Improving standards for sustainability of electric motors

For those operating in industrial sectors, there is an opportunity to contribute to these efforts by looking at the most effective solution for motor repairs.

Thomas Marks, Secretary, AEMT, looks at the importance of considering all the options when an electric motor needs to be repaired.

Many service centres for electric motors belong to the Association of Electrical and Mechanical Trades (AEMT) which encourages members to assess and deliver the most appropriate repair or replacement of a motor. This ensures that their customers have the opportunity to reduce their energy usage by upgrading to a more efficient option, or repair the asset using the latest international standards, and extend the service life of the motor cost effectively.

Improved performance

Making the best choice relies on having all the relevant information for a certain situation. The decision to replace a motor with one of a higher efficiency classification is usually governed by the initial cost against the additional savings that will be made during its service life. Depending on the application, upgrading from an IE2 to an IE3 motor may not be justified by the improvements in efficiency.

However, some operators have concerns about the efficiency of a repaired motor, compared to the original factory build specification. These questions can be answered by a recent study jointly carried out by the AEMT and the Electrical Apparatus Service Association (EASA) in the USA... 

Read the full article in DPA's September issue