The future of motor efficiency: Exploring new innovations in control and performance
Key takeaways
- New motors with high efficiency reduce energy use, lower operational costs, and improve performance.
- Digital drives with advanced diagnostics enhance failure detection, uptime, and operational reliability.
- Smart motor control centers integrate connected devices, boosting productivity and minimizing downtime.
- Innovative motor designs offer compact size, energy efficiency, and sustainability benefits for industrial equipment.
Industrial motors and controls are foundational to operational efficiency, productivity, and performance. Any elevation in motor efficiency, reliability, or control contributes positively to business goals. Recent advancements include distinctive motors and drives, a centralized motor control center, and an accessory for solving a unique motor analysis challenge.
Boosting efficiency and control with advanced motor technologies
Highly efficient motors are notable for reducing electricity consumption and energy costs. The new PrecisionFlow motor from Nidec is an electronically commutated (EC), field-adjustable motor for ventilation and pumping applications. It offers up to 85 percent efficiency, exceeding common permanent split capacitor (PSC) motor efficiency by up to 30 percent, according to Nidec.
"With PrecisionFlow, you get optimized speed and torque control which reduces energy waste and cuts operational costs. The motor is also built to handle demanding applications with precision and durability, and smart control systems to fine tune each motor to deliver consistent, controlled flow," explains David Wood, engineering manager at Nidec/U.S. MOTORS.
The ACS8080 medium voltage drive platform from ABB provides motor control with digital capabilities and supports faster failure detection and troubleshooting with advanced condition monitoring and diagnostics. Designed for performance, efficiency, safety, and precision, the platform's modularity enables users to customize the drive to meet their specific process, application, or system.
Uptime and the ability to adapt to specific application needs are essential for medium voltage drives, says Paulo Cesare, product engineering and quality manager at ABB Motors and Drives North America. “That is why the ACS8080 is built on the proven technology of ABB’s extensive experience with air-cooled medium voltage drives to ensure product reliability,” he adds.
FLEXLINE 3500 from Rockwell Automation is a centralized low-voltage motor control center (MCC) that meets IEC 61439-1&2 safety standards. It combines motor control and power distribution in one package, enabling a small footprint on the production floor.
“The FLEXLINE 3500 MCC features smart, connected devices via EtherNet/IP to boost productivity and reduce downtime,” observes Diego Wilches, global product manager of low voltage IEC MCCs at Rockwell Automation. “And the smart devices are designed for easy maintenance. Withdrawable unit designs offer quick and safe replacements without disrupting production.”
Motor designs and accessories driving performance improvements
Axial flux motor advancements are widening the technology’s appeal. The W80 AXgen axial flux motor from WEG Electric Corp. offers space and weight savings, energy efficiency, and improved sustainability for the industrial equipment market. For OEMs and systems integrators, the electric motor’s compact size and light weight minimize space usage and reduce logistical costs and CO2 emissions.
According to WEG, the W80 AXgen is fully integrated with the company’s CFW900 series of inverters, enabling the operation of multiple motors with a single inverter, without requiring additional filters.
An innovative electric motor family for electric vehicles, recently announced by Donut Lab, directly integrates its Donut Motor into the wheel, eliminating the need for power transmission. The startup’s Donut Platform supports applications such as electric vehicles, heavy-duty trucks, heavy-lift drones, and multi-terrain tracked vehicles.
“Because of the versatility of a round shape with a minimal amount of active materials, Donut Motors are easy to tailor to any rough and rugged use cases and environments,” notes Donut Lab’s Chief Product Officer Ville Piippo. “The added unsprung mass per wheel is in most use cases so tiny that there are no meaningful negative effects from it. Instead, Donut Motors offer many improvements in vehicle dynamics such as increased traction control precision and packaging flexibility that outweigh any small negatives in increased unsprung mass.”
For motor analysis, the new Brush Lead Set accessory from ALL-TEST Pro is designed to enable efficient analysis and troubleshooting of AC rotors with windings. Wound rotor motors were previously difficult to test due to limited access within the motor housing and their different motor head. The Brush Lead Set is compatible with the company’s motor circuit analysis (MCA) devices and its lead adapters are currently available in two standard sizes, with options for custom sizes.
The key to accurate MCA testing and analysis is “precise, repeatable measurements, which can be difficult to obtain with the limited space available on these motors,” explains Andy Tomarchio, technical support manager at ALL-TEST Pro. “The new test leads use the motor’s existing brush holders to make a precise and repeatable connection to the rotor windings through the slip rings.”
