Why is motor protection necessary?

In order to avoid unexpected breakdowns, costly repairs and subsequent

losses due to motor downtime, it is important that the motor is fitted with
some sort of protective device. This article will deal with built-in motor
protection with thermal overload protection to avoid damage and breakdown
of motor.

The basics of Built-in Motor Protection for Beginners (on photo: View of installed thermostat
inside motor; credit: johndearmond.com)
The built-in protector always require an external circuit breaker while some
built-in motor protection types even require an overload relay.

Thermal protectors – built into the terminal box

Thermal protectors or thermostats use a snapaction, bi-metallic, disc type
switch to open or to close the circuit when it reaches a certain temperature.
Thermal protectors are also referred to as Klixons, (trade name from
Texas Instruments).

When the bi-metal disc reaches a predetermined temperature, it opens or

closes a set of contacts in an energized control circuit. Thermostats
are available with contacts for normally open or normally closed operation,
but the same device cannot be used for both.
Thermostats are precalibrated by the manufacturer and cannot be adjusted.
The discs are hermetically sealed and are placed on the terminal board.

Top nameplate: TP 211 in a MG 3.0 kW motor equipped with PTC; Bottom nameplate: TP
111 in a Grundfos MMG 18.5 kW motor equipped with PTC.

Motor thermal switch symbols

Symbols (left to right):

1. Thermal switch without heater

2. Thermal switch with heater
3. Thermal switch without heater for three-phase motors (star-point
protector)
A thermostat can either energize an alarm circuit, if normally open, or de-
energize the motor contactor, if normally closed and in series with the
contactor.
Since thermostats are located on the outer surface of the coil ends, they
sense the temperature at that location. In connection with three-phase
motors, thermostats are considered unstable protection against stall or other
rapidly changing temperature conditions.

Thermal switch – built into the windings

Thermal protectors can also be built into the windings, see the illustration
below. They operate as a sensitive power cut-out for both single and three-
phase motors. In single-phase motors, up to a given motor size around 1.1
kW it can be mounted directly in the main circuit to serve as an on-winding
protector.

Thermal protection symbol

Thermal protection to be connected in series with the winding or to a control

circuit in the motor.

Internal fitting
In single-phase motors one single thermal switch is used. In three-phase
motors 2 thermal switches connected in series are placed between the
phases of the motor. In that way all three phases are in contact with a
thermal switch.

Thermal switches can be retrofitted on the coil end, but the result is an

increased reaction time. The switches have to be connected to an external
monitoring system. In that way the motor is protected against a slow
overload. The thermal switches do not require an amplifier relay.

Thermal switches CANNOT protect against locked- rotor conditions.

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How does a thermal switch function?

The curve on your right-hand side shows the resistance as a function of
the temperature for a typical thermal switch. Depending on the thermal
switch manufacturer, the curve changes.

Resistance as a function of the temperature for a typical thermal switch

Thermistors – also built into the windings

The second type of internal protection is the thermistors or Positive
Temperature Coefficient sensors (PTC). The thermistors are built into
the motor windings and protect the motor against locked-rotor conditions,
continuous overload and high ambient temperature.

Thermal protection is then achieved by monitoring the temperature of the

motor windings with PTC sensors. If the windings exceed the rated trip
temperature, the sensor undergoes a rapid change in resistance relative to
the change in temperature.
As a result of this change, the internal relays de-energize the control coil of
the external line break contactor. As the motor cools and
an acceptable motor winding temperature has been restored, the sensor
resistance decreases to the reset level.

At this point, the module resets itself automatically, unless it was set up for
manual reset. When the thermistors are retrofitted on the coil ends, the
thermistors can only be classified as TP 111. The reason is that the
thermistors do not have complete contact with the coil ends, and therefore, it
cannot react as quickly as it would if they were fitted into the winding
originally.

Thermistor / PTC

The thermistor temperature sensing system consists of positive

temperature coefficient sensors (PTC) embedded in series of three –
one between each phase – and a matched solid-state electronic switch in an
enclosed control module. A set of sensors consists of three sensors, one per
phase.

Only temperature sensitive. The thermistor has to be connected to a control

circuit, which can convert the resistance signal, which again has to
disconnect the motor. Used in three-phase motors.
The resistance in the sensor remains relatively low and constant over a
wide temperature band and increases abruptly at a pre-determined
temperature or trip point.