MOTOR CONTROL

SMTE85 – INSTRUMENTATION AND CONTROL

SMTE85 – INSTRUMENTATION AND CONTROL

 Overload Protection
Before discussing specific control components, it is necessary to review
Current and what an overload is and what steps can be taken to limit the damage an
overload can cause.
Temperature

Current flow in a conductor always generates heat due to resistance. The greater the current flow, the
hotter the conductor. Excess heat is damaging to electrical components. For that reason, conductors have
a rated contAinuous current carrying capacity or ampacity. Overcurrent protection devices are used to
protect conductors from excessive current flow.
Thermal overload relays are designed to protect the conductors (windings) in a motor. These protective
devices are designed to keep the flow of current in a circuit at a safe level to prevent the circuit conductors
from overheating.
 Excessive current is referred to as overcurrent. The National Electrical
Code® defines overcurrent as any current in excess of the rated current
Short Circuits of equipment or the ampacity of a conductor. It may result from overload,
short circuit, or ground fault .

When two bare conductors touch, a short circuit occurs. When a short circuit occurs, resistance drops to
almost zero. Short- circuit current can be thousands of times higher than normal operating current.

The heat generated by this current will cause extensive damage to

connected equipment and conductors. This dangerous current must be
interrupted immediately when a short circuit occurs.
 Overload Conditions

An overload occurs when too many devices are operated on a single circuit or a piece of electrical equipment
is made to work harder than it is designed for. For example, a motor rated for 10 amperes may draw 20, 30,
or more amperes in an overload condition. In the following illustration a package has become jammed on a
conveyor causing the motor to work harder and draw more current. Because the motor is drawing more
current it heats up. Damage will occur to the motor in a short time if the problem is not corrected or the
circuit is not shut down by the overload relay.
 Temporary Overload Due to Starting
Current
Electric motors are rated according to the amount of current they will draw at full load. When most
motors start, they draw current in excess of the motor’s full-load current rating. Motors are designed to
tolerate this overload current for a short period of time. Many motors require 6 times (600%) the full-
load current rating to start. Some newer, high-efficiency motors may require higher starting currents.
As the motor accelerates to operating speed, the current drops off quickly. The time it takes for a
motor to accelerate to operating speed depends on the operating characteristics of the motor and the
driven load. A motor, for example, might require 600% of full-load current and take 8 seconds to reach
operating speed.
 Overload Protection

Fuses and circuit breakers are protective devices used to protect

circuits against short circuits, ground faults, and overloads. In the event
of a short circuit, a properly sized fuse or circuit breaker will
immediately open the circuit.

There is, however, a dilemma that occurs when applying fuses and circuit breakers in motor control circuits. The
protective device must be capable of allowing the motor to exceed its full- load rating for a short time. Otherwise,
the motor will trip each time it is started. In this situation it is possible for a motor to encounter an overload
condition which does not draw enough current to open the fuse or trip the circuit breaker. This overload condition
could easily cause enough heat to damage the motor. In the next section we will see how overload relays are used
to solve this problem.
 Overload Relays

Overload relays are designed to meet the special protective needs of

motor control circuits. Overload relays:

•allow harmless temporary overloads, such as motor starting, without

disrupting the circuit

•will trip and open a circuit if current is high enough to cause motor damage
over a period of time

• can be reset once the overload is removed

Trip Class Overload relays are rated by a trip class, which defines the length of time it will
take for the relay to trip in an overload condition. The most common trip classes
are Class 10, Class 20 and Class 30. Class 10, for example, has to trip the
motor off line in 10 seconds or less at 600% of the full load amps. This is
usually sufficient time for the motor to reach full speed. Many industrial loads,
particularly high inertia loads, use Class 30.
Siemens standard overload relays are Class 10 or Class 20 with Class 30
available with some starters.
 Overload Relay in a Motor Circuit

The following illustration shows a motor circuit with a manual starter and overloads.
Current flows through the overloads while the motor is running. Excess current will
cause the overload to trip at a predetermined level, opening the circuit between the
power source and the motor. After a predetermined amount of time the starter can be
reset. When the cause of the overload has been identified and corrected the motor
can be restarted.
 Bimetal Overloads

Overload protection is accomplished with the use of a bimetal strip. This component
consists of a small heater element wired in series with the motor and a bimetal strip
that can be used as a trip lever. A bimetal strip is made of two dissimilar metals
bonded together. The two metals have different thermal expansion characteristics, so
the bimetal bends at a given rate when heated.

Under normal operating conditions the heat generated by the

heater element will be insufficient to cause the bimetal strip to
bend enough to trip the overload relay.
 As current rises, heat also rises. The hotter the bimetal becomes,
the more it bends. In an overload condition the heat generated from
the heater will cause the bimetal strip to bend until the mechanism is
tripped, stopping the motor.

Some overload relays that are equipped with a bimetal strip are designed to
automatically reset the circuit when the bimetal strip has cooled and reshaped
itself, restarting the motor. If the cause of the overload still exists, the motor will trip
again and reset at given intervals. Care must be exercised in the selection of this
type of overload as repeated cycling will eventually damage the motor.
 Ambient Compensated Overload
Relay
In certain applications, such as a submersible pump, the motor may be installed in a location having a
constant ambient temperature. The motor control, along with the overload relay, may be installed in a
location with a varying ambient temperature. The trip point of the overload relay will vary with the
temperature of the surrounding air as well as current flowing through the motor. This can lead to premature
and nuisance tripping.

