MOTOR CONTROL CIRCUITS

INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION
By
Engr. Adil Usman
Lect. ENCD UET Taxila
MOTOR PROTECTION AND INSTALLATION
Some Guidance:

 The “Nation Electrical Code (NEC)” covers the installation

requirements for motors and motor control circuits.

 “Underwriters Laboratory (UL)” product listings and certifications

often dictate the choice of components for motor branch cct.
INSTALLATION REQUIREMENTS FOR EACH MOTOR
Following are the basic requirements for an industrial motor:
1. Motor Disconnecting Means
2. Motor Branch-Circuit, Short cct. and Ground-Fault
Protection Motor power cct. Conductor

3. Motor Controller
4. Motor Overload Protection
5. Motor Power cct. Conductor
1. MOTOR DISCONNECTING MEANS
 A suitable “disconnecting means” of
Sufficient capacity is required, as part of
motor branch cct., “within sight” from the
motor.
 The purpose of the disconnect device
is to open the supply conductors to the
motor, allowing personal to work safely
on installation.
 Within sight means that “disconnecting means” is visible and not
more than 50ft from the equipment being controlled.
 Where the source for the motor branch cct is not within sight from
motor, another disconnecting means is required.
Contd…

Disconnecting means for motor branch circuit

Contd…
 If the source, controller, and motor are not within sight from each other,
three separate disconnecting means are needed
 Disconnecting means shall have an ampacity rating of at least 115 percent
of the full-load current rating of the motor.
 It opens all the grounded supplies.
 It is gang operated
 There should be clear ON/OFF position
indication
 The disconnect switch must have
horsepower rating equal or greater than the
rating of motor
 DO NOT OPERATE UNDER LOAD
 Ordinary Switch is not used for start/stop
when operated under-load
3.Motor Controller
 Motor Controller is the device that does the
actual ON/OFF switching of the motor
 The controller must have a horsepower
rating not lower than the motor horsepower
rating
 4.MOTOR-OVERLOAD PROTECTION
 Motors typically have starting currents that is six times their full-load
running current.
 Once the motor is properly started and running, it must then be
protected from over-heating as a result of mechanical loading of the
motor.

Motor Starting Current is much higher than running current

 Contd…
 If motor is loaded beyond its designed capacity, e.g. jammed pump,
using saw board is damp or cut is too deep, then the winding current
will increase and heat the motor beyond its design temperature.
 If nothing is done, there may be permanent damage to the motor’s
windings, and expensive repair will be needed.
 Therefore, a motor overload protection device (Thermal over-load
relay) is installed in each power line of the motor, controller and
branch cct conductor.
 The OL contact opens after a period of time which depends upon the
magnitude of the overload current (multiple of rated current).
Contd…
 2.SHORT CCT., GROUND FAULT
 Short cct. and Ground Protection is intended to protect motor cct.
components, such as the conductors, switches, controllers, overload
relays, motor and so on against short cct currents or grounds.
 This protection is provided by fuses or circuit breakers .
 Short cct protection devices are sized based on a percentage of full-
load amperes (FLA) of the motor.
 A careless selection can cause damage to the
wiring system and injury to personnel.
Contd…

Two levels of protection (short cct. and overload)

 Contd…
Following types of devices can utilized as short cct protection device:
 Non-Delay Fuse
 Time Delay Fuse( Dual Element Fuse)
 Instantaneous trip breaker
 Inverse Time Breaker
 Contd…
 Motor can be protected from overload in two ways:
1. By Internal Protection that is mounted in the motor which are
usually temperature detector in the motor winding.
2. By external Protection that is mounted in, or near the motor.
Common Internal Protection devices are:
 Thermostatic devices: are embedded in the winding and directly
connected to the control circuitry.
 RTD: to indicate temp. of winding
 Thermocouples
 Thermistors
External Protection Devices:
Overload Relay: Sensing winding current to determine the heating
5. MOTOR POWER CCT. CONDUCTORS
 Size of conductor is determined by the full-load running current of
motor.
 The conductor supplying a single
Motor shall have an ampacity of not less
than 125% of motor’s full-load current
or greater.

