Plant Maintenance Portal: Motors

PlantServices.com has assembled a list of motor-related articles and put them in one place. Make sure you keep this page bookmarked and come back often — we're always updating!

Efficiency

Maximizing energy savings by replacing motors and reducers
Any motor upgrade should be evaluated by its life cycle cost.

Cooling tower fans driven by less
Motor and drive system reduces complexity, increases efficiency. 

On prime movers, macro and micro
Industry and Mother Nature have both developed highly efficient motors.

When variable-speed drives make cents
Do VSDs always generate energy savings?

An energy diet for electric motors
The growing cost of energy for manufacturing puts stress on maintaining a competitive edge in the marketplace.

Digital decisions maximize motor efficiency
Is your industrial motor system using more energy than it should? The right software package help owners and facility managers identify the ideal motor system.

Modern VSDs are more capable than ever
The goal of a variable-speed drive (VSD) is to modulate motor speed to reduce power demand and generate energy savings.

How to ride through sags and outages
Research and hard work uncovered a way to get your motors past power quality problems.

Drive up energy efficiency
The constant-speed approach to AC motors made a lot of sense when energy was cheap and drives technology was in its infancy.

The war between voltage spikes and motors
Knowing what to look for gives your motors the edge in surviving AC adjustable-speed inverter power.

Reduce costs with variable speed drives
Variable speed drives offer the ability to monitor and reduce energy consumption, foresee line and motor problems and gain fine speed and torque control.

Forces to be reckoned
Fluid power technology is producing hydraulic pumps and motors that are more compact, efficient and economical than ever before.

Motor design matters
Contributing Editor Sheila Kennedy reports that construction changes are improving energy efficiency, reliability and process control, and for good reason.

Beware the big bad brownouts
A long duration of undervoltage can toast your motors, but there are ways to prevent the problem.

Maintenance

Get the most from motors
An improved maintenance program for your electric motors and drives will have a great effect in achieving uptime and reliability. 

A little more now can save a lot later
Use motor management to cut the cost of maintaining your fleet.

Bring them back
How to recondition motor controls.

Reliable torque
Knowing about motor failure modes can help you avoid unnecessary maintenance costs.

Keep your motors running
Be prepared for power problems by in-situ testing of installed ride-through devices.

Rethink motor repair/replace decisions
The old repair/replace question arises: Does the 57% threshold still apply?

Three easy lessons