Advanced Energy Assists SCE with Efficiency Testing of Fractional Motors

January 17, 2001

Advanced Energy's motor systems engineers are performing energy efficiency testing of motors less than 1 hp for the West's Southern California Edison. SCE is sponsoring this set of tests as part of an effort to increase knowledge about the efficiencies of this class of motor and to contribute to encouraging customers to choose more efficient motors and thus decrease energy consumption.

Working with Applied Proactive Technologies (APT) and the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) , Advanced Energy is testing 0.5 and 0.75 hp motors in support of SCE's Next Step Motor Program. The program is part of a larger program, the California Motor Initiative, supported by SCE, Pacific Gas & Electric , and San Diego Gas & Electric .

While a good deal is known about the stated and actual efficiencies of motors 1 hp and over, the same cannot be said for the copious number of fractional motors that power such things as small pumps, fans, compressors and conveyors. There is no widely accepted efficiency test protocol for this size of motors. Consequently, Advanced Energy is breaking new ground with this project, by both developing viable test procedures and acquiring efficiency data for this class of motors.

A 0.75 hp motor rests next to a 200 hp cousin

"No one has looked at this class of motor at this level of detail before. I feel this work could create a new area of efficiency opportunities for motor programs nationally," says Dr. Neal Elliott of ACEEE, the project manager and final analyst of the data. "The work in this area is just starting, but I feel we have set a strong foundation. We will report on our work at the 2001 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Industry."

"Our fractional motor nameplate efficiency research revealed a startlingly wide variance across manufacturers," says APT director Bruce Benkhart. APT is implementation contractor for the SCE Next Step Motor Program.

"This study gives Next Step the ability to introduce informed energy efficiency options at the OEM/customer juncture," says Benkhart. "The kW savings could be substantial given the large number of units and high run hours associated with fractional motor applications."

To find out more about motor testing and consulting services available at Advanced Energy, please contact Kitt Butler at kbutler@advancedenergy.org or (919) 857-9017.

To learn more about the full range of our available industrial testing and consulting services, click here .