Ambient compensated overload relays are designed to overcome this problem. A compensated bimetal
strip is used along with a primary bimetal strip. As the ambient temperature changes, both bimetal
strips will bend equally and the overload relay will not trip the motor. However, current flow through the
motor and the heater element will affect the primary bimetal strip. In the event of an overload condition
the primary bimetal strip will engage the trip unit.
 Electronic Overload Relays
Electronic overload relays are another option for motor protection. The features and
benefits of electronic overload relays vary but there are a few common traits. One
advantage offered by electronic overload relays is a heaterless design. This
reduces installation cost and the need to stock a variety of heaters to match motor
ratings. Electronic relays offer phase loss protection. If a power phase is lost, motor
windings can burn out very quickly. Electronic overload relays can detect a phase
loss and disconnect the motor from the power source.
This feature is not available on mechanical types of overload relays.
 Manual Control
Manual control, as the name implies, are devices operated by hand. A
simple knife switch, like the one shown in the following illustration, was
the first manual-control device used to start and stop motors. The knife
switch was eventually replaced with improved control designs, such as
manual and magnetic starters.
 Basic Operation

The National Electrical Code® requires that a motor control device must also
protect the motor from destroying itself under overload conditions. Manual
starters, therefore, consist of a manual contactor, such as a simple switch
mechanism, and a device for overload protection. The following diagram
illustrates a single-pole manual motor starter. Each set of contacts is called a
pole. A starter with two sets of contacts would be called a
two-pole starter.
 Two-Pole Manual Starter

Starters are connected between the power source and the load. For example, a
two-pole or single-phase motor starter is connected to a motor. When the switch is
in the “OFF” position, the contacts are open preventing current flow to the motor
from the power source. When the switch is in the “ON” position, the contacts are
closed and current flows from the power source (L1), through the motor, returning
to the power source (L2).
 This is represented with a line drawing and symbols as illustrated in the following drawing.

Low Voltage Protection

Some manual motor starters offer low-voltage protection (LVP) as an option. LVP will
automatically remove power from the motor when incoming power drops or is interrupted.
The starter must be manually reset when power is restored. This protects personnel from
potential injury caused by machinery that may otherwise automatically restart when power
is restored.
 Magnetic Contactors and Starters
Most motor applications require the use of remote control devices to start and stop the motor.
Magnetic contactors, similar to the ones shown below, are commonly used to provide this
function. Contactors are also used to control distribution of power in lighting and heating circuits.
 Basic Contactor Operation

Magnetic contactors operate utilizing electromagnetic principles. A simple

electromagnet can be fashioned by winding a wire around a soft iron core.
When a DC voltage is applied to the wire, the iron becomes magnetic.
When the DC voltage is removed from the wire, the iron returns to its
nonmagnetic state. This principle is used to operate magnetic contactors.
The following illustration shows the interior of a basic contactor. There are two circuits involved in the operation
of a contactor: the control circuit and the power circuit. The control circuit is connected to the coil of an
electromagnet, and the power circuit is connected to the stationary contacts.
 The operation of this electromagnet is similar to the operation of the electromagnet we made by wrapping wire
around a soft iron core. When power is supplied to the coil from the control circuit, a magnetic field is produced
magnetizing the electromagnet. The magnetic field attracts the armature to the magnet, which in turn closes the
contacts. With the contacts closed, current flows through the power circuit from the line to the load. When the
electromagnet’s coil is deenergized, the magnetic field collapses and the movable contacts open under spring
pressure. Current no longer flows through the power circuit.
 The following schematic shows the electromagnetic coil of a contactor connected
to the control circuit through a switch (SW1). The contacts of the contactor are
connected in the power circuit to the AC line and a three-phase motor. When SW1
is closed, the electromagnetic coil is energized, closing the “ M ” contacts and
applying power to the motor. Opening SW1 deenergizes the coil and the “ M ”
contacts open, removing power from the motor.
 Overload Relay
Contactors are used to control power in a variety of applications. When applied in motor-control
applications, contactors can only start and stop motors. Contactors cannot sense when the
motor is being loaded beyond its rated conditions. They provide no overload protection. Most motor
applications require overload protection. However, some smaller-rated motors
have overload protection built into the motor (such as a household garbage disposal). Overload
relays, similar to the one shown below, provide this protection. The operating principle, using
heaters and bimetal strips, is similar to the overloads discussed previously.
 Motor Starter

Contactors and overload relays are separate control devices. When a

contactor is combined with an overload relay, it is called a motor starter.
 Motor Starter in a Control
Circuit
The following diagram shows the electrical relationship of the contactor and overload relay.
The contactor, highlighted with the darker grey, includes the electromagnetic coil, the main
motor contacts, and the auxiliary contacts. The overload relay, highlighted by the lighter grey,
includes the “OL” heaters and overload contacts. The contactor and the overload relay have
additional contacts, referred to as auxiliary contacts, for use in the control circuit. In this circuit
a normally closed “OL” contact has been placed in series with the “ M ” contactor coil and L2.
A normally open “ M ” auxiliary contact ( “ Ma”) has been placed in parallel with the “ Start”
pushbutton.