Application Notes: Motor Starting - Estimating Load Steps

Application Notes
MOTOR STARTING - ESTIMATING LOAD STEPS

BACKGROUND 80% tap 64% 64%
When power generation units are used for island mode applications,
Reactor or Resistance 80% 64%
proper steps must be taken to ensure that any electrical loads ap-
80% tap
plied do not exceed loading capabilities of the genset. When a site
has large electrical motors, this places certain demands and sizing Star Delta 33% 33%
requirements on the genset. While the rated motor power (hp or Part Winding 70% 45%
kW) is generally known, the electrical power required during motor
Solid state starter
starting can be significantly higher than the rated power and must Adjustable settings (refer to step c)
be taken into consideration. The term motor inrush can also be used VFD
to describe this effect; as a motor is starting, this inrush current can
Table 1 - Starting Method Factors
be 6 times higher than the normal running current.
a. Use starting KVA/hp designation of the motor. For NEMA mo-
TERMS tors, this is typically defined by the NEMA code. Values are
KVA Kilovolt-ampere designated by a letter code, per the table below. Typically for
Waukesha gensets, the motors are larger 3-phase motors,
SKVA Starting kilovolt-ampere (sometimes referred to as locked- which are usually code F or less.
rotor KVA)
SKW KW required during motor starting NEMA Code Starting KVA/hp Typical Size Range
Letter
SPF Power Factor during motor starting A 0 – 3.14
FLA Full load amperes. Current required at full motor torque and B 3.15 – 3.55
speed (rated power).
C 3.55 – 4.0
LRA Locked-rotor amperes. Also referred to as inrush current. D 4.0 - 4.5
Maximum current which can be required during motor starting,
E 4.5 – 5.0
which occurs when the rotor is not turning (“locked”).
F 5.0 – 5.6 15 hp and up
VFD Variable frequency drive (also referred to as VSD or variable
G 5.6 – 6.3 10 hp
speed drive)
H 6.3 – 7.1 7.5 and 5 hp
MOTOR STARTING CALCULATIONS J 7.1 – 8.0 3 hp
There are several possible methods possible to calculate the step K 8.0 – 9.0 2 and 1.5 hp
kW required by the electric motor during starting. Starting with a
L 9.0 – 10.0 1 hp
known motor horsepower and other basic motor properties, the fol-
lowing approach can be followed: M 10.0 – 11.0 Less than 1 hp
N 11.2 – 12.5
1. Find the SKVA required. Starting KVA, or SKVA, can also be
referred to as “locked rotor” KVA. It is a function of the motor P 12.5 – 14.0
properties, and also depends on the starting method used. Table R 14.0 – 16.0
1 can be used to find SKVA factors for some of the common re- S 16.0 – 18.0
duced voltage starting methods. Once this is found, then either
T 18.0 – 20.0
step a, b, or c can be used to determine the total SKVA required,
depending on the motor information available. U 20.0 – 22.4
V 22.4 and up
Starting Method SKVA factor Approx. starting
torque Table 2 - Starting NEMA Codes
Across the line 100% 100%
Autotransformer 50% tap 25% 25%
65% tap 42% 42%
Application Notes
Once the NEMA code letter is known, SKVA can be calcu- Motor rated HP Starting Power Factor
lated by:
50 0.38
SKVA = motor hp X SKVA/hp X (SKVA factor) [eq. 1] 100 0.32
b. Use motor LRA and voltage information. If the motor is IEC 200 0.25
type or does not have a NEMA code letter, and the LRA in- 400 0.22
formation is also not provided, a common approximation for
LRA is 6 times the rated current (FLA). SKVA can then be Table 3 - Starting Power Factors
calculated using the following formula (for a 3-phase motor):
SKW = SKVA X SPF [eq. 5]
SKVA = (LRA X Voltage)/1000 X 1.732 X (SKVA factor) [eq. 2] 3. SKW is then compared to the genset load step capability. For
c. If a soft starter or VFD is used, several adjustments can be example, a 1000 kWe genset with an initial load step capability
made, typically including limiting the inrush current. Rather of 40% would be capable of starting a motor requiring up to 400
than the typical 600% of FLA, the inrush current can be lim- SKW. If the motor starting requirements are greater than the
ited to a percentage of FLA; for example, an adjustable range genset capabilities, then either a “softer” starting method needs
may be 150-600%. If using method a, the SKVA factor can to be used, or a larger genset must be selected.
