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Motor Control Basics

A motor starter controls and protects an electric motor. It uses contactors to safely start and stop the motor remotely and overload protection to prevent overheating. A motor starter consists of a contactor, overload protection, and sometimes additional circuit protection. It allows basic on/off control of a motor from a distance. Soft starters and variable frequency drives (VFDs) provide additional control capabilities but at a higher cost.

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Alexandar Apisha
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82 views4 pages

Motor Control Basics

A motor starter controls and protects an electric motor. It uses contactors to safely start and stop the motor remotely and overload protection to prevent overheating. A motor starter consists of a contactor, overload protection, and sometimes additional circuit protection. It allows basic on/off control of a motor from a distance. Soft starters and variable frequency drives (VFDs) provide additional control capabilities but at a higher cost.

Uploaded by

Alexandar Apisha
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Motor Starter/Control Basics

What is a Motor Starter?

The primary purpose of a motor starter is to start and stop a motor which it is connected to safely. It is
essentially a switching device. Allows for remote operation of the motor.
Starters are made from two building blocks, contactors and overload protection: (however are commonly
used with some form a circuit protection as well).
Contactors control the electric current to the motor. Their function is to repeatedly establish and interrupt
an electrical power circuit.
Overload Protection protects motors from drawing too much current and overheating, from literally
“burning out.”
Contactor Functions much like a relay, in that when control voltage is applied to a coil (or electromagnet)
the contacts are pulled closed allowing current to pass through the contacts to the motor. (for more
information on relay operations, please click on the link in the description below.)
A magnetic contactor is operated electromechanically without manual intervention. This means that the
contactor can be operated remotely, without the need for putting a person in potentially dangerous
location. Magnetic contactors use a small control current to open and close the circuit.

Auxiliary contact

This can be normally open or normally closed contact. Allows us to control another circuit, which we can
use to monitor the state of the contactor, and whether it is open or closed. This can also be referred to as
“Run Status”

How do we protect the motor?

Starter are commonly used in conjunction with a motor circuit protector (MCP) This is a type of circuit
breaker specifically designed for motor starters, that does not utilize thermal protection. It operates to
prevent large spikes of current that could be caused by a short circuit. It uses Magnetic protection For
more info on circuit protection, please refer to our other video. We could use a fused disconnect switch
in place of this device.

Overload Protection

What is an overload?

Overloads are designed to protect against prolonged overcurrent of a motor which could cause the motor
to overheat and burn up.
An overload relay consists of: A current sensing unit (connected in the line to the motor). A mechanism to
break the circuit, either directly or indirectly. To meet motor protection needs, overload relays have a
time delay to allow harmless temporary overloads without breaking the circuit. They also have a trip
capability to open the control circuit if mildly dangerous currents (that could result in motor damage)
continue over a period of time. All overload relays also have some means of resetting the circuit once the
overload is removed.
Review

We have a Motor Circuit Protector (this is a type of breaker that is designed for motor control) It allows
to protect the motor against short circuits, while also giving us the ability to disconnect power to the
circuit if needed.
Contactor Which gives us the ability to apply power to the motor when needed, and monitor the state of
the motor (Run Status) using Aux. contacts.
Overload Which provides the motor form sustained over current that can cause overheating.

Starter
A starter is a device that allows us to safely start and stop a motor (primarily used in industrial
applications). It is basically a switching device which can allow us to operate a motor from a remote
location. They also give use the ability to monitor the state of the motor (run status).
They consist of several parts including:

- Contactor
- Overload
- Circuit protection (not required, but common)

Typically used in areas where basic motor control is needed. Where torque on the motor is not a concern
and where there is no speed control needed.

Advantages

- Lower cost
- Allows for remote operation
- Allows us to monitor motor state (w/ use of Aux. Contacts)
- Safe
- Efficient

Disadvantages

- High In-rush current (6-8 more current then the FLA (full load amps) of the motor). This can cause fuse
to burn up and breakers to trip if the inrush is too high.
- Will allow a full torque start of the motor (this means that when power is applied to the motor, full
current is applied to the motor instantly. This causes the motor to ramp up to full speed very quickly. This
creates a lot of torque; this high amount of torque can cause the motor to wear and degrade more quickly.

Soft Starter
Provide all the same functions as a traditional starter. In addition, a soft starter is a device protects AC
electrical motors from being damaged by sudden spikes of power. It does this by limiting the inrush
current that can be cause by AC motors upon startup. They allow us to gently ramp up the motor to full
speed. They are most commonly used upon startup only, however some models allow a ramp down period
during shutdown as well. By slowing increasing the voltage upon startup, we are able to produce a gradual
increase in motor speed.
Common Applications of Soft Starters

- Where torque and wear and tear on the motor is a concern


- When we need to reduce the inrush current that is created upon motor startup. (Saves money, saves
motor)
- In pumping systems where it is necessary to reduce the pressure surge by a fast startup of a motor or
pump.

Advantages

- Less expensive than a VFD when control is needed for startup only
- Smaller than other system, so space is not as much of a concern in comparison to VFD’s
- Allow for reduced inrush current
- Saves unwanted torque to the motor upon startup, prolonging the life of the motor.

Disadvantages

- More expensive than a normal motor starter


- Don’t allow for full speed control

VFD (Variable Frequency Drive)


VFD’s can provide all of the same functions as both starters and soft starts with some additional
functionality. A VFD is a motor control device that allows us to both protect the motor as well as give us
almost full control over the speed of the motor (AC motors). A VFD gives us the ability to slowly ramp of
and down the speed during the start and stop of the motor, but it also allows for full speed control during
the entire run cycle of the motor. This allows for more efficient use of the motor allowing use to save
money and reduces the stress applied to the motor due to running at speed 100% of the time.

Common applications for VFD use:

- Where full speed control is required on the motor


- When energy savings is important
- Example: based of the laws the govern how much power is needed to run at certain speeds, if
you can run a motor at 70% speed, you would only need about 35% of the power needed to run
the motor at full speed. That offers a huge savings in electrical costs.
- Where more custom control and monitoring is required Advantages
- Full speed control (Start, Stop, and in-between)
- Typically, more custom control and monitoring
- Energy savings due to more efficient motor usage
- Less wear on tear on the motors they are connected to Disadvantages
- They are the most expensive options for motor control
- They often are much larger than other options and require much more space
- They can generate large amounts of heat that may require fan units or AC units

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