ENERGY BOOMER

VOLTAGE UNBALANCE KILLS MOTORS AND WASTES ENERGY

One of the most common causes of premature three-phase electric motor failure is unbalanced voltage.

When the line voltage between each of the three phases varies by more than 1%, it causes excessive heating of the motor. Excess heat causes insulation failure. Motor breakdowns result in loss of production and high maintenance costs.

Voltage unbalance causes even greater current unbalance that leads to torque pulsations and vibration. Mechanical drive equipment connected to the motor is subjected to these stresses. Clutch or gear drive failures can be the result of a voltage imbalance at the motor leads.

Equipment breakdowns are the visible problems. The invisible waste of electrical power due to voltage imbalance adds to the cost of operations. Just one motor, with a 3% voltage unbalance, can waste several hundreds of dollars a year on the electric bill. All the power that is wasted goes into excess motor heating.

Learn more about voltage imbalance and what to do about it at DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

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MOTORS ARE ENERGY HOGS

It is great to have electric motors do most of the work shaping metal into useful goods. Shaping steel into merchandise sure would be hard work with out them. We use machine with motors of several hundred-horse power as well as small motors that make robots go through their motions. Motors all get their power to do work through the electric meter.

Electric motors are a real asset while they are making parts. But when production stops, they can keep on running up the electric bill.

Our friends at the power company read the electric meter every 15 minutes, day and night. That means turning off motors as soon as the job is done will reduce the money we pay for power. It will also save many lumps of coal from getting burned.

Every motor counts from the biggest press motors to the smallest cooling fan motors. Motors use power every minute they are running. I frequently see conveyor motors, hydraulic power unit motors, and fan motors left on while the line is down for a shift. Remember the power to run a motor gets counted for the bill every 15 minutes whether it is needed or not.

The same thing is true at home. Some night when you cannot sleep, try counting motors in your house.

Sump pump, furnace fan, air conditioner, refrigerator, chest freezer, microwave oven fan, vacuum cleaner, kitchen vent fan, laundry machine, dishwasher, hair dryer, clothes dryer, bathroom vent fan, garbage disposal, garage door opener, power drill, computer cooling fan, sewing machine…zzzzz

Every motor is wonderful while it is doing work for us. You waste money when you allow a motor to run after the job is done.

Please don’t leave the electric meter running after the job is done.

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