Main Article Content
Abstract
Induction motor is a large consumer of electrical energy in the industries and its influence is more in energy intensive industries and applications like cement, steel manufacturing, fan, pump and compressor applications. It has sufficientely high efficiency when working close to its rated load. However, the influence of many factors like partial load, over-sizing, poor power quality, and voltage unbalance, results in considerable reduction in the efficiency (see details in appendices). Among all these factors affecting motor efficiency, partial loading occurs frequently and is the main potential for energy conservation. A small increment in the efficiency of these motors can result in substantial savings in the long period. This paper presents an overview of trends for doing efficiency optimization for the aforesaid situations. It also gives a brief idea of various software/ hardware tools which are being used in industry.