will depend on
the amount of energy and its duration, but the result is usually the
same: pitting damage to the bearings
rollers and raceways, rapid degradation of lubricant, and premature
bearing failure.
Recommended fixes: One solution
for resolving the problems associated with electric arcing is to insulate
the bearings from the shaft currents.
Specialized ceramic coatings can be
applied to the outside or inside of
a bearing to provide the insulation
properties and prevent currents from
flowing through the bearings. An-

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Yet another potential spoiler for electric motors: insufficient bearing load. When a motor runs without a load, risks
increase that the bearings will become damaged, because
they always require a minimum load to function well. The
damage will appear as smearing on the rolling elements
and raceways occurring over a relatively long period of time.
Recommended fix: Unless preloaded bearings are used,
always apply external loads to the bearings.
When electric motors are installed properly and tested
appropriately and their precision bearings are monitored
regularly, the risks of potential unplanned downtime can be
significantly reduced. Furthermore, when fixes can be made
according to schedule and before any catastrophic failures
can occur, the objectives of predictive maintenance will be
advanced with dividends all along the line.

other solution is offered by hybrid bearing designs, which

substitute ceramic balls or rollers for the metal rolling
elements within a bearing. This effectively insulates bearings from the inside. Hybrid bearings also possess a higher
speed capability and can sustain longer service life than
all-steel bearings in most motor applications.
Another problem will develop from inadequate lubrication,
which can cause surface distress or abrasive wear in a bearing
and substantially reduce bearing service life. If the lubricant
film between a bearings rolling elements and raceways is too
thin because of inadequate viscosity or contamination, the
surfaces will no longer be fully separated, and there will be
metal-to-metal contact with potentially dire consequences.
Recommended fixes: Check first whether the proper
lubricant is being used for the bearing and that regreasing intervals are adequate for the application. If the lubricant contains contaminants, check the seals to determine
whether these should be replaced or upgraded. Depending
on the application, a lubricant with a higher viscosity may be
needed to increase the oil film.

Paul Barna is service and systems engineering manager

at SKF USA. He has more than 24 years of industry
experience. Contact him at Paul.Barna@skf.com.

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SIX LOAD-STUDY MISTAKES TO AVOID

Dont waste a months worth of data gathering because you missed an easy step
by Frank Healy, Fluke Corp.

Before new equipment is added to a plant, electricians

mistakes during setup lead to erroneous and incomplete

data, invalidating an entire 30-day study.
With that fact in mind, here are six common load-study
mistakes and how to avoid them:

or technicians determine whether an existing panel has the

capacity to handle the power load drawn by the machine.
The workers start by looking at the panel sizethe number and size of circuit breakers installed vs. the number of
empty circuit-breaker spaces.
Based on these observations, workers estimate how much
power the panel is using. However, there are times when a
panel that appears to be lightly loaded with several empty
circuit-breaker spaces is actually overloaded because of the
size of the loads on the other breakers. Other times, a panel
that appears to be heavily loaded may be only partially
loaded, offering ample spare capacity.
Logging is begun as part of a load study to determine panels actual energy use and whether there is a specific need
for additional power. This eliminates guesswork and saves
the expense of adding power when its not needed. Electrical
engineers perform similar studies before large-scale expansions, and the purpose is the same: Measuring existing load
levels (three-phase current draw) over a complete 30-day use
cycle allows electricians and engineers to determine how
much additional capacity is available in an electrical panel.
These studies also reveal opportunities to reduce energy
consumption by turning off loads or adjusting the schedule
of when they operate. Energy loggers create a chart of use
patterns over time so that facility managers can analyze
when and how energy is being used and determine where
there is room for improvement. For example, an air handler
running 24 hours a day may really need to operate only
during the portion of a day when the space is occupied. In
other instances, an energy-intensive process (e.g., operating
an industrial electric oven) may be able to be shifted to the
evening hours when electricity rates are lower.
To connect an energy logger, a technician must open and/
or remove the covers of disconnects, motor control centers,
panels, switchboards, and other types of cabinets that arent
accessed very often because of their high voltage levels and
the difficulty of powering down vital equipment. Thus,
anyone doing this work must wear appropriate personal
protective equipment (PPE) and follow all safety regulations
when working on energized panels.
Experienced professionals have learned the hard way what
not to do when conducting a load study. They know that

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1. NOT FULLY CHARGING THE LOGGER PRIOR TO THE SESSION

Before performing a load study, confirm the battery in the

energy logger is fully charged. As with any battery-powered
device, the battery will lose charge while it is storedwhether

EXPERIENCED PROFESSIONALS HAVE

LEARNED THE HARD WAY WHAT NOT TO
DO WHEN CONDUCTING A LOAD STUDY.
it is brand-new or simply hasnt been used for a while. While
the logger draws its power from a convenience outlet or the
measurement line when recording, it still requires battery
power for the purpose of reviewing settings and data before
installation and for backup power in the event of an outage.
2. NOT INSTALLING THE LOGGER AT THE CORRECT
DISCONNECT OR PANEL

Although it may sound obvious, the technician installing the logger must verify that he or she is installing the logger at the correct
disconnect or panel. Many locations have multiple disconnects
and panels, and it may not be clear which one is the target of the
load study. When in doubt, contact the person requesting the
study and verify the individual load or panel to be monitored.
3. NOT VERIFYING THAT THE POWER SOURCE IS LIVE AND
THAT IT IS NOT A SWITCHED OUTLET

Load studies are performed at a wide variety of locations,

including apartment buildings, commercial office buildings, industrial facilities, and retail stores. With older-model
loggers, standard procedure is to plug the logger into a
convenient outlet located near the panel under study. The
technician installing the logger must verify that the power
source is live and is not a switched outlet controlled by a
switch, a time clock, or a photo cell. If the outlet is switched
on and off on a regular basis, the loggers batteries will be
drained and the logger will stop recording.

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factor should show a reasonable value for the type of load.

Using an instrument that automatically checks, highlights,
and corrects connection errors is a definite nice to have.

4. NOT LABELING THE POWER CORD

The outlet that powers an energy logger may not be located

immediately adjacent to the load being monitored; in this
case, an extension cord from the outlet to the logger will be
required. The extension cord must be installed so that it is
not subject to physical hardship, does not present a hazard
to personnel, and cannot be unplugged inadvertently. Placing a piece of adhesive tape (or posting a similar sign) on the
wall near the outlet with DO NOT UNPLUG printed on it
can prevent unplanned unplugging of the extension cord.

6. NOT VERIFYING THAT RECORDING HAS BEGUN

Setting up an energy logger to perform a load study is a

straightforward task, but the simplest mistakenot turning on the recording functionstill can be made. After
confirming that the appropriate current and voltage leads
are connected to the load, select your recording parameters
using the buttons and menus on the unit and push the start
logging or record button. You should see both a message
and an icon on the loggers screen indicating that logging
has begun. It is a good practice to wait through the first
recording interval and verify the logger has recorded its
first value. Then you can be absolutely certain recording has
begun and the setup is correct.

5. INCORRECTLY SETTING UP THE LOGGER

Always perform a simple checking routine before starting

the logging session to ensure that all the voltage phase connections match. Confirm that phase A from the logger goes
to the phase A conductor, and so on. Next, verify correct
polarity for each current probe. The arrow on the current
probe should point toward the load. Check every phase
to make sure they all point in the same direction. Finally,
verify the instrument is reading correctly: Power should be
measuring positive (if the load is operating) and the power

Frank Healy is marketing manager of the Power

Quality Business Unit at Fluke (www.fluke.com).
Contact him at frank.healy@fluke.com.

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