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Star-Delta Motor Starter

by jiguparmar

Star-d e lta mo to r s tarte r p ane l

Introduction to Star-Delta motor starter

Most induction motors are started directly on line, but when very large motors are started that way, they cause a disturbance of voltage on the supply lines due to large starting current surges. To limit the starting current surge, large induction motors are started at reduced voltage and then have f ull supply voltage reconnected when they run up to near rotated speed. Two methods used f or reduction of starting voltage are: Star delta starting and Auto transformer starting .
Star-d e lta s tarte r p ane l

Working Principle of Star-Delta Starter

T his is the reduced voltage starting method. Voltage reduction during star-delta starting is achieved by physically reconf iguring the motor windings as illustrated in the f igure below. During starting the motor windings

are connected in star conf iguration and this reduces the voltage across each winding 3. T his also reduces the torque by a f actor of three. Af ter a period of time the winding are reconf igured as delta and the motor runs normally. Star/Delta starters are probably the most common reduced voltage starters. T hey are used in an attempt to reduce the start current applied to the motor during start as a means of reducing the disturbances and interf erence on the electrical supply. Traditionally in many supply regions, there has been a requirement to f it a reduced voltage starter on all Sc he me motors greater than 5HP (4KW). T he Star/Delta (or Wye/Delta) starter is one of the lowest cost electromechanical reduced voltage starters that can be applied.

- Wo rking Princ ip le o f Star-De lta Starte r

T he Star/Delta starter is manuf actured f rom three contactors, a timer and a thermal overload. T he contactors are smaller than the single contactor used in a Direct on Line starter as they are controlling winding currents only. T he currents through the winding are 1/root 3 (58%) of the current in the line. T here are two contactors that are close during run, of ten ref erred to as the main contractor and the delta contactor. T hese are AC3 rated at 58% of the current rating of the motor. T he third contactor is the star contactor and that only carries star current while the motor is connected in star. T he current in star is one third of the current in delta, so this contactor can be AC3 rated at one third (33%) of the motor rating.

St ar-delt a St art er Consist s f ollowing unit s

1. Contactors (Main, star and delta contactors) 3 Nos (For Open State Starter) or 4 Nos (Close Transient Starter). 2. Time relay (pull-in delayed) 1 No. 3. T hree-pole thermal overcurrent release 1 No. 4. Fuse elements or automatic cut-outs f or the main circuit 3 Nos. 5. Fuse element or automatic cut-out f or the control circuit 1No.

Power Circuit of Star Delta Starter

T he main circuit breaker serves as the main power supply switch that supplies electricity to the power circuit. T he main contactor connects the ref erence source voltage R, Y , B to the primary terminal of the motor U1, V1, W1. In operation, the Main Contactor (KM3) and the Star Contactor (KM1) are closed initially, and then af ter a period of time, the star contactor is opened, and then the delta contactor (KM2) is closed. T he control of the contactors is by the timer (K1T ) built into the starter. T he Star and Delta are electrically interlocked and

pref erably mechanically interlocked as well. In effect, there are four states: T he star contactor serves to initially short the secondary terminal of the motor U2, V2, W2 f or the start sequence during the initial run of the motor f rom standstill. T his provides one third of DOL current to the motor, thus reducing the high inrush current inherent with large capacity motors at startup.

Po we r c irc uit o f Star-De lta s tarte r

Controlling the interchanging star connection and delta connection of an AC induction motor is achieved by means of a star delta or wye delta control circuit. T he control circuit consists of push button switches, auxiliary contacts and a timer.

Control Circuit of Star-Delta Starter (Open Transition)

T he ON push button starts the circuit by initially energizing Star Contactor Coil (KM1) of star circuit and Timer Coil (KT ) circuit. When Star Contactor Coil (KM1) energized, Star Main and Auxiliary contactor change its position f rom NO to NC. When Star Auxiliary Contactor (1) (which is placed on Main Contactor coil circuit ) become NO to NC its complete T he Circuit of Main contactor Coil (KM3) so Main Contactor Coil energized and Main Contactors Main and Auxiliary Contactor Change its Position f rom NO to NC. T his sequence happens in a f riction of time. Af ter pushing the ON push button switch, the auxiliary contact of the main contactor coil (2) which is Sc he me - Co ntro l Circ uit o f Star-De lta Starte r (O p e n Trans itio n) connected in parallel across the ON push button will become NO to NC, thereby providing a latch to hold the main contactor coil activated which eventually maintains the control circuit active even af ter releasing the ON push button switch. When Star Main Contactor (KM1) close its connect Motor connects on STAR and its connected in STAR until Time Delay Auxiliary contact KT (3) become NC to NO. Once the time delay is reached its specif ied Time, the timers auxiliary contacts (KT )(3) in Star Coil circuit will change its position f rom NC to NO and at the Same Time Auxiliary contactor (KT ) in Delta Coil Circuit(4) change its Position f rom NO To NC so Delta coil energized and Delta Main Contactor becomes NO To NC. Now Motor terminal connection change f rom star to delta connection. A normally close auxiliary contact f rom both star and delta contactors (5&6)are also placed opposite of both star and delta contactor coils, these interlock contacts serves as saf ety switches to prevent simultaneous activation of both star and delta contactor coils, so that one cannot be activated without the other deactivated f irst. T hus, the delta contactor coil cannot be active when the star contactor coil is active, and similarly, the star contactor coil cannot also be active while the delta contactor coil is active. T he control circuit above also provides two interrupting contacts to shutdown the motor. T he OFF push button switch break the control circuit and the motor when necessary. T he thermal overload contact is a protective device which automatically opens the ST OP Control circuit in case when motor overload current is

