By S S Prashant et al

75%of the electrical energy generated in India is utilized for running industrial and domestic motors. The manufacturers and consumers of these motors are now keen to include condition-monitoring equipment, which improves the safety and reliability of the equipment. Early detection of abnormalities in the motors will help to reduce the fault number and associated repair costs. In this paper, we propose a Computer aided Online Fault Diagnosis Technique which monitors the online condition of motor; diagnose faults, insulation condition, working temperature, possibilities of occurrence of short circuit faults. Sensing elements are embedded at various deterministic points in the motor, the analog o/p which is digitized, Converted to RS-232 Compatible Levels and interfaced with the PC. A special GUI is designed to enable the user to detect faults occurring inside the motor and will also facilitate in making an analysis of the above conditions mentioned. Thus, the user can get to know about the motors performance and can take necessary steps to improve the life of the motor. This technique is best suited for motors above 10hp. Our system also provides an 8051 micro controller based circuit which will find the power factor of the system and switches on the capacitor bank when operating power factor is found to be different from the desired value,

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Once upon a time there was a buyer at a large company who had to purchase a large three-phase induction motor with a power rating of 1 MW that was to be used in a big machine. As usual, he invited suppliers to submit bids. Before drafting the tender documents he spoke to the head engineer and technicians at the relevant technical department about the expected number of operating hours per year, the machine’s level of utilization and its load profile. Talks then began with potential suppliers about what sort of efficiencies could be achieved. As is normal, the buyer and supplier agreed on a penalty clause that would allow a price reduction to be imposed should the motor fall short of the efficiency level agreed in the sales contract. Equally, in the event of the motor exceeding specifications, the supplier would receive a bonus.

Once upon another time there was another buyer at another large company – or perhaps it was even the same buyer at the same company. This buyer needed to buy 1000 small three-phase induction motors each with a 1 kW rating that were to be built into the numerous small machines at his large company. He put out requests for quotes, specifying the voltage, design and con¬figuration and the number of poles, and then placed his order with the cheapest supplier. The word ‘efficiency’ was nowhere to be seen: neither in the request for quotes, nor on the motor’s rating plates. Perhaps it was mentioned in the manufacturer’s catalogue, but, as so often, it remained unread.

The sad thing about these two fairy tales is that they aren’t actually fictional at all, but a fair description of current industrial practice. Had we swapped the two stories, then we would at least have avoided the most absurd aspect of the situation: the fact that large motors are inherently far more efficient than small ones.

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LE3D is Leonardo ENERGY's virtual world on sustainable energy. For a flavour of the 3D world, view the slideshow below.

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The second (weekly) session at the Leonardo ENERGY 3D Forum takes place this Friday October 5, from 14h00 - 15h00 Europe Daylight Time, where you can meet with the Leonardo ENERGY team and other users of the Leonardo initiative inside the 3D forum.

During the session, you can power-chat (chat in parallel with multiple visitors), talk by VoIP, exchange business cards or browse the pavillons of the 3D world, which is updated weekly. Or you can listen to past recorded presentations in the archive room.

For this Friday, following side presentations are scheduled during the session:

• 14h05: Introduction to Leonardo ENERGY, by Jonathan Manson
• 14h25: Introduction to Photovoltaics, by Isabelle Heriakian
• 14h45: Introduction to Copper Motor Rotor, by Hans De Keulenaer
  

The social session will be followed by a webinar in conference room A by Angelo Baggini about resilient wiring architectures, starting 15h00.

If you have not already done so, download & install the 3D World and register for the 3D Forum. We hope to see you there regularly as our virtual guest.

 

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The Leonardo ENERGY team is a group of individuals dedicated to sustainable energy.

The Leonardo ENERGY 3D Forum is a highly innovative virtual environment for meeting & interacting with peers.

From this Friday September 28 onwards, from 14h00 - 15h00 Europe Daylight Time, you can meet weekly with the Leonardo ENERGY team and other users of the Leonardo initiative inside the 3D forum. We will animate the forum with short presentations, you can power-chat (or talk by VoIP) with us or others, exchange business cards, or browse the pavillons of the 3D world.

We will repeat this event weekly, on Fridays, while adding more content. Mark some of the future dates on October 5, 12, 19 and 26.

On selected Fridays, the social session at 14h00 will be followed by a webinar at 15h00. We already have 2 speakers lined up:

• On October 5, Angelo Baggini will explain resilient wiring architectures
• On October 26, Stefan Fassbinder will give the latest insights into copper motor rotor technology

If you have not already done so, download the 3D World, install it on your PC and register for the 3D Forum. We hope to see you there regularly as our virtual guest.

 

The objective of this case study is to analyse the effects of improving the efficiency of a 15kW induction motor in various countries with different energy mixes. The results show that an improvement of efficiency has higher environmental benefits in countries with an electricity generation based on fossil fuels rather than renewable energy sources or nuclear. Electricity mixes from EU25, France, Germany, Poland and Austria were used.

The same efficiency increase (Eff2 to Eff1 class) in a motor leads to a saving of 31 tonnes of CO₂ in Poland, but 3 tonnes in France. This contrasts with the reduction of primary energy consumption: 330 GJ in Poland and 415 GJ in France.