Sizing motor branch cct. Power Conductor

Contd…
 When conductors are used to supply
more than one motors on same cct.,
feeder conductor ampacity can be
determined by adding the full-load
currents of all the motors plus 25% of
full-load current of largest motor

Sizing motor branch cct. Power Conductor

 Protection of control cct. conductor
Single Line Diagram for a multiple motor installation
OTHER MOTOR PROTECTION CIRCUITS
 Low-Voltage Protection
 Low-Voltage Release Protection
 Phase-Failure Protection
 Phase Reversal Protection
 Ground-Fault Protection

*Do yourself
 MOTOR STARTING

 Upon being started and before the motor has begun to turn,
there is a high in-rush of current.
 This current is equal to the “locked rotor current”.
 locked rotor current is determined by locking the shaft of the
motor so that it cannot turn, then applying the rated voltage and
measuring the current.
Contd…
 All motors tends to draw starting current very greater than free
running current.
 If the load is increased then speed will decrease and the winding
current will increase.
 If we continue, then locked rotor condition is created and hence
motor can burn quickly.

Therefore a Motor should be safely started…….

 AC MOTOR STARTERS

There are two types of AC Motor Starters :

1. Full Voltage Starters

2. Reduced Voltage Starters
 1. FULL VOLTAGE STARTING OF AC INDUCTION
MOTORS

 A full Voltage, or across-the line, starter is designed to apply full line

voltage to the motor upon starting.

These are of two types:

I. Manual Starters
II. Magnetic Starters
 I. MANUAL STARTERS
 These starters are used for small motors ( Up to 10hp)
 They consist of a switch which has contact for each phase and a
thermal overload device.
 Manual Starters are popular for single phase motors b/c they serve as
both motor protector and branch feeder.
Contd…
•When an overload occurs, the starter
handle automatically moves to the center
position to signify that the contacts have
opened b/c of overload and the motor is
no longer operating

•The starter contacts cannot be reclosed

until the overload relay is reset manually

•The relay is reset by moving the handle to

the full OFF position after allowing about 2
min for the heater to cool
Fractional horsepower
manual starting switch.
 I. MANUAL STARTERS (3-phase)
 It is operated by pushing a button
on the starter enclosure cover that
mechanically operates the starter
 This type of starter also provides
overload protection
 but it cannot be used where low or
undervoltage protection is required or
for remote or automatic operation
 When an overload relay trips, the
starter mechanism unlatches, opening
the contacts to stop the motor
Contd…
 The contacts cannot be reclosed until the starter mechanism has
been reset by pressing the STOP button; first, however, the thermal
unit needs time to cool
 These starters are designed for infrequent starting of small ac motors
(10 hp or less) at voltages ranging from 120 to 600 V.
 II. MAGNETIC STARTERS
 Larger motors require the use of contactors to handle their load
current
 It is generally required that starters operate automatically under
control of remotely located devices such as pushbuttons, switches,
thermostats, relays, or solid-state controllers.
 Therefore, the most common type of motor starter is the magnetic
across-the-line starter, which is operated by an electromagnet or a
solenoid
 With magnetic control, pushbutton stations are mounted nearby, but
automatic control pilot devices can be mounted almost anywhere on
the machine.
Contd…
 The operating principle that makes a magnetic starter different from a
manual starter is the use of an electromagnet
 The starter circuit has three main components:
i. Magnetic contactor
ii. Overload relay
iii. Control station
Contd…
Contd…
 When the START button is pressed, coil M is energized
 It closes all M contacts
 The M contacts in series with the motor close to complete the current
path to the motor
 These contacts are part of the power circuit
and must be designed to handle the
full-load current of the motor
 Control contact M closes to seal in the
coil circuit when the start button is
released
 It is required to handle the small amount
of current needed to energize the coil.
Contd…
 The starter has three overload heaters, one in each phase
 The normally closed (NC) relay contact OL opens automatically when
an overload current is sensed on any phase to de-energize the M coil
and stop the motor.
COMBINATION STARTER
 A combination starter consists of an
across-the-line starter and a disconnect
means wired together in a common
enclosure
 2. REDUCED VOLTAGE STARTERS
There are two primary reasons for using a reduced voltage when starting
a motor:
 It limits line disturbances
 It reduces excessive torque to the driven equipment
Explanation:
 The large starting in-rush current of a big motor could cause line
voltage dips.
 The motor produces starting torques that are higher than full-load
torque
 In many applications this starting torque can cause excessive
mechanical damage such as belt, chain, or coupling breakage
 2. REDUCED VOLTAGE STARTERS
 Typical reduced voltage starters include:
i. Primary-resistance starters
ii. Autotransformers
iii. wye-delta starters
iv. Part-winding starters
v. Solid-state starters.

