INFORMATION SHEET 2.

APPLICATION OF AC
MOTORS
After reading this information sheet, the trainees will:
1. understand why AC Motors are used in the industries,
2. Know the applications of AC motors.

AC motors are viable power sources for a range of applications due to their
flexibility, efficiency and quiet operation. General uses for AC motors
include pumps, water heaters, lawn and garden equipment, ovens, and off-
road motorized equipment. In fact, many of the appliances, equipment and
tools you use on a daily basis are powered by an AC motor.
Exploring the Potential for AC Induction Motors
The most common type of AC motors is the induction motor. These motors
are a viable power source for several applications due to their:
 Efficiency: AC induction motors are an efficient power sources for
many applications. Their speed-to-torque characteristics allow AC
motors to provide great performance in many applications without
overheating, braking or degeneration. This efficiency is why AC
motors are chosen for high demand applications such as pumps, food
and beverage equipment, and material handling products such as
packaging equipment, conveyors, and dispensers.
 Longevity: With few moving parts, AC motors have the potential to
last years in even the most demanding applications. In most cases,
bearings are the single point of wear in an AC motor, making
maintenance and repairs simple and affordable. The durability of AC
motors makes them the preferred solution for field applications,
including off-road recreation vehicles, and agriculture equipment, as
well as commercial applications such as vending machines and
coffee and cappuccino makers.
  Quiet operation: The relatively low sound output from AC motors is
one of the main reasons they are chosen for many commercial food
and beverage applications. Producing little more than a low-level
hum, AC motors are ideal for applications in which noise is a factor,
including restaurants, convenience stores, hospitals and more.
 Flexibility: Most AC motors can be operated with a simple on and off
switch and even reversed with basic switch wiring. This flexibility,
combined with their variable speed and power outputs, makes AC
motors the prime choice for applications involving multiple users and
demands.
 Availability: AC motors are available in a wide range of stock and
custom shapes, sizes and power outputs. The easy availability of
such motors means that a solution can be found or created for nearly
any need and application.
In all, AC motors offer the flexibility, performance and durability needed to
meet the demands of nearly every application in which AC power is the
desired power source.
AC (alternating current) motors are low-cost and high-efficiency
mechanisms used in large variety of applications. AC motors offer a simple
design, consisting of a magnetically driven, copper wounded stator and a
rotor mechanism. In AC motors, the input alternating current creates a
rotating magnetic field over the stator, which ultimately moves the rotor,
which is connected with an output shaft. From heavy industrial to
household environments; different types and categories of AC motors have
applications wherever electrical appliances are utilized.
Synchronous Motors
In synchronous AC motors, the speed of rotor is proportional to the stator,
i.e., they both rotate in a synchronized fashion. These motors are known for
their efficiency in maintaining the power of the overall system and can be
used as stepper motors in some cases. Synchronous motors find their
major applications in areas where accuracy is important, for instance, in
clocks, timers, electromechanical robots, metering pumps, speed
controllers and other industrial processes. Also, synchronous AC motors
are specifically used in high-precision drill machines and similar devices.
Induction Motors
Induction motors are the most common type of AC motors used in daily life
processes, and their output rotation speed is proportional to the applied
frequency of alternate current. Used in almost every process, induction
motors are mainly used in water pumps, kitchen appliances, fans and air
conditioners, automobiles and common industrial machinery like boiler
pumps and compressors. AC induction motors are efficient and flexible,
which allows them to match the load demand for almost any type of
electrical application.
Linear Motors
Linear AC motors are quite different in terms of operational and functional
characteristics than conventional AC motors. These motors produce a
linear power to push or pull an object along their length, in place of creating
a torque-based (rotation around stator axis) rotary action. This happens
because of their flat and spread-out structure in contrast to other AC
motors. Due to these properties, linear AC motors are widely used in
ground-based rails, monorails, magnetic levitation lines, roller coasters and
similar transportation machinery.
Adjustable Speed Motors
Adjustable speed AC motors provide a special feature in terms of their
speed control and management. These motors change their rotor speed
among some pre-defined values just by switching the number of poles
(pairs of copper wounded permanent magnets) contained within. This
specific characteristic gives them applications in marine and land
machinery, electrical power plants, cargo pumps and water cooling
equipment. In general, adjustable speed AC motors are used in all systems
and processes where automatic switching of rotor speed is required.
Universal Motors
Universal Motors are generic AC motors that are operated on both
alternate current and direct current sources. The most significant feature of
universal AC motors is their constant high rotary speed (often measured in
thousands of rounds per minute), which makes them useful in a wide range
of applications like railway traction mechanisms, high-power engineering
and commercial drill machines, industrial and kitchen blenders, vacuum
cleaners, dryers and trimmers.