SECTION 16270

SOFT MOTOR STARTER

PART 1 - GENERAL

1.1 DESCRIPTION:

A. Section includes 3-phase controlled progressive electronic starters, i.e. 6-

thyristor type.

B. The starter assures the starting and stopping of 3-phase asynchronous

squirrel cage IEC or Nema type motors. The possible stopping modes will
be: freewheel, braked or decelerated.

C. The Softstarter design shall be based on torque control technology.

D. The Softstarter must be able to start the motor with linear speed ramp with
torque control.

1.2 QUALITY OF PRODUCT AND OF SUPPLIER:

A. The electronic starter will have to be developed and qualified in conformity

with international standards and, in particular, with the product standard
EN/IEC 60947-4-2 for starters.

B. The starter will have to be CE marked in accordance with the harmonised

standard EN/IEC 60947-4-2.

C. With regards to electromagnetic compatibility, the starter will have to conform

to the class A level for radiated and conducted emissions as detailed in the
product standard EN/IEC 60947-4-2, and this applies to all available
standard functions within the starter. Class B will be obtainable with
additional accessories and only applies to starters with a nominal current not
exceeding 170 A.

D. The starter will have to be UL and CSA certified “Industrial Control

Equipment”.

E. The manufacturing plant of the electronic starters and associated design

activities will have to be ISO 9001 version 2000 and ISO 14001 certified.

1.3 SUBMITTALS:

A. Product Data: provide test certificates, dimensions; mounting

arrangements; location for conduit entries; shipping and operating
weights; and manufacturer's technical data on features, performance,
electrical ratings, characteristics, and finishes.

B. Wiring diagrams of the starters.

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 C. Motor starter combination tables comprising circuit-breakers, fuses,
contactors and starters in order to assure type-1 or type-2 coordination.

1.4 WARRANTY:

A. Submit written guarantee signed by the contractor, manufacturer and

installer of Soft starter for 12 months from the date of delivery or 24 months
from the date of manufacture.

1.5 PROJECT CONDITIONS:

A. The starter shall be capable of operating, without derating, at an ambient

temperature range between –10 and +40°C and between 40 and 60°C with
a derating factor of 2% per degree C above 40°C.

B. The maximum relative humidity shall be 95%, without condensation or

dripping water, conforming to the standards IEC 60947-4-2.

C. The storage temperature range shall be between -25°C and +70°C.

D. The maximum operating altitude shall be 1000 metres. Above this, the
starter shall be derated by 2.2% for each additional 100-meter increase.

E. The manufacturer shall indicate the noise level of the starter, which must not
exceed 65 dBA.

F. If the starters incorporate fans for cooling, their continuous operation shall
be avoided. They shall be switched automatically in relation to the
temperature of the heat sink.

G. The maximum ambient degree of pollution shall be level 3 conforming to IEC

60664-1 (or IEC 60947-4-2).

PART 2 - PRODUCTS

2.1 PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:

A. The operating principle of the starter will not have to rely simply on motor
current limitation during the transitory phases or on a voltage ramp, but on
motor torque control. The starter will have to provide a torque ramp
throughout the accelerating phase. Therefore, it will be able to control the
torque throughout the entire starting phase and, if necessary, provide a
constant motor torque throughout the accelerating phase.

B. For pumping applications, the deceleration shall be made on a torque

ramp.

C. All starter ratings shall have the same control card. This control card shall
be identical for all applications.

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 D. All the starters shall incorporate means whereby the actual current is
measured in order to ensure protection of the motor.

E. The incoming power supply terminals shall be positioned at the top of the
starter and the terminals for connecting the motor at the bottom side.

F. All ratings of starter shall have connection terminals for the starter bypass
contactor. The current measurements shall be maintained even when the
starter is by-passed by the contactor.

G. The starter shall have a separate control supply.

H. The control terminal block for logic and analogue commands shall be
removable.

2.2 ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE STARTER:

A. The utilisation category of the starters shall be AC-53a conforming to the

product standard EN/IEC 60947-4-2.

B. The supplier shall be capable of offering starters in one or several ranges

to cover supply lines of 208 to 690 V (208 –15% to 690 V +10%).

C. The current range of the starters shall be comprised between 17 and

1200 A.

D. The starter shall automatically adapt to 50 or 60 Hz, with a tolerance of +/-

5%. By configuration, it shall be capable of operating at a supply line
frequency that can vary by ± 20%.

E. Logic inputs; the starter shall include a minimum of 4 x 24 V isolated logic

inputs.

F. Outputs; the starter shall include a minimum of 3 relays with a N/O

contact. Maximum switching capacity on inductive load: 1.8 A at 230 V
a.c. and 30 V d.c. Minimum switching capacity: 10 mA for 6 V d.c.

G. Outputs; the starter shall include a minimum of 2 x 24 V logic outputs.

H. Analogue outputs; the starter shall include 1 analogue output with either a
0 - 20 mA or 4 - 20 mA signal. This signalshall be able to be scaled.