Note: These devices can be used only where low starting torque is
acceptable
 i. PRIMARY-RESISTANCE STARTERS
 The primary- resistance starter adds resistance to the stator circuit
during the starting period, thus reducing the current drawn from the
line.
 Closing the contacts at A connects the motor to the supply via
resistors that provide a voltage drop to reduce the starting voltage
available to the motor
 The resistor’s value is chosen to provide adequate starting torque
while minimizing starting current
 Motor in-rush current declines
during acceleration, thus
reducing the voltage drop
across the resistors and providing
more motor torque.
Contd…
 This results in smooth acceleration
 After a set period of time, contacts ‘A’ open and the resistors are
shorted out by contacts ‘B’, applying full voltage to the motor.

Primary Resistance Starter

 ii. AUTOTRANSFORMERS
 This type of starter uses autotransformers to reduce the voltage at start-up
 When the motor approaches full speed, the autotransformers are bypassed.
 An autotransformer is a single-winding transformer on a laminated core
with taps at various points on the winding.
 The taps are usually expressed as
a percentage of the total number
of turns and, thus, a percentage
of applied voltage output
 The three autotransformers are
connected in a wye configuration,
with taps selected to provide
adequate starting current.
Contd…
 The motor is first energized at a reduced voltage by closing contacts
‘A’
 After a short time, the autotransformers are switched out of the
circuit by opening contacts ‘A’ and closing contacts ‘B’, thus applying
full voltage to the motor
 The autotransformers need not have high capacity because they are
only used for a very short period of time
 III. WYE-DELTA STARTERS
 Wye-delta starters can be used with three-phase ac motors where all
six leads of the stator windings are available
 By first closing contacts A and B,
the windings are connected in
a wye-configuration, which
presents only 58 percent of rated
voltage of the motor.
 Full voltage is then applied by
reconnecting the motor in a delta
configuration by closing contacts
C and opening A
Contd…
 The starting current and torque are 33 percent of their full voltage
ratings
 IV. PART-WINDING STARTERS
 Part-winding starters are sometimes used in motors wound for dual
voltage operation, such as a 230/460-V motor.
 These motors have two sets of windings
 The two sets of windings connected in parallel for low-voltage and
connected in series for high-voltage operation
 When used on the lower voltage, they can be started by first energizing
only one winding, limiting starting current and torque to
approximately one-half of the full voltage values
 The second winding is then connected normally, once the motor near
operating speed about 2 s later
TWO-START PART-WINDING STARTER
TRANSITION FROM REDUCED VOLTAGE TO FULL VOLTAGE
 Electromechanical reduced voltage starters must make a transition from
reduced voltage to full voltage at some point in the starting cycle
 At this point there is normally a line current surge
 The amount of surge depends upon the:
 Type of transition used.
 Speed of the motor at the transition point.