be approximated by using the ratio of current limit / 600%.
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
SKVA factor = (adjustable current %) / 600% [eq. 3] In addition to the motor starting calculations, there are other items
worth noting that can affect the genset size:
For example, if the current inrush is limited to 300%, then the
SKVA factor would be 300% / 600% = 0.5. Then this SKVA 1. Voltage and frequency drop requirements. Once the load step is
factor can be used in equation 1 to find SKVA. known, the maximum voltage and frequency drops can be ap-
proximated by referring to the available transient charts. Voltage
If the motor FLA and voltage is known, then the following
and frequency drop requirements depend on the specifications
equation can be used to calculate SKVA:
of customer’s equipment including power supply to motors, light-
ing, drives, etc. On the genset, the frequency drop is cause by a
SKVA = (FLA X current limit% X Voltage)/1000 X 1.732 [eq. 4]
drop in engine speed. The voltage drop is from two causes: the
2. Find the SKW required. This will define the load step which the generator properties (KVA capacity and transient reactance), and
genset must be capable of. SKW can be calculated using the the frequency drop of the engine.
SKVA value and the starting power factor. The starting power
2. Soft starting and VFDs are not always the answer. Even though
factor is not the same value as the running power factor. Running
these devices can limit inrush current and SKW to low levels, this
power factor tends to be in the range of 0.9PF, while the power
also reduces the torque of the electric motor. If the motor does
factor during starting is significantly lower. The starting power
not produce enough torque to break away and accelerate, then
factor is a property of the motor, and ideally should be provided
it will stall and not be able to start at all.
by the motor manufacturer. However, this information is not
always available, and the motor selection may not have taken 3. VFD drives can generate electrical harmonics, which can require
place yet. Typically the starting factor will be in the range of 0.2 to a larger generator. The harmonics depend on the type of drive
0.4, with larger motors having lower starting power factors than used and whether a harmonic filter is applied. The genera-
smaller motors. For motors larger than 100hp, power factor tends tor manufacturer specifies limits on harmonics and should be
to be 0.3PF or less. The following table provides approximate consulted. If the harmonics exceed the limits, then a larger KVA
starting power factors for three-phase induction motors (informa- generator is required or the harmonics must be reduced by us-
tion from REA Bulletin 160-3 and GE motor data): ing a harmonic filter or other means. Kato provides the following
graph as a guide for what is allowable:
Application Notes
INNIO* is a leading solutions provider of gas

engines, power equipment, a digital platform
and related services for power generation and
gas compression at or near the point of use. With
our Jenbacher* and Waukesha* product brands,
INNIO pushes beyond the possible and looks
boldly toward tomorrow. Our diverse portfolio of
reliable, economical and sustainable industrial gas
engines generates 200 kW to 10 MW of power for
numerous industries globally. We can provide life
cycle support to the more than 48,000 delivered
gas engines worldwide. And, backed by our service
network in more than 100 countries, INNIO connects
with you locally for rapid response to your service
needs. Headquartered in Jenbach, Austria, the
IWK-319024-EN
business also has primary operations in Welland,
Ontario, Canada, and Waukesha, Wisconsin, US.
*Indicates a trademark
© Copyright 2019 INNIO Waukesha Gas Engines Inc. Information provided is subject
Find your local support online: to change without notice. All values are design or typical values when measured
www.innio.com/en/company/providers under laboratory conditions.

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Application Notes

MOTOR STARTING - ESTIMATING LOAD STEPS

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