PART 1: NEC Motor Installation Requirements ANSWER: 1.

The 7 basic elements of motor branch circuit that Article 430 of the NEC addresses are the ff: a. Protecting against grounds and shorts b. Selecting a motor controller c. Providing a disconnect d. Control circuit protection e. Providing a control circuit f. Sizing branch circuit conductors g. Protecting against overloads
2. This provision is based on the need to provide for a sustained running current

that is greater than the rated full-load current and for protection of the conductors by motor overload protective device set above the full-load current rating.
3. Use of the term full-load current (FLC) rating indicates the table rating while use

of the term full-load ampere (FLC) rating indicates the actual nameplate rating. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. An instantaneous trip circuit breaker responds to a predetermined value of overload without any purposely delayed action. Most circuit breakers have an inverse time delay characteristic. With an inverse time circuit breaker the higher the over current, the shorter the times required for the breaker to trip and open the circuit.
11. Non-time-delay fuses provide excellent short-circuit protection. When an over

current occurs, heat builds up rapidly in the fuse. Non-time-delay fuses usually

hold about 5 times their rating for approximately second, after which the current-carrying element melts. Time-delay fuses provide overload and shortcircuit protection. Time-delay fuses usually allow 5 times the rated current for up to 10 seconds to allow motor to start. 12. A motor overload condition is caused by excessive load applied to the motor shaft. For example, when a saw is used, if the board is damp or the cut is too deep, the motor may become overloaded and slow down. The current flow in the windings will increase and heat the motor beyond its design temperature. A jammed pump or an extra heavy load on a hoist will have the same effect on a motor. The overload protection also guards against failure of a motor to start from a locked rotor and loss of a phase on a three-phase system. 13. All three phase motor, except those protected by other approved means, such as integral-type detectors, must be provided with three overload units, one in each phase.
14. A separate overload device that is responsive to motor current is required by

NEC Article 430.32. This device shall be selected to trip or shall be rated at not more than 125 percent of the motor nameplate full-load current rating. When the thermal element selected in accordance with NEC 430.32 is not sufficient to start the motor or to carry the load, a higher size thermal element can be used, provided the trip current of the overload relay does not exceed 140 percent of the motor nameplate full-load current rating. 15. The controller can be switch, starter, or other similar type of control device. 16. An attachment plug and receptacle can be used as a controller for a portable motor of 1/3 hp or less. 17.
18. NEC Article 430, Part IX covers the requirements for the motor disconnecting

means. The code requires that a means (a motor circuit switch rated in horsepower or a circuit breaker) must be provided in each motor circuit to disconnect both the motor and its controller from all ungrounded supply conductors. All disconnecting switches must plainly indicate whether they are open (off) or closed (on) and no pole is allowed to operate independently. 19. If the branch circuit short-circuit and ground fault protective device is used as disconnecting means and is not within sight of the motor, it must be capable of being locked in the open position. 20.

21. The control circuit commonly has its load device the operating coil of a magnetic motor starter, a magnetic contactor, or a relay. 22. Where one side of the motor control circuit is grounded, the design of the control circuit must prevent the motor from being started by a ground fault in the control circuit wiring. This rule must be observed for any control circuit that has one leg of the grounded.

PART 2: Motor Starting ANSWER:

1. When the motor is being started and before it has begun to turn, however, there

is no CEMF to limit the current, so initially there is a high starting, or locked-rotor, current. 2. The starting current may be up to 6 times the normal running current, it normally lasts for only a fraction of a second. 3. If the motor is jammed or prevented from rotating in any way, a locked-rotor condition is created, and the applied current becomes very high. This high current will cause the motor to burn out quickly. 4. A full-voltage, or across-the-line, starter is designed to apply full line voltage to the motor upon starting. 5. Manual motor starters are hand-operated and consist of an on/off switch with one set of contacts for each phase and motor overload protection. The magnetic starter motor contacts are closed by energizing a holding coil. This enables the use of automatic and remote control of the motor. 6. When the motor is running and the supply voltage fails, the motor will stop and restart automatically when the supply voltage is restored. The places these starters in the classification of no-voltage release.

7. 8. A combination starter consists of a safety switch and a magnetic motor starter placed in a common enclosure. 9. It limits line disturbances and it reduces excessive torque to the driven equipment.
10. Reduced voltage is obtained in the primary-resistance starter by means of

resistances that are connected in series with each motor stator lead during the starting period. The voltage drop in the resistor produces a reduced voltage at the motor terminals. At a definite time after the motor is connected to the line through the resistors, timer contacts close; this short-circuits the starting resistors and applies full voltage to the motor. 11. Autotransformer starters offer the greatest reduction of line current of any reduced-voltage starting method. Multiple taps on the transformer permit the voltage, current, and torque to be adjusted to satisfy many different starting conditions.
12. Wye-delta starting (also referred to as star-delta starting) involves connecting the

motor windings first in wye during the starting period ad then in delta after the motor has begun to accelerate. Wye-delta starters can be used with three-phase AC motors where all six leads of the stator windings are available (on some motors only three leads are accessible). Connected in a wye inrush current than if the motor windings had been connected in a delta configuration.
13. Power is applied to part of the motor windings on start-up and then is connected

to the remaining coils for normal speeds. These motor have two sets of windings connected in parallel for low voltage operation and connected in series for highvoltage operation. When used on the lower voltage, they can be started by first energizing only one winding, limiting starting current and torque to approximately one-haft of the full-voltage values. The second winding is then connected in parallel, once the motor nears operating speed. Since one set of windings has higher impedance (AC resistance) than the two connected in parallel, less inrush current flows to the motor on start-up. 14. Closed transition is preferred over open transition because it causes less electrical disturbance. 15. Electronic solid-state soft starters limit motor starting current and toque by ramping (gradually increasing) the voltage applied to the motor during the selected starting time.