There are two methods of transition from reduced voltage to full

voltage:
i. Open transition
ii. Closed Transition
 TRANSITION FROM REDUCED VOLTAGE TO FULL VOLTAGE

i. Open transition: means that the motor is actually disconnected from

the line for a small period of time when the transition takes place
*It will produce a higher surge of current b/c the motor is
momentarily disconnected from line
 Transfer should occur at as close to full speed as possible
 This also minimizes the amount of surge on the line
 Contd…
ii. Closed Transition: The motor remains connected to the line during
transition
v. SOLID-STATE STARTERS
 This provides smooth and stepless transition from reduced voltage to
full voltage, and torque-controlled acceleration
 In solid-state starters, high-power semiconductors such as SCRs
(silicon controlled rectifiers) are used to control the voltage to the
motor
 The amount of conduction of an SCR is controlled by the pulses
received at the gate of the SCR
 Contd…

 When two SCRs are connected back to back, the ac power to a load
can be controlled by changing the firing angle of the line voltage
 By changing the angle, it is possible to increase or decrease the
voltage and current to the motor.
 The starter uses a microcomputer to control the firing of the SCRs
 Six SCRs are used in the power section to provide full cycle control
of the voltage and current
Using SCRs, the voltage and current can be slowly and steplessly
increased to the motor
A TYPICAL SOLID-STATE STARTER
 DC MOTOR CONTROL
 Direct current motors are used far less than ac units (they need
special starting equipment).
 Like ac motors, small dc motors can be connected directly across the
line for starting
 With a dc magnetic motor starter, it is important to realize that the
breaking of the power circuit produces an arc, which will burn the
power contacts if not extinguished quickly
 To help extinguish the arc, the starter is equipped with three power
contacts connected in series.
Direct Current Across the Line Starter
 DC MOTOR CONTROL
 As with large ac motors, large dc motors must be provided with a
means for limiting the starting current to reasonable values
 One solution is to connect a tapped resistor in series with the
armature, as shown in the constant speed dc starter circuit
 When the M power contact closes, full line voltage is applied to the
shunt field while the resistor is connected in series with the armature
 After the first time delay, A1 contact closes, bypassing a section of the
resistance
 Following the second time delay period, A2 contact closes, bypassing
the resistor and allowing the motor to operate at base speed
Constant Speed DC Starter
ELECTRIC CLUTCH
 Engage very large motors to their loads after the motors have
reached running speeds.
 Provide smooth starts for operations in which the material being
processed might be damaged by abrupt starts.
 Start high inertia loads when starting may be difficult for a motor
that is sized to handle only the running load.

Shaft Mounted Electro-Clutch

ELECTRIC CLUTCH
 An electric clutch consists of an electromagnetic disc and armature
disc.
 When disengaged, the clutch allows the motor to turn separately
from its load
 When engaged, the clutch couples the two together allowing both to
rotate
 A magnetic field generated as soon as current flows through the
electromagnet disc
 This draws the armature disc into direct contact with the magnet

On/off clutch control provides fast

and accurate actuation
 Contd…
 The electromagnet disc is faced with friction material to provide
positive engagement between the two discs
 Engage and disengage motions are signaled by a switch or sensor
 As soon current to the coil is removed, a spring action separates the
faces to provide a small clearance between the discs.
 Contd…
 Certain electric clutches are controllable that is, the torque
produced is directly proportional to the amount of voltage and
current applied to the coil.
 As a result, the shift from positive, instantaneous engagement to soft
cushioned starts can be accomplished by simply varying the coil
current.

