POWER

LOSSES
EFFICIENCY
MOTOR POWER, LOSSES, AND EFFICIENCY
OBJECTIVES:
When you have completed this exercise, you will be able to determine motor
power, losses, and efficiency using brake.
Typical Power Flow in a DC Motor
Electric motor efficiency is expressed as the ratio of its mechanical output
power to its electrical input power Pm/Pin.

The mechanical output power of a motor depends on its speed and torque and
can be determined using one of the following two formulas

nT nT
P P
9.55 84.51
Efficiency for a motor is usually shown in the form of a graph of efficiency
versus mechanical output power, although a specific value at the nominal power
rating is sometimes given.

Rotating machines losses fall into two categories:

1. Mechanical Losses
2. Electrical Losses
Mechanical Losses
1. Bearing Friction
2. Brushes Friction
3. Windage Friction or Cooling-fan Friction

These losses vary somewhat as speed increases from zero to its nominal value
but remain fairly constant over the normal operating range between no-load and
full-load.
Electrical Losses
1. Copper Losses (I2R) - result from the resistance of the wire used in the
machine, and dissipated as heat and depend on the value of current in the
machine.
2. Brushes Losses - usually very small, and are due to the contact resistance
of the brush which causes a typical voltage drop between 0.8 V and 1.3 V.
3. Iron Losses - hysteresis and eddy currents in the machine, and depend on
the magnetic flux density, the speed of rotation or frequency, the kind of
steel and size of the motor.
Typical losses and efficiency graph for a 10 KW DC Motor