A recent post explains the problem: we can prove 'whatever' we want with a study. It is now opened once again:

Does it make more sense to invest in energy savings in Poland than in France?

Should we look at the reduced energy consumption or CO2 emissions?

Should we forget about energy efficiency, since the biggest impact seems to be made with changing the electricity mix?

You can post your comments directly if you are registered, or send them to Sergio Ferreira.

How much electricity is used in European homes, offices, industry & transport? How fast is electricity use growing, and for what applications? And how could we use electricity more efficiently?

A new report from the European Commission's Joint Research Centre makes an attempt to answer these questions in 'Electricity Consumption and Efficiency Trends in the Enlarged European Union'.

The report proposes 7 systems where substantial electricity savings can be realised. An ambitous scenario identifies a total potential for 435 TWh/year, equivalent to over 200 million tonne CO2e emissions. Surprisingly, almost half of the potential resides with electric motor systems.

Considering this potential compared to other fields, it appears that policy and actions on improving motor system efficiency are lagging behind.

By Erik Mertens, Laborelec

Motor driven systems, such as pumps, fans, compressors and conveyers, account for about two-thirds of the total electricity consumption, making them prime targets for energy efficiency improvement measures. Induction motors, the workhorse motor of industry, are very efficient, but modern motors are significantly more efficient than their counterparts of a decade ago. Many systems benefit from improved control measures – using variable speed drives to replace throttle valves, for example. Motors that have been rewound can be considerably less efficient than new motors.

This Application Note introduces the principles of motors and drives and their important characteristics.

 

Paris, 27 February 2007

The coordinators of the European Motor Challenge Program are organizing the second workshop of the program. Members of the European Commission and partners of the project from across Europe will present results, good practices in Europe and discuss how to improve the interaction between the program and the national/local levels. For further details please check the detailed schedule or the program website.

Paper presentation at EEMODS 05 by R Kimmich at alii.

Lower Materials Cost + Smaller Frame Sizes = Double-Digit Savings

Substituting copper for aluminum in electric motor rotors can either: (a) increase electrical efficiency when motors are held at the same size, or (b) reduce size and weight when horsepower and/or efficiency are held constant. For example, several motor manufacturers who directly substituted copper for aluminum saw significant increases in efficiency in an agricultural irrigation application. Designers can also trade off efficiency, size and power against each other to optimize motors for given applications.

The incorporation of copper for the conductor bars and end rings of the induction motor in place of aluminum would result in attractive improvements in motor energy efficiency. Die cast motor rotors are universally produced in aluminum today because rotor fabrication by pressure die-casting is an established practice. Lack of a durable and cost effective mold material has been the technical barrier preventing manufacture of the cast copper rotor. This project seeks to identify mold materials for copper pressure die-casting that will allow economical production of copper motor rotors.

By Wim Deprez, Annick Dexters, Johan Driesen, Ronnie Belmans, KULeuven - ESAT/Electa

The market of small or micro electric energy generation units, often combined with local heat production, is becoming increasingly important. For these applications the classical asynchronous machine with cage rotor is an interesting generator. The grid-connected induction generator has some advantages over the synchronous generators: e.g. it is cheap, robust and maintenance-free. Since the induction machine is mostly used as a motor, the manufacturers’ catalogues only mention the motor efficiency values. This paper uncovers why nevertheless induction machines can be used either in motor or generator mode, the efficiency curves, based on IEEE 112-B, for these modes are not necessarily the same. We conclude that the machines with lower stator and rotor resistances and a non- saturated core, typical characteristics for high efficiency or machines with a high power rating, will have comparable efficiencies in both generator and motor mode. This is not the case for low power rated, low efficiency machines, where the efficiency for generator mode can drop several percent.

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Following the success of the first four conferences in Lisbon (1996), London (1999), Treviso (2002) and Heidelberg (2005), the International Copper Association with the scientific and technical support of the European Commission DG Joint Research Centre is organising the 5th International Conference on Energy Efficiency in Motor Driven Systems to be held in Bejing China 10 to 13 June 2007.

The previous EEMODS events have been very successful in attracting an international and distinguished audience, representing a wide variety of stakeholders in the development, manufacturing and promotion of energy-efficient motor systems, including key policy makers.

Date: September 28, 2006
Time: 14h00, European Standard time
Presenters: Nico Vanden Broeck & Serge Blockerye, Laborelec

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Based on the broad practical experience of Laborelec, this presentation explains in a comprehensive way how cooling works by looking at the different techniques used. A large part of the presentation addresses energy saving opportunities, which can be realized at the production, distribution and use of industrial cooling.

Motor systems account for half to two thirds of industrial electricity use, or 25-40% of global electricity use. Motor systems can be split into a number of segments, each with their own efficiency. A potential for 20-30% efficiency gains for complete systems is widely quoted. This potential equals 10% of global electricity demand. However for a range of reasons this potential is not put into practice. Goal of this workshop, held May 15-16, 2006 in Paris is to quantify the global potential better and to discuss various approaches to overcome the barriers to improvements.

Portal site to the European and national motor challenge programmes.