detected by the thermal overload relay, this is to prevent burning of the motor in case of excessive load beyond the rated capacity of the motor is detected by the thermal overload relay. At some point during starting it is necessary to change f rom a star connected winding to a delta connected winding. Power and control circuits can be arranged to this in one of two ways open transition or closed transition.

What is Open or Closed Transit ion St art ing 1. Open Transit ion St art ers
Discuss mention above is called open transition switching because there is an open state between the star state and the delta state. In open transition the power is disconnected f rom the motor while the winding are reconf igured via external switching. When a motor is driven by the supply, either at f ull speed or at part speed, there is a rotating magnetic f ield in the stator. T his f ield is rotating at line f requency. T he f lux f rom the stator f ield induces a current in the rotor and this in turn results in a rotor magnetic f ield. When the motor is disconnected f rom the supply (open transition) there is a spinning rotor within the stator and the rotor has a magnetic f ield. Due to the low impedance of the rotor circuit, the time constant is quite long and the action of the spinning rotor f ield within the stator is that of a generator which generates voltage at a f requency determined by the speed of the rotor. When the motor is reconnected to the supply, it is reclosing onto an unsynchronized generator and this result in a very high current and torque transient. The magnitude of the transient is dependent on the phase relationship between the generated voltage and the line voltage at the point of closure can be much higher than DOL current and torque and can result in electrical and mechanical damage. Open transition starting is the easiest to implement in terms or cost and circuitry and if the timing of the changeover is good, this method can work well. In practice though it is dif f icult to set the necessary timing to operate correctly and disconnection/reconnection of the supply can cause signif icant voltage/current transients. In open transition there are four states: 1. OFF State : All Contactors are open. 2. Star State: T he Main [KM3] and the Star [KM1] contactors are closed and the delta [KM2] contactor is open. T he motor is connected in star and will produce one third of DOL torque at one third of DOL current. 3. Open State: T his type of operation is called open transition switching because there is an open state between the star state and the delta state. T he Main contractor is closed and the Delta and Star contactors are open. T here is voltage on one end of the motor windings, but the other end is open so no current can f low. T he motor has a spinning rotor and behaves like a generator. 4. Delta State: T he Main and the Delta contactors are closed. T he Star contactor is open. T he motor is connected to f ull line voltage and f ull power and torque are available

2. Closed Transit ion St ar/Delt a St art er

T here is a technique to reduce the magnitude of the switching transients. T his requires the use of a f ourth contactor and a set of three resistors. T he resistors must be sized such that considerable current is able to f low in the motor windings while they are in circuit. T he auxiliary contactor and resistors are connected across the delta contactor. In operation, just bef ore the star contactor opens, the auxiliary contactor closes resulting in current f low via the resistors into the star connection. Once the star contactor opens, current is able to f low round through the motor windings to the supply via the resistors. T hese resistors are then shorted by the delta contactor. If the resistance of the resistors is too high, they will not swamp the voltage generated by the motor and will serve no purpose. In closed transition the power is maintained to the motor at all time. T his is achieved by introducing resistors to take up the current f low during the winding changeover. A f ourth contractor is required to place the resistor in circuit bef ore opening the star contactor and then removing the resistors once the delta contactor is closed. T hese resistors need to be sized to carry the motor current. In addition to requiring more switching devices, the control circuit is more complicated due to the need to carry out resistor switching In close transition there are four states: 1. OFF State. All Contactors are open 2. Star State. T he Main [KM3] and the Star [KM1] contactors are closed and the delta [KM2] contactor is open. T he motor is connected in star and will produce one third of DOL torque at one third of DOL current. 3. Star Transition State. T he motor is connected in star and the resistors are connected across the delta contactor via the aux [KM4] contactor. 4. Closed Transition State. T he Main [KM3] contactor is closed and the Delta [KM2] and Star [KM1] contactors are open. Current f lows through the motor windings and the transition resistors via KM4. 5. Delta State. T he Main and the Delta contactors are closed. T he transition resistors are shorted out. T he Star contactor is open. T he motor is connected to f ull line voltage and f ull power and torque are available.