I. The starter shall include its own 24 V power supply for the logic
inputs/outputs.

J. The supplier shall offer a starter selection table for 2 types of

dimensioning:

1. Dimensioning 1:
From cold state (motor duty S1): 1 start at 4 In for 23 seconds or at
3 In for 46 seconds.

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 Starting at 3 In for 23 seconds or at 4In for 12 seconds with a load
factor of 50% and 10 starts per hour or an equivalent thermal
cycle. (corresponding to motor duty S4).

2. Dimensioning 2:
From cold state (motor duty S1): 1 start at 4 In for 48 seconds or at
3 In for 90 seconds.
Starting at 4 In for 25 seconds with a load factor of 50% and 5
starts per hour or an equivalent thermal cycle. (corresponding to
motor duty S4).

2.3 PROTECTIVE FUNCTIONS:

A. The starter shall incorporate PTC probe processing.

B. The starter shall continuously calculate the heating of the motor from the
actual current measured (the current shall be measured and not
estimated). Several classes of thermal protection shall be offered
conforming to the standard EN/IEC60947-4-2: classes 10A, 10, 20, 30 as
well as the intermediary classes; one inferior to class 10A, one between
classes 10 and 20 and one between classes 20 and 30. The calculation of
the thermal protection must be performed even when the starter control
circuit is not being supplied.

C. The starter shall be protected against thermal overloads.

D. The starter shall detect an underload from the motor torque information.
The detection threshold as well as the allowed duration of the underload
shall be adjustable. This protection shall be able to lead to either a fault
on the starter or simple indication in the form of an alarm via a logic
output.

E. The starter shall detect an overload from the motor current information.
The detection threshold as well as the allowed duration of the overload
shall be adjustable. The duration of the overload shall be able to be
adjusted from 0.1 seconds. This protection shall be able to lead to either a
fault on the starter or simple indication in the form of an alarm via a logic
output.

F. The starter shall have protection against supply line phase inversion and
also against phase failure of the supply or motor.

G. The starter shall take into account management of an external fault. When
the contact is open, the starter goes to fault mode.

H. The protective functions shall be maintained even when the starter is

bypassed by a contactor.

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2.4 COMMUNICATION:

A. The starter shall include a multidrop serial link for its direct connection on
Modbus.

B. The starter shall be able to be connected to Ethernet and other networks,

with connection to communication bus as an option.

C. The communication shall provide access to the control, to the adjustment

and to the supervision of the starter.

2.5 MAIN FUNCTIONS:

A. The starter shall be able to start and decelerate several motors in

cascade if required.

B. A second set of motor parameters shall be able to be switched to by a

logic input.

C. In order to protect the motor against condensation when stopped for long
periods, the starter shall have a pre-heating function that does not involve
rotation of the motor. The pre-heating current shall be adjustable.

D. The starter shall pilot the starter bypass contactor: control closing of the
bypass contactor on completion of start-up and opening on receipt of the
stop instruction. This function shall be compatible with the stop modes:
freewheel, braked and decelerated.

E. The starter shall be able to control the line contactor. The contactor shall
close following the start instruction and open when the motor has come to
a stop.

F. Access to the settings shall be able to be code locked. The monitoring

parameters shall remain visible.

2.6 SUPERVISION:

A. The standard starter shall have a dialogue screen and programming keys.
As an option, a remote programming terminal kit shall be available.

B. The following information shall be accessible on the dialogue screen:

- Motor current
- Motor torque
- Thermal state of motor
- Cosine ϕ
- Active power
- Current status (accelerating, decelerating, etc.)
- Elapsed operating time of starter
- Last fault detected

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 C. The following information shall be accessible on the analogue output:

- Motor current
- Motor torque
- Thermal state of motor
- Cosine ϕ
- Active power

D. The starter shall include optional evolved dialogue solutions, such as:

- Software workshop for PC in order to prepare, store, download and

print the settings,
- Terminal with display clearly showing the parameters.

2.7 MOTOR DATA:

A. The starters shall be dimensioned for operation with IEC or NEMA motors
with the following motor data: Power, permanent current, amperes and a
nominal voltage as shown on drawings.

PART 3 - EXECUTION

3.1 INSTALLATION

A. The contractor shall install the starter in accordance with the

recommendations of the manufacturer as outlined in the installation
manual.

B. The contractor shall complete all wiring in accordance with the

recommendations of the manufacturer as outlined in the installation
manual.

3.2 START-UP

A. Certified factory start-up shall be provided for each starter by a factory

authorized service center. A certified start-up form shall be filled out for
each starter with a copy provided to the owner, and a copy kept on file at
the manufacturer.

3.3 PRODUCT SUPPORT

A. Factory trained application engineering and service personnel that are

thoroughly familiar with the products offered will be locally available at
both the specifying and installation locations.

END OF SECTION

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