Controllable clutch control provides adjustable

control from zero to maximum torque
 MOTOR REVERSING (AC MOTOR)
 Interchanging any two leads to a three-phase induction motor will
cause it to run in the reverse direction
 A three-phase reversing starter in fig. consists of two contactors
enclosed in the same cabinet Typical physical layout
 MOTOR REVERSING
 As seen in the power circuit, the contacts (F) of the forward contactor,
when closed, connect L1, L2, and L3 to motor terminals T1, T2, and T3,
respectively.
 The contacts (R) of the reverse contactor, when closed, connect L1 to
motor terminal T3 and connect L3 to motor terminal T1, causing the
motor to run in the opposite direction
 Whether operating through either
the forward or reverse contactor,
the power connections are run
through the same set of overload
relays.
Three-phase reversing
Contd…

Power Circuit
 PROTECTION---INTERLOCKS
 Forward and Reverse Contacts should not be activated at the same
time bc it will cause short cct.
 Mechanical and Electrical interlocks are used to prevent the forward
and reverse contactors from being activated at the same time, which
would cause a short circuit
 With the mechanical interlock, the first coil to close moves a lever to a
position that prevents the other coil from closing its contacts when it
is energized

Mechanical interlock
PROTECTION---INTERLOCKS
 Electrical pushbutton interlocks use double-contact (NO and NC)
pushbuttons
 When the forward pushbutton is pressed, the NC contacts open the
reverse-coil cct.
 There is no need to press the stop but- before changing the direction
of rotation
 If forward button is pressed while the motor is running in the
reverse direction, the reverse control circuit is de-energized and the
forward contactor is energized and held closed.

Electrical Pushbutton interlock

Contd…
 MOTOR REVERSING (DC MOTOR)
 The reversal of a dc motor can be accomplished in two ways:
1. Reversing the direction of the armature current and leaving the
field current the same.
2. Reversing the direction of the field current and leaving the
armature current the same.
 Most dc motors are reversed by switching direction of current flow
through the armature.
POWER CIRCUIT FOR DC MOTOR REVERSING USING
ELECTROMECHANICAL
 The forward (FOR) contactor causes current to flow through the
armature in one direction
 the verse (REV) contactor, when closed, causes ent to flow through
the armature in the opposite direction
POWER CIRCUIT FOR DC MOTOR REVERSING USING
SOLID-STATE CIRCUITRY
 Two sets of SCRs are provided
 One set is used for current flow in one direction through the
armature, and the second set is used for current flow in the opposite
direction.
 JOGGING …..(INCHING)
 Jogging is the momentary operation of a motor for the purpose of
accomplishing small movement of the driven machine. (e.g., for
machine tool setup)
 It involves an operation in which the motor runs when the
pushbutton is pressed and will stop when the pushbutton is released
 Repeatedly high starting currents created by jogging causes excessive
heating of the power circuit contacts

Typical physical layout

 JOGGING …..(INCHING)
 A jog control circuit requires a double contact jog pushbutton: one
NC contact and one NO contact.
 When the JOG button is pressed, the seal in circuit to the starter
coil is opened by the NC contacts of the JOG pushbutton.
 As a result, the starter coil will not lock in; instead, it can only stay
energized as long as the jog button is fully depressed. As a result, a
jogging action can be obtained.

Control cct..
 Contd…
 On quick release of the JOG pushbutton, in the jog control circuit
shown bellow, should its NC contacts reclose before the starter
maintaining contacts (M) open, the motor would continue to run.
 This could be hazardous to workers and machinery
 A jogging attachment can be used to prevent the reclosing of the NC
contacts of the jog button
CONTROL RELAY JOGGING CIRCUIT
 The control relay jogging circuit shown in is much safer than the
previous circuit
 A single contact JOG pushbutton is used; in addition, the circuit
incorporates a jog control relay (CR).
 Pressing the start pushbutton completes a circuit for the CR coil,
closing the CR1 and CR2 contacts.
 The CR1 contact completes the circuit for the M coil, starting the
motor.
 The M-maintaining contact closes; this maintains the circuit for the
M coil.
 Contd…
 Pressing the jog button energizes the M coil only, starting the motor
 Both CR contacts remain open, and the CR coil is de-energized
 The M coil will not remain energized when the jog pushbutton is
released.