16. To combat prolonged arcing in DC circuits, the contractor switching mechanism is constructed so that the contacts will separate rapidly and with enough air gap to extinguish the arc as soon as possible on opening. 17. By applying a signal to the gate element at precisely the right time, you can control how much current the SCR will either pass or block during a cycle. This is known as phase control. The shorter the on time, the lower the DC voltage applied to the armature.

PART 3: Motor Reversing and Jogging

ANSWER:

1. Certain applications require a motor to operate in either direction. Interchanging any two leads to a three-phase induction motor will cause it to run the reverse direction. 2. This starter is constructed using two 3-pole contactors with a single overload relay assembly. 3. Activating both contactors would cause a short circuit, since two of the line conductors are reversed on one contactor. 4. Mechanical interlocking is normally factor-installed and uses a system of levers to prevent both contactors from being engaged at the same time. For example, energizing the coil of the forward contactor moves a lever in such a way as to physically block the movement of the reverse contactor. Even if the reverse contactor coil should become energized, the contacts will not close because the mechanical interlock is physically blocking the reverse contactor. 5. Most reversing starters utilize auxiliary contacts operated by the forward and reverse coils to provide electrical interlocking. When the coil is energized, the frame of the contactor moves and activates the auxiliary contacts mounted on the contactor. The auxiliary contacts are connected to the motor control circuit and the state of the contacts (normally open or closed) is associated with coil of the contactor. 6. Electrical pushbutton interlocking utilizes break-make, normally closed and normally open switch contacts on the forward and reverse buttons.

7. The direction of rotation is changed by interchanging the start winding leads, while those of the run winding remain the same. Unlike the three-phase motor, the single-phase capacitor-start motor must be allowed to slow down before any attempt to reverse the direction of rotation. The centrifugal switch in the star winding circuit opens at approximately 75 percent of the motor speed and must be allowed to reclose before the motor will reverse. 8. Most DC motors are reversed by switching the direction of current flow through the armature. The switching action generally takes place in the armature because the lower inductance causes less arcing of the switching contacts when the motor reverses its direction. 9. Jogging is used for frequent starting and stopping of a motor for short periods of time.

PART 4: Motor Stopping

ANSWER:

1. Plugging stops a polyphase motor quickly, by momentarily connecting the motor for reverse rotation while the motor is still running in the forward direction. This act as a retarding force for rapid stop and quick reversal of motor rotation. Plugging produces more heat than most normal-duty applications. 2. A zero speed switch (also known as a plugging switch) wired into the control circuit of a standard reversing starter can be used for automatic plugging of a motor. The zero-speed switch prevents the motor from reversing after it has come to a stop. As the zero-speed switch rotates, centrifugal force or magnetic clutch causes its contacts to open or close, depending on the intended use. 3. Magnetic starter (automatic). 4. Dynamic braking is achieved by reconnecting a running motor to act as a generator immediately after it is turned off, rapidly stopping the motor. 5. DC injection braking is a method of braking in which direct current is applied to the stationary windings of an AC motor after applied AC voltage is removed. The injection DC voltage creates a magnetic field in the motor stator winding that does not change in polarity. In turn, this constant magnetic field in the stator

creates a magnetic field in the rotor. Because the magnetic field of the stator is not changing in polarity, it will attempt to stop the rotor when the magnetic fields are aligned (N to S and S to N). 6. The brake is set with a spring and released by a solenoid.

PART 5: Motor Speed

ANSWER:

1. The speed of an induction motor depends on the number of poles built into the motor and the frequency of the electrical power supply. 2. A single-speed motor has one rated speed at which it runs when supplied with the nameplate voltage and frequency. A multispeed on how you connect it to the supply. Multispeed motors typically have two speeds to choose from, but may have more. 3. The NEC requires that you protect each winding or connection against overloads and shorts. To meet this requirement you must: a. Use separate overloads for each winding. b. Size the branch-circuit conductors that supply each winding for the fullload current (FLC) of the highest FLC winding. c. Ensure the controller horsepower rating isnt less than that required for the winding with the highest horsepower rating.
4. The wound rotor is constructed with windings that are brought out of the motor

through slip rings on the motor shaft. These windings are connected to a controller, which places variable resistor in series with the windings. By changing the amount of external resistance connected to the rotor circuit, the motor speed can be varied (the lower the resistance, the higher the speed). 5. One disadvantage using resistance to control the speed of a wound-rotor induction motor is that a lot of heat is dissipated in the resistors; the efficiency, therefore, is low. Also, speed regulation is poor; for a given amount of resistance, the speed varies considerably if the mechanical load varies.