The first step in AC motor repair is identifying that there is a problem. If an electric motor smells like it’s burning, is vibrating and running loudly, or if the motor is not operating at its peak performance, something is probably wrong. When these circumstances present themselves, promptly shut the power off to the motor and machine to prevent further motor and machine damage. Once the power is off, it’s best to contact a trained professional with experience in AC motor repair.

AC motor repair cost always depends upon the extent of motor damage and availability of motor replacement parts. Repair costs can be decreased by simple awareness that something is wrong. Contacting a motor professional is preferred to prevent injury. Motor professionals can also reduce unnecessary troubleshooting and downtime in the following ways: If the motor repair cost exceeds the replacement cost, an electric motor replacement motor can be shipped out right away. If the application is a DC electric motor, an electric motor professional can determine if replacing the DC equipment with AC equipment is a more economical choice. Often times a DC motor can be replaced with an AC motor, paired with an AC VFD. An AC motor paired with AC VFD has the ability to increase production,
decrease energy costs, reduce future repair costs, and offer other benefits.

AC motor repair can be decreased with preventative maintenance. Preventative maintenance tasks vary depending on the abilities and experience each motor shop offers. AC motor repair should only be performed by trained electrical technicians who have electric motor experience. A lot of companies offering motor repair and preventative maintenance do not even perform these tasks; these companies outsource their jobs to a third party source, such as Precision Electric. To decrease cost and increase turnaround time, ensure that whoever is offering the repair services, is actually performing the repair services.

For more information on AC motor repair or for AC motor repair and replacement quotes, Contact Precision Electric.

D&D Engineering (Hull) Ltd is a manufacturer of conveyors and product handling equipment. Eighty percent of its customers are in the food industry, mainly in the prepared produce sector, with some involved in the production of chilled products and bakery goods. One of D&D Engineering’s recent customers is John Baarda Ltd, a company specializing in the growing of tomatoes. John Baarda Ltd needed to replace its current tomato handling conveyor system, which used inefficient chains and sprockets, with a solution that would allow it to pack tomatoes more quickly and accurately while allowing quality inspection of the tomatoes.  The company was experiencing difficulties with the mechanically interfaced conveyors, as their coordinating series of chains and sprockets are subject to wear and stretch. This causes maintenance problems, with any timing adjustments having to be made mechanically, leading to production interruptions and reduced output. Gavin Walker, Engineering Sales Manager of D&D Engineering (Hull) Ltd explains: “The speed of the conveyor must be coordinated with the speed and timing of the wrapper to ensure that the tomatoes are delivered to the flow-wrapper at exactly the right time.”

Quick And Accurate Industrial Packaging Systems Using Variable Frequency Drives

Integrating their industrial packaging systems using variable frequency drives was the goal for this application. The conveyor system that uses ABB servo motors and ABB high performance machinery drives to control the speed of the tomato handling conveyors, matching the speed of the packing machine and ensuring that the tomatoes are packed quickly and accurately. An ABB component drive runs rollers on the conveyors, allowing the tomatoes to be turned automatically and inspected for quality. The two feeder conveyors are each driven by an ABB high performance machinery drive in master-slave configuration, with the master receiving an encoder signal from the wrapper. This ensures that the drive knows where the wrapper is in its cycle and can control the speed of the conveyor precisely to ensure the tomatoes arrive at the wrapper at the correct time. If the speed of the wrapper changes, the drive can alter the speed of the conveyor accordingly to maintain the correct timing.