JOG/START/STOP pushbutton control using a jog relay

 MOTOR STOPPING
 The most common method of stopping a motor is to remove the
supply voltage and allow the motor and load to coast to a stop
 In some applications, however, the motor must be stopped more
quickly by some sort of braking device.
 There are two different means of electric braking:
i. Plugging
ii. Dynamic braking
 Ctd….
 Plugging: stops a polyphase motor by momentarily connecting the
motor reverse rotation while the motor is still running in the forward
direction
 A zero-speed switch is coupled to a moving shaft the machinery whose
motor is to be plugged.
 The zero-speed switch prevents the motor from reversing after it has
come to a stop
 Each zero-speed switch has a rated operating speed range within
which the contacts will be switched; for example, 50 to 200 rpm.
PLUGGING
PLUGGING A MOTOR TO A STOP
 PLUGGING A MOTOR TO A STOP
 Pushing the START button closes the forward contactor. As a result, the
motor runs forward
 The NC contact F opens the circuit to the reverse contactor
 The forward contact on the speed switch closes.
 Pushing the stop button drops out the forward contactor
 The reverse contactor is energized, and the motor is plugged
 The motor speed decreases to the setting of the speed switch, at which
point its contact opens and drops out the reverse contactor
 This contactor is used only to stop the motor using the plugging operation;
it is not used to run the motor in reverse
 The sudden reversing torque applied when a large motor is reversed
(without slowing the motor speed) could damage the driven machinery,
and the extremely high current could affect the distribution system
 ANTIPLUGGING CCT…
 In the anti-plugging circuit shown in Fig. the motor can be reversed
but not plugged
 Pressing the forward button completes the circuit for the “F” coil,
closing the “F” power contacts and causing the motor to run in the
forward rotation.
 The “F” zero-speed switch contact opens because of the forward
rotation of the motor.
 Pressing the stop button deenergizes the “F” coil, which opens the “F”
power contacts, causing the motor to slow down
 Pressing the reverse button will not complete a circuit for the “R” coil
until the “F” zero-speed switch contact recloses
 Therefore, when the rotating equipment reaches near zero speed, the
reverse circuit may be energized, and the motor will run in the
reverse rotation
ANTIPLUGGING CCT…

Schematic
 DYNAMIC BRAKING
 Dynamic braking is a method of braking that uses the motor as a
generator during the braking period immediately after the motor is
turned off
 Connecting the motor in this way makes the motor act like a loaded
generator that develops a retarding torque, which rapidly stops the
motor
 The generator action converts the mechanical energy of rotation to
electric energy that can then be dissipated as heat in a resistor.
DYNAMIC BRAKING APPLIED TO A DC MOTOR
 DYNAMIC BRAKING APPLIED TO A DC MOTOR

 When the STOP button is depressed, NC contact M completes the

braking circuit through the braking resistor, which acts like a load.
 The shunt field windings of the dc motor are left connected to the
power supply.
 The armature generates a cemf voltage. This cemf causes current to
flow through the resistor and armature
 ELECTRIC BRAKING OF AN AC MOTOR
 Electric braking can be achieved with a three-phase induction motor
by removing the ac power supply from the motor and applying direct
current to one of the stator phases
 Circuit in fig. uses a bridge rectifier circuit to change the alternating
current into direct current.
 An OFF-delay timer is connected in parallel with the motor- starter
coil.
 This OFF-delay timer controls an NO contact that is used to apply
power to the braking contactor for a short period of time after the
STOP pushbutton is pressed.
 The timing contact is adjusted to remain closed until the motor
comes to a complete stop
ELECTRIC BRAKING APPLIED TO A 3-PHASE MOTOR
 A transformer with tapped windings is used in this circuit to adjust
the amount of braking torque applied to the motor.
 The motor starter (M) and braking contactor (B) are mechanically
and electricaly interlocked so that the ac and dc supplies are not
connected to the motor at the same time
ELECTRIC BRAKING APPLIED TO A 3-PHASE MOTOR
ELECTROMECHANICAL FRICTION BRAKE
 The term electromechanical friction brake refers to a device external to
the motor that provides retarding torque
 Most rely on friction in a drum or a disc brake arrangement, and
they are set with a spring and released by a solenoid
 When the motor is running, the solenoid
is energized, which keeps the brake shoes
from touching the drum mounted on the
motor shaft
 When the motor is turned OFF,
the solenoid is deenergized, and braking
occurs as a result of the friction
 THE ELECTRIC LOAD BRAKE

