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Reviewing Electric Motor Reliability Research

What did the studies really say—then and now? BY HOWARD PENROSE, Ph.D., CMRP One of the most frequently quoted studies related to electric motor reliability is a 1983 Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) project, entitled “Assessment of the Reliability of Motors in Utility Applications:...

Improving Motor Maintenance Practices

Useful approaches to building an effective operation and maintenance program BY IAN CULBERT AND VICKI WARREN, Iris Power Engineering The pressures to be more competitive and cost-effective in today’s deregulated market have driven plants to reduce resources by making more informed,...

Overload Relays for Motor Protection

Improve system reliability and efficiency BY KEVIN TRIMMER, Eaton Corporation Nearly a third of global energy demand is attributable to manufacturing. Overall, the industry’s use of energy has grown by 61 percent between 1971 and 2004. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA) analysis,...

Variable Frequency Drive Cable Best Practices

Correcting common mistakes that affect performance and safety BY PETER COX, Belden, Inc. Most industrial operations today are looking for ways to reduce costs in these tough economic times. Variable-frequency drives (VFDs) are popular in many applications because they provide energy savings and a...

Bearing Protection of Inverter-duty Motors

Although it is now common knowledge that inverters—also known as variable frequency drives—often induce unwanted motor shaft voltages, many customers who purchase three-phase alternating current (AC) induction motors do not realize that models labeled “inverter-duty” or “inverter-ready”...

Understanding Short Circuit Motor Contribution

A back to basics approach BY DARRELL BROUSSARD, GE Industrial Solutions An electric motor’s contribution is the current generated by a motor or motors during a short circuit condition. It represents a small but important value that is needed to determine the maximum short circuit current...

Motors & Drives

Maximizing Electric Motor Efficiency

How to get the most from your rotating machines

BY STEPHEN MANSFIELD, TechnoWise Inc.

An area of great interest is improving the efficiency of electrical devices. More electric motor efficiency means less electrical energy consumed and thus less impact to the environment. By far, the largest consumers of electric energy are AC (alternating current) induction motors. In the United States, 50 percent of all electrical energy is consumed by electric induction motors.

Worldwide, AC induction...

Motors & Drives Articles