In this post, we will learn the various methods of cooling a motor.
Whenever an electrical current is passed through an electrical motor there is a buildup of heat. The amount of heat produced is a function of the work, or loading, done by the motor; the type of electrical signal being sent to the motor; and the eventual changes due to bearing wear and friction.
Whenever AC drives are used to control motors it means that the speed of the motor is going to be changed. And, depending upon motor loading, special attention needs to be given to how the motor is going to be cooled.
Generally speaking, less speed means less cooling. Different motor cooling designs are available.
Let us have a look at some of them:
There are a couple of different strategies used for selecting a motor that will be adequately cooled during operation:
One approach is to size the motor with a service factor. A service factor of 1.15 means that the motor has 15% more capacity when operating conditions are normal for voltage, frequency, and ambient temperature.
This 15% extra capacity means that the motor is built and sized when the duty cycle is severe, or the loading and speed range is moderate.
Another strategy is to simply go up in horsepower, which is how motors are sized. This might put a motor into a larger frame designation, thereby making it weigh more and allowing it to handle a greater amount of heat.
The concern with both of these strategies is that you could end up with a motor that is well oversized for the application. This would cause wasted energy and increase the cost of the motor. Another answer might be to add auxiliary cooling equipment to the motor.
In this way, we understand some general motor cooling methods.
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