Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

8-2022

Abstract

Energy used by electric motors in the USA According to the US Department of Energy [1], electric motors consume more than 50 percent of all electrical energy in the USA and more than 85 percent of industrial production electrical energy [2]. Furthermore, during the estimated life of an electric motor, approximately 20 years, its initial purchase price is less than 2 percent of the total cost of owning and operating it [3]. 2- The main objective of this work is to share our experience of training university students for performing electric motors energy assessments to local industries with a limited set of instruments: a tachometer, an AC multimeter, and a power meter endowed with two AC probes [4] Instead of acquiring detailed information about the state of the motor, like torque- angular speed characteristics, we aim to determine the electric motor load. Any deviations from the rated motor load would cause the electric motor to spend additional energy[3]. The input power to the motor is measured from parameters taken from hand-held instruments and compared to the power required when the motor operates at rated capacity. In our laboratory, three testing methods [5] have been applied to determine the state of operation of a testing motor loaded with a prony brake. These are: 1- Direct input power measurements with the two-wattmeter configuration 2- Line current measurements 3- The slip method The outcome of this method is the actual motor efficiency. The next step would be to recommend replacing the standard motor with high or premium efficiency motors 3- Integration of the Lab experience into courses These hand-on experiments have been integrated into an undergraduate elective course ELEE 4372 "Electric Machines," now taught during the Fall 2021 semester to 15 students. At the end of this course, students will complete a survey rating the class. Additionally, at the end of every test, students will respond to a questionnaire. Questions will be posed to receive students feedback on the contribution of the experiment to their knowledge base, their interest in the subject, and the appropriateness of the tools and workspace under which they worked. 4- In conclusion, we have found that after the students complete these practices, they will be prepared to make assessments of motor performance and write recommendations that will lead to energy savings, for the industries.

Comments

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Publication Title

Energy Conversion and Conservation Division Poster Session

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