 Do yourself…..
 MOTOR SPEED CONTROL
 Often motor speed must be changed to meet load demand.
 In general, motor speed control can be classified into four areas:
 Multispeed motors.
 Variable speed drives for induction and synchronous motors
 Wound rotor induction motor control.
 DC motor controllers.
 MULTISPEED MOTORS
 Induction motors with multiple speed windings are suitable for
applications requiring up to four discrete speeds
 There are two main types:
I. The separate winding motor:
- Uses two or more windings that are electrically separate from
each other.
- Each winding can deliver the motor’s horsepower at the rated
speed
I. The consequent pole motor:
-Uses a special winding that can be reconnected, using contactors,
to obtain different speeds.
- Two-speed consequent pole motors always have a speed ratio of
2:1
 MULTISPEED MOTORS
 There are three types of consequent pole motors:
- Constant horsepower
-Constant torque
-Variable torque
 Their names indicate the output characteristics of the motors
 TWO-SPEED SEPARATE WINDING MOTOR STARTER
 The control station is a three-element, high /low/stop
 The change from low to high can be made without first pressing: the
stop button
 When changing from high to low, however, the stop button must be
presses between speeds.
 With all multispeed starters, overload relays are provided for both
the high- and low-speed circuits to ensure adequate protection on
each speed range.

