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The Problem With Motors
"Motors typically work at only 50-60% of rated capacity."
UK ENERGY EFFICIENCY OFFICE
AC Motors are one of the most common devices in the world, yet suffer many inefficiencies that Powerboss can solve:
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Motors tend to operate at about 80% efficiency when under full load and far less when unloaded
(per NASA and UK Energy Efficiency Office)
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Inefficient motors generate energy waste in the form of heat, vibration and noise increasing maintenance costs and reducing the life cycle.
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Motors are actually sized and designed for load conditions that rarely occur contributing to energy waste.
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Motors do not have soft start technology. Without a soft starter, the energy demand alone can dramatically increase your energy costs.
The initial purchase price of a motor accounts for only about 3% of the total lifetime cost of the equipment...the other 97% is energy! Powerboss is simply the best solution to reduce your AC motor's energy consumption.
Unfortunately, motors have no way of intelligently adjusting the amount of electricity they draw in relation to the actual work they do.
Technically Why Is This Happening?
The main problems are the motor’s inability to match motor torque to load torque both during starting and running and the high starting current. During starting the motor usually produces 150 - 200% torque (see Figure 1) accelerating the load to full speed in a fraction of a second, which can cause damage to the drive train. At the same time the motor can commonly draw 8 times nominal current (In) causing supply stability problems (see Figure 2).
When the motor is operating at light load for extended periods the motor’s efficiency falls due to the over-fluxing of the windings for the particular torque required to drive the load. At a constant terminal voltage this flux, often referred to as magnetizing current, is fixed and accounts for around 30-50% of the motors total losses.
Figure 1
Figure 2
In practical applications, many motors are working significantly below their design capacity resulting in high levels of inefficiency. It is clear, if you could intelligently monitor and reduce the power drawn by a motor to match its actual need under variable load conditions, you would open up an enormous energy savings opportunity.
Powerboss can recover these losses, reduce costs and thus increase profits!
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