Challenges:

• Accurate co-ordination of tomato handling conveyor with wrapping machine to allow quicker packing of tomatoes while providing quality inspections

Solution:

• ABB servo motors controlled by ABB high performance machinery drives match the speed of the tomato handling conveyors to the speed of the packing machine
• ABB component drive controls rollers on the conveyors, allowing the tomatoes to be turned for inspection

Benefits:

• Tomatoes are packed quickly and accurately
• Packing rate has doubled from 40 packs per minute to up to 80 packs per minute
• The drive’s programmed product menus allow different
• products to be run on the conveyor with quick changeovers
• Easier to build than the previous mechanical interfaced systems
• Operation and maintenance costs reduced

Doubling The Packing Rate

Tim Howarth, Business Development Manager with John Baarda says: “With mechanical systems, we can achieve a maximum rate of around 60 packs per minute. With stoppages, this averages around 40 packs per minute. The ABB machinery drive based electronic control system gives us an average of 70 to 80 packs per minute.” The ABB high performance machinery drives can be used with both synchronous and induction motors and their modular design and flexible software make them suitable for use in a range of machinery applications, including those of the food and beverage industry, material handling and packaging.

To learn more about ABB Low Voltage Drives or for ABB Repair and Replacement Quotes, contact Precision Electric, Inc.

Information References:

www.abb.com/drives
www.abb.com/drivespartners

Eaton has over 100 years of oil and gas market leadership and serves the world’s oil companies, original equipment manufacturers and EPCs with electrical, hydraulics and filtration solutions supported by a global network of over 2,500 services professionals. Over the years, Eaton’s innovative portfolio has grown, including solutions from names like Aeroquip-Vickers, B-Line, CEAG, Crouse-Hinds, Cutler-Hammer, Holec, and Synflex among others.

Refineries are commonly faced with the growing challenge of keeping up with uptime, budget and regulatory requirements despite aging equipment. Operating around the clock in harsh environments also demands the utmost in visibility and illumination to support worker safety. Eaton LED solutions for oil refinery applications with today’s modern light emitting diode, (LED) technology delivers increased energy efficiency, lowers maintenance costs and improves light quality, lighting upgrades present a great opportunity for refineries to cut costs while bettering work environments.

 Application Cases – Eaton LED Solutions For Oil Refinery Applications In USA

When a major U.S. refinery was looking to modernize its lighting systems to provide a better environment for personnel, it sought a solution that could also reduce ongoing maintenance, replacement and energy costs. The increasing costs incurred from the aging high-pressure sodium (HPS) and incandescent lighting technology began to compound, and the refinery knew it needed to collaborate with an industrial lighting expert to develop a solution that would continue to deliver benefits well into the future.

 Solution

Following an extensive inspection by lighting experts in Eaton’s Crouse-Hinds business, the refinery replaced legacy HPS and incandescent fixtures with Champ® VMV Series and Vaporgard™ Series explosion proof LED luminaires. Exceeding the refinery’s expectations as a HPS replacement for overall light quality and durability, the Champ VMV Series LED fixtures provided full-spectrum lighting and custom distribution at a fraction of the energy consumption.

Consuming less than 50W, the Champ VMV3L delivers equivalent lighting levels of a traditional 100W lamp, offering a lifetime energy savings upwards of 77 percent compared to traditional HPS luminaires. The robust design provides protection from flammable vapors, gases, corrosive chemicals and liquids to withstand the harshest of environments and has a lifespan more than six times that of typical luminaires. The Vaporgard LED explosion proof luminaires were implemented to provide the refinery with uniform, crisp light in low-mounted applications. An ideal replacement for traditional 100-200W incandescent applications, the luminaires comply with T5 temperature codes in Class 1, Div. 2 locations to provide the safety and performance required in downstream applications. The 22W LED system can also help save up to 85 percent in energy costs, and provides a rated life of up to 50,000 hours for nearly 10 years of maintenance-free lighting.

 Results

By implementing the Eaton LED lighting technology, the refinery was able to reduce its annual energy usage by $34,668 while decreasing annual maintenance costs by $766,647. The complete lighting solution is also designed in compliance with applicable industry standards, providing the highest quality, safety and optical performance for hazardous areas.

To learn more about Eaton LED solutions for oil refinery applications, visit the Eaton Website. For Eaton Drive Repair and Replacement quotes, contact Precision Electric.