Control cct. Line Diagram

TWO-SPEED SEPARATE WINDING MOTOR STARTER

Wiring Diagram
 VARIABLE SPEED DRIVES
 A variable speed drive is used to provide continuous range process speed
control
 An electrical variable speed drive is an electrical system that is
composed of the motor, drive controller, and operator’s controls (either
manual or automatic)
 It is capable of adjusting both speed and torque of a constant speed
electric motor.
 DRIVE CONTROLLER
 The drive controller is an electronic device that can control the speed,
torque, horsepower, and direction of an ac or dc motor.
 Common control functions associated with adjustable speed drives
include:
Preset speed: Preset speed refers to one or more fixed speeds at which the
drive will operate.
Base speed: Base speed is the manufacturer’s nameplate rating where the
motor will develop rated horsepower at rated load and voltage
- With dc drives, it is commonly the point where full armature voltage
is applied with full rated field excitation.
- With ac systems, it is commonly the point where 60 Hz is applied to
the induction motor.
 Ctd….
 Speed range: The speed range extends from the speed minimum to
maximum at which a motor must operate under constant or variable
torque load conditions
- A 50:1 speed range for a motor with a top speed of 1800 rpm means
the motor must operate as low as 36 rpm and still remain within
regulation specification
- Controllers are capable of wider controllable speed ranges than
motors because there is no thermal limitation, only electrical
 Ctd….
 Speed regulation: Speed regulation is the numerical measure, in
percent, of how accurately the motor speed can be maintained
- It is the percentage of change in speed between full-load and no-
load—the ability of a drive to operate a motor at constant speed
(under varying load) without “hunting” (alternately speeding up and
slowing down).
 Regenerative control: A regenerative drive contains the inherent
capability and/or power semiconductors to control the flow of power
to and from the motor.
 Four-quadrant operation. Four-quadrant operation refers to the four
combinations of forward and reverse rotation and forward and reverse
torque of which a regenerate; drive is capable
 The four combinations are:
- Forward rotation/forward torque (motoring)
- Forward rotation/reverse torque (regeneration)
- Reverse rotation/reverse torque (motoring)
- Reverse rotation/forward torque (regeneration)
Electrical Variable Frequency Drive
 WOUND ROTOR AC MOTOR DRIVES
 The motor rotor is constructed with winding that are brought out of
the motor through rings on the motor shaft.
 These windings are connected to a controller, which places variable
resistors in series with the windings
 By changing the amount of external resistance connected to the rotor
circuit, the motor speed be varied (the lower the resistance, the higher
the speed
 Wound rotor motors are most common in the range of 300 hp and
above.
 Speed control of a wound rotor induction motor using
resistance
 It consists of a magnetic starter (M), which connects the primary
circuit to the line, and two secondary accelerating contactors S and H
which control the speed.
 When operating at low speed, contactors S and H are both open, and
full resistance is inserted in the rotor’s secondary circuit
 When contactor S closes, it shunts out part of the total resistance in
the rotor circuit; as a result, the speed increases
 When contactor H closes, all resistance in the secondary circuit of the
motor is bypassed; thus, the motor runs at maximum speed.
 One disadvantage of using resistance to control the speed of a wound
rotor induction motor is that a lot of heat is dissipated in the
resistors; the efficiency, therefore, is low
 Also, speed regulation is poor; for a given amount of resistance, the
speed varies considerably if the mechanical load varies
Speed control of a wound rotor induction motor using
resistance
 SATURABLE REACTOR
 The saturable reactor is a device that is similar in appearance and
reliability to a transformer.
 It consists of ac windings whose impedance varies inversely with the
amount of excitation control current flowing through the dc control
winding
 The speed is changed by varying the current flow through the dc
control winding
 Increasing the dc control current causes speed to increase
 The flux due to current in the ac load coils flows through the outer
legs but cancels out in the center leg, and hence no ac voltage is
induced in the control coil center leg
 The dc flux produced by current in the control coil flows through
both iron cores. The current which flows in the ac load coils is directly
proportional to the dc control coil current.
SATURABLE REACTOR
Speed control of a wound rotor induction motor using a
load resistor and Saturable reactor
 CHOPPER SPEED CONTROL
 The three-phase bridge rectifier feeds the rectified power to the
capacitor, which, in turn, supplies the high current pulses drawn by
the chopper
 By varying the chopper on-time, the apparent resistance across the
bridge rectifier can be made either HIGH or LOW
 Increasing the on-time of the chopper lowers the apparent resistance
and increases motor speed.
CHOPPER SPEED CONTROL
Ctd….
 DIRECT CURRENT DRIVES
 The drive system consists of a dc motor and a controller.
 The motor is constructed win armature and field windings
 Both of these windings require a dc excitation for motor operation
 Usually the field winding is excited with a constant-level voltage
from the controller
 Then, to operate the motor a dc voltage from the controller is
applied to the armature of the motor
 The controller is a phase-controlled bridge rectifier with logic
circuits to control the dc voltage delivered to the motor armature.
 Speed control is achieved by regulating the armature voltage to the
motor.
 ELECTRONIC SPEED CONTROL BY VARIATION OF
ARMATURE VOLTAGE:

- The SCR is the major power control element of the circuits

- The conduction of the SCR is controlled by the setting of the speed-
reference potentiometer, which varies the on time of the SCR per
each positive half-cycle and so varies the voltage applied to the
armature
- The ac input is applied directly to the SCR because it will rectify
(change to direct current) as well as control the voltage
- A bridge rectifier is used to convert the alternating current to direct
current that is required for the field circuit to operate
- Armature voltage-controlled dc drives are constant-torque drives,
capable of rated motor torque at any speed up to rated motor base
speed.
ELECTRONIC SPEED CONTROL BY VARIATION OF
ARMATURE VOLTAGE:
ELECTRONIC SPEED CONTROL BY VARIATION OF
ARMATURE VOLTAGE:
 DC DRIVES
 Field voltage-controlled dc drives
 Nonregenerative dc drives
 Regenerative dc drives

• EDDY CURRENT DRIVES

VARIABLE FREQUENCY AC DRIVES
 Do Yourself………