Energy Efficient Motors and Drives

So how can we make a drive system more efficient?

• Select the correct motor.

  • Motors are responsible for 60% - 70% of the industrial electricity consumed; 

  • The lifetime cost of a motor is 97% energy, and only 3% initial purchase price and maintenance;

  • AC induction motors are used more for their simplicity and low cost but the standard ones are not the best in terms of
    efficiency;

  • New systems using an efficient motor can yield substantial energy savings - and the payback can be less than 1 year

  • IEC standards have been defined for motors. For smaller motors the difference between IE2 high efficiency and IE3
    premium efficiency is around 3%. Between IE1 and IE2 the improvement can be as high as 10%;

  • Under NEMA standards for smaller motors the difference between standard efficiency and NEMA premium efficiency
    is around 3%;

  • The efficiency improvement tends to be smaller in larger motors, but with the higher energy consumption,
    improvements of just 1% can rapidly pay for themselves.

• Select the correct gear train.

• Select an efficient gear - choose the correct ratio.

• Maintain belts taking note of tension and aging. 

  • Consider cogged or synchronous belts

• Control the motor speed

  • Variable speed control can yield from 20% to 70% savings depending upon application type.

For more information contact Mearsecroft
Created and updated by Spiders Webs