Electric motors have had a huge impact on the pump industry.
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Improved motor starters help Fabri-Kal achieve its green vision.
Shaft failures do not happen everyday, but when they do, it can be a challenge to determine the cause of failure. Here's a technical explanation of what happens when the shaft bends or breaks.
All electric motors (motors) have a housing that contains the working components of the motor. In the U.S., the enclosure describes this housing. The enclosure should meet specific environmental requirements for restricting foreign objects, such as water, dust, and tools, and safety requirements for personal protection. Depending upon the extent of containment, cooling considerations add to the design of the enclosure.
Last September, we spoke about the importance of pipe-to-piping alignment, evaluating actual numbers, and tabulating stress values as they approach yield stress of pipe at various values of misalignment. This time, we will discuss the effects of pump-to-motor misalignment, beyond hype or generalities, by numerically quantifying the conclusions.
A number of choices are available when connecting pumps, fans and other rotating equipment to an electric motor. There are numerous mechanical and fluid coupling designs and, in some cases, a belt drive option is available. Although a belt drive can be more forgiving, all mechanical couplings share the requirement for precise alignment. Since couplings provide a direct physical connection between the motor and the rotating machine, misalignment will create vibration and other stresses that can lead to premature coupling, seal and bearing failure. Misalignment can be due to poor alignment practices or suction and discharge piping stresses.
Bigger Is Better-Or At Least It Used To Be
Owing partly to tradition, the shafts of electric motors are often larger than those of the equipment they drive. Engineers were very conservative a century ago when electric motors first came into widespread industrial use, so they typically designed in a sizable margin of error. Today's engineers haven't changed much in this respect. For example, standard NEMA frame dimensions, which have been revised only once since 1950, still specify much larger shaft sizes than commonly accepted principles of mechanical engineering would require.
The frame sizes (physical dimensions) of AC motors have changed substantially through the years. Originally, they were considerably larger than those in use today. This increased size was the result of inefficiency and the need to dissipate heat.
As a follow up on my AC Motors series, I thought it would be a good idea to provide a short overview of work, power and torque as it applies to the AC motor.
Why integrating vibration monitors with process controls provides fast response to pump faults, adds predictability and avoids unexpected shutdowns.
Latest Motors Articles
Electric motors have had a huge impact on the pump industry.
Improved motor starters help Fabri-Kal achieve its green vision.
It has been said that Washington, D.C., is the home of the largest invertebrate population in the U.S. This, of course, jokingly refers to the population of politicians and their lack of backbone or guts required to make difficult decisions. The same analogy could be applied to the single-phase motor, as it has only one-third the “guts” of its three-phase cousin. However, it can still perform well as long as expectations are reasonable.
With highly reliable electrical systems, protective relays may be called upon to operate very infrequently. However, the effects of faults and abnormal conditions can be severe and protective relay systems must be designed carefully to protect against the worst possible fault conditions.
Why integrating vibration monitors with process controls provides fast response to pump faults, adds predictability and avoids unexpected shutdowns.
An argument in favor of IEEE-841's provision for motor bearing protection.
It is impossible to balance line-to-line voltages perfectly in a three-phase circuit. In fact, line voltages typically differ by a few volts or more, but a difference that exceeds 1 percent can lead to serious trouble on the plant floor. To maintain peak energy efficiency and thwart premature failure of three-phase motors, install adequate protective devices and periodically check for voltage unbalance at the motor terminals.
Facts can be tough—our emotions may get in the way. What we think we know is not always factual but is based on what we may intuitively feel is an undisputed truth. It is human to expect everyone else to agree with us, regardless if we truly know the facts or just think we do. And if others do not agree, then we think they are incompetent. Many people feel that all pump vibrations are bad, but is this a fact or only what we think is true?
Water and wastewater systems in the United States use a tremendous amount of power. The EPA estimates that these systems use 50 trillion watt-hours annually at a cost of $4 billion. Combined with electric rate increases upward of 20 percent in a single year, water and wastewater system operators are left with an enormous strain on their budget.
Most of us probably never notice the spinning cylinder mounted between the pump and motor, except how easy it is to dis/assemble when a pump or motor is changed out. Otherwise, the disc coupling never factors into our daily routine.
Columns and Blogs
In this multi-part series, we will investigate several aspects of centrifugal pump efficiency.
First of Five Parts
Since the original publication of this draft standard in the January 2008 issue of Pumps & Systems, I have received feedback, encouragement, numerous questions and criticism. The draft listed three basic levels of repair.
The McGraw-Hill scientific dictionary [5] states that a volute is "a spiral casing for a centrifugal pump... designed so that speed will be converted to pressure."
