Introduction

Welcome! This motor book will provide you with

a wealth of information about electrical motors,
how they work, what they can be used for, and so
on. But before we delve into detailed explanations
of the world of electrical motors, we should perhaps spare a brief thought for the purpose of these
motors. After all, motors are always designed to
carry out specific tasks. As this is a Grundfos publication, it is only natural that we should pay special
attention to motors used for pumps although
much of the information contained within these
pages will benefit all those with an interest in
electrical motors.
If we start by casting our minds back in history,
Archimedes discovered that water can be lifted
or moved what we call "pumping" today by
means of a rotating screw. Today, Grundfos honours this venerable pioneer of pumping in our
company logo.

Archimedes water screw

Rotation is an essential part of the act of pumping.

This means that the motor is an essential part of
any pump. Without the motor, there would be
no rotation - and the water would not be moved
anywhere.
The purpose of the electric motor is to create
rotation that is to convert electric energy into
mechanical energy. Pumps are operated by means
of mechanical energy. This energy comes from
electric motors. In the process of converting energy from one kind to the other, magnetism plays a
major role. In the following section we will present
the basic principles of magnetism.

What motors do: energy conversion

Grundfos Motor Book