Sparks Electrical News August 2019

MCCs AND MOTOR PROTECTION

14

LAUNCH OF MULTI-MOUNT ELECTRIC MOTORS AN INDUSTRY FIRST

T raditionally, cast iron electric motors only cater for top- mounted terminal boxes. This is now all set to change with the industry’s first multi-mount cast iron motor available from BI. The latest multi-mount cast-iron Bauer electric motor range from BI can accommodate the terminal box on the top, left-hand or right- hand side. The major benefit for customers is that it reduces dupli- cate stockholding to accommodate different terminal box positions. Traditionally, cast iron electric motors are available in a wide range from 0.37 kW up to 400 kW, with BI only catering for top- mounted terminal boxes. “Some plants either have top, left-hand or right-hand terminal boxes, making it a complex and costly exercise to stock all three,” BI Bauer Electric Motors Product Manager Lewis Hiepner explains. BI itself ordered whichever variant was required

ex-factory, with a normal lead time of about 14 weeks. The Bauer motor range from BI is also available in various ener- gy efficiency ratings, from IE1 as standard and IE2 high efficiency, all the way through to IE3 and even IE4. “We are standardising on IE1 motors, with the possibility of being able to offer IE2 as a standard option as well, although this is still in the pipeline,” Hiepner reveals. Being cast iron, the multi-mount motor range is particularly robust, and therefore ideal for the arduous operating conditions of mining operations. With this, and its energy-saving potential, “We have re- ceived significant interest in the new Bauer multi-mount range, ,” Hi- epner concludes.

Enquiries: +27 (0)11 899 0000

MOTOR PROTECTION WITH ADDED VALUE E lectricity producers in sub-Saharan Africa face an enormous challenge getting the con- tinent’s 950 million inhabitants connected to stable, quality power with over 600 million having no access at all and most countries struggling with electricity rates of around 20%. Those who are for- tunate enough to be connected deal with persistent outages as a result of poor maintenance schedules and regular system malfunctions because of a lack of adequate monitoring and protection infrastructure. Most power stations on the continent employ mo- torised thermal plants, which heat water and gener- ate the steam that spins the turbines driving electrical generators. The security and service life of these mo- tors depend greatly on how they are protected. The need for protection devices to ensure that mo- tors, associated machines and systems are protected from damage, and the need to keep people involved in operating equipment safe from injuries relating to blocked start-ups, overloads, short circuits or exter- nal conductor failures in three-phase power supplies, cannot be overstated. In addition to protection, users increasingly want added functions. For example, knowing the current load status is vital and enables users to take early preventive measures when the motor load increases quickly – before the circuit breaker suddenly trips and the system comes to a standstill. Detailed diagnostic information about the motor circuit breaker tripping can also help in the trouble- shooting process. Being able to monitor the power consumption of individual motors and document any changes is extremely practical in this age of efciency. Implementing all of this requires intelligent motor protection systems capable of recording and trans- mitting relevant data. In contemporary motor protec- tion systems, we generally see two main technolo- gies: the classic electromechanical circuit breaker with adjustable rated current, which trips in the event of a short circuit; and electronic motor monitoring systems, which use Profibus or Modbus field bus systems to transmit the recorded data to higher-level controls. The latter are complex motor management systems that are much more expensive than an elec- tromechanical motor protection switch. They require more installation space and generally provide un- necessary functions. Fieldbus systems are also still relatively rare, even though there is great interest in the potential of enhanced, preventive motor protec- tion systems. An alternative solution is the PKE motor protection circuit breaker which features electronic wide-range overload protection. The system fulfils the many functions required of a compact state-of-the-art mo- tor protection device. Alongside its basic protection function, the system records relevant information to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the motor’s status. The design is similar to that of a traditional electromechanical motor protection switch, making it easy to install without having any negative influence on the development of a project.

Enquiries: www.eaton.com

SPARKS ELECTRICAL NEWS

AUGUST 2019