Ef f ect of Transient in Starter (Open Transient starter)

It is Important the pause between star contactor switch of f and Delta contactor switch is on correct. T his is because Star contactor must be reliably disconnected bef ore Delta contactor is activated. It is also important that the switch over pause is not too long. For 415v Star Connection voltage is ef f ectively reduced to 58% or 240v. T he equivalent of 33% that is obtained with Direct Online (DOL) starting. If Star connection has suf f icient torque to run up to 75% or %80 of f ull load speed, then the motor can be

connected in Delta mode. When connected to Delta conf iguration the phase voltage increases by a ratio of V3 or 173%. T he phase currents increase by the same ratio. T he line current increases three times its value in star connection. During transition period of switchover the motor must be f ree running with little deceleration. While this is happening Coasting it may generate a voltage of its own, and on connection to the supply this voltage can randomly add to or subtract f rom the applied line voltage. This is known as transient current. Only lasting a f ew milliseconds it causes voltage surges and spikes. Known as a changeover transient.

Size of each part of St ar-Delt a st art er 1. Size of Over Load Relay

For a star-delta starter there is a possibility to place the overload protection in two positions, in the line or in the windings.

Overload Relay in Line:

In the line is the same as just putting the overload bef ore the motor as with a DOL starter. T he rating of Overload (In Line) = FLC of Motor. Disadvantage: If the overload is set to FLC, then it is not protecting the motor while it is in delta (setting is x1.732 too high).

Overload Relay in Winding:

In the windings means that the overload is placed af ter the point where the wiring to the contactors are split into main and delta. T he overload then always measures the current inside the windings. T he setting of Overload Relay (In Winding) =0.58 X FLC (line current). Disadvantage: We must use separate short circuit and overload protections.

2. Size of Main and Delt a Cont ract or

T here are two contactors that are close during run, of ten ref erred to as the main contractor and the delta contactor. T hese are AC3 rated at 58% of the current rating of the motor. Size of Main Contactor= IFL x 0.58

3. Size of St ar Cont ract or

T he third contactor is the star contactor and that only carries star current while the motor is connected in star. T he current in star is 1/ 3= (58%) of the current in delta, so this contactor can be AC3 rated at one third (33%) of the motor rating.

Size of Star Contactor= IFL x 0.33

Motor Starting Characteristics of Star-Delta Starter

Available starting current: 33% Full Load Current. Peak starting current: 1.3 to 2.6 Full Load Current. Peak starting torque: 33% Full Load Torque.

Advantages of Star-Delta starter

T he operation of the star-delta method is simple and rugged It is relatively cheap compared to other reduced voltage methods. Good Torque/Current Perf ormance. It draws 2 times starting current of the f ull load ampere of the motor connected

Disadvantages of Star-Delta starter

1. Low Starting Torque (Torque = (Square of Voltage) is also reduce). 2. Break In Supply Possible Transients 3. Six Terminal Motor Required (Delta Connected). 4. It requires 2 set of cables f rom starter to motor. . 5. It provides only 33% starting torque and if the load connected to the subject motor requires higher starting torque at the time of starting than very heavy transients and stresses are produced while changing f rom star to delta connections, and because of these transients and stresses many electrical and mechanical break-down occurs. . 6. In this method of starting initially motor is connected in star and then af ter change over the motor is connected in delta. T he delta of motor is f ormed in starter and not on motor terminals. . 7. High transmission and current peaks: When starting up pumps and f ans f or example, the load torque is low at the beginning of the start and increases with the square of the speed. When reaching approx. 80-85 % of the motor rated speed the load torque is equal to the motor torque and the acceleration ceases. To reach the rated speed, a switch over to delta position is necessary, and this will very of ten result in high transmission and current peaks. In some cases the current peak can reach a value that is even bigger than f or a D.O.L start. . 8. Applications with a load torque higher than 50 % of the motor rated torque will not be able to start using the start-delta starter. .

9. Low Starting Torque: T he star-delta (wye-delta) starting method controls whether the lead connections f rom the motor are conf igured in a star or delta electrical connection. T he initial connection should be in the star pattern that results in a reduction of the line voltage by a f actor of 1/3 (57.7%) to the motor and the current is reduced to 1/3 of the current at f ull voltage, but the starting torque is also reduced 1/3 to 1/5 of the DOL starting torque. . 10. T he transition f rom star to delta transition usually occurs once nominal speed is reached, but is sometimes perf ormed as low as 50% of nominal speed which make transient Sparks.

Features of star-delta starting

1. For low- to high-power three-phase motors. 2. Reduced starting current 3. Six connection cables 4. Reduced starting torque 5. Current peak on changeover f rom star to delta 6. Mechanical load on changeover f rom star to delta

Application of Star-Delta Starter

T he star-delta method is usually only applied to low to medium voltage and light starting Torque motors. T he received starting current is about 30 % of the starting current during direct on line start and the starting torque is reduced to about 25 % of the torque available at a D.O.L start. T his starting method only works when the application is light loaded during the start. If the motor is too heavily loaded, there will not be enough torque to accelerate the motor up to speed bef ore switching over to the delta position.