Electrical Machines - Induction Machines - Standardization 14/11/2021, 4:57 AM

FUNDAMENTALS SYNCHRONOUS MACHINES INDUCTION MACHINES

OTHER MACHINES

FUNDAMENTALS STANDARDIZATION PARAMETERS STARTING

SPEED CONTROL GENERATION

STARTING INDUCTION MOTORS

Introduction
Induction Motors can usually be started by simply connecting them to the supply line voltage. This can,
however, cause power system problems. Start currents (or "in-rush" currents) are high, often about 6 times
rated current. Starting a motor directly from the supply line can cause the supply voltage to dip, or "sag",
due to the higher than normal voltage drop across supply line and transformer impedances. In severe
cases, this voltage sag can cause supply instability or the failure of sensitive power electronics connected to
the system.

WOUND ROTOR MOTORS

Start behaviour of wound rotor machines can be
controlled by adding resistance to the rotor circuit, as
shown in Fig. 1:
In the circuit model above, the actual resistance RE
has been referred to the rotor as R′E. It can be seen
from the circuit model that the increased impedance
will reduce the start current. In addition, the extra
rotor resistance will increase the motor torque during
starting, reducing the start time and overall impact of
the in-rush current.

FIG. 1. START CIRCUIT FOR A WOUND ROTOR

INDUCTION MACHINE

CAGE ROTOR MACHINES

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Cage motors cannot have additional resistance added to the rotor circuit. A number of options are available
for cage motor starts:
Full Voltage, or direct-on-line start
Wye-Delta Start
Adding additional circuitry to the stator, including
Autotransformer
Additional resistance
Electronic soft-start or variable speed start

Full Voltage Start

A full voltage start involves directly connecting the
motor to the supply line. It can also be called a
"direct-on-line" start. A wiring schematic for a full
voltage start is shown in Fig. 2.
In the above circuit, the motor is protected by 3
fuses, which will have a time-delay so that inrush
currents can flow for a short period. The motor is
started by pressing the start button. This allows
current to flow through the relay M, in turn closing
the normally open relay contacts M1 to M4. Contact
M1, M2 and M3 allow current to flow to the motor.
M4 bypasses the start button and keeps current
flowing through the relay. The motor will stop when FIG. 3. DIRECT ON LINE START CIRCUIT
a. The stop button is pressed, breaking the relay
circuit and causing contacts M1 to M4 to open
b. The thermal overload resistors heat up enough
to cause the normally closed O/L contact to
open, again breaking the relay circuit.
The primary advantages of the full voltage start are
the full torque is applied to the load, causing
rapid acceleration and short transient
the start circuit is simple and low cost
The disadvantages of full voltage starting are
rapid acceleration may be undesirable for the
mechanical system
High start currents during the transient
The graph in Fig. 4. plots per unit line current and
torque against speed for the machine used the
circuits example.
The plot shows that the line current is significantly
higher than the rated current for all speeds below
rated and doesn't begin to fall significantly until the
slip is less than the pullout slip. It is typical for
currents to remain high until rated speed is reached.
A small motor should be able to start a load of rated
torque in less than 10 seconds. For a larger
machines, a rated load should be accelerated to
rated speed in less than 15 seconds

FIG. 4. PER UNIT TORQUE AND CURRENT AS A

FUNCTION OF SPEED

Start Current Code Letters

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Electrical Machines - Induction Machines - Standardization 14/11/2021, 4:57 AM

In order to quantify starting currents, which can vary Code Letter Start kVA/rated Hp
with machine design, all induction motors are A 0 - 3.15
assigned a start code letter (different from the letter B 3.15 - 3.55
used to designate the motor class). Start code letters C 3.55 - 4.0
specify the start apparent power range in terms of D 4.0 - 4.5
the rated output mechanical horsepower. E 4.5 - 5.0
To understand how to use start codes, consider the F 5.0 - 5.6
example below: G 5.6 - 6.3
A 480V, 50Hp induction motor has start code H. Find H 6.3 - 7.1
the maximum current that may be expected at J 7.1 - 8.0
starting. K 8.0 - 9.0
From the start code table, class H has a maximum L 9.0 - 10.0
start kVA of 7.1 × the rated horsepower. Therefore M 10.0 - 11.0
N 11.0 - 12.5
Sstart= 7.1 × 50 = 355kVA
P 12.5 - 14.0
Therefore the start current is R 14.0 - 16.0
S 16.0 - 18.0
355000 T 18.0 - 20.0
ILstart= = 427A U 20.0 - 22.4
√3480
V 22.4 +
TABLE 1. INDUCTION MOTOR START CODE
LETTERS

Wye-Delta Start
A Y-Δ start is only applicable to motors that normally operate in delta connection and that can be re-
connected to operate in wye configuration. If the motor operates in delta:

V √3‾VLL
V1Δ = VLL I1Δ = LL ILΔ= √3‾I1Δ =
Zin Zin

Now, if the motor is connected in wye-configuration:

VLL VLL VLL

V1Y = I1Y = ILY = I1Y =
√3‾ √3‾Zin √3‾Zin

Comparing the above equations, it can be seen that the wye phase current is √3 times smaller than the
delta phase current and that the wye line current is 3 times smaller than the delta phase current.

I I
I1Y = 1Δ ILY = LΔ
√3‾ 3

In a wye-delta start, the motor is started in wye configuration, with line currents one third of those that would
have occurred with a delta start. Once the machine has accelerated to low slip, the wye supply is removed
and the motor is re-connected in delta configuration.
There are disadvantages to a wye-delta start. If the phase currents are reduced by 1/√3
‾ , the torque will also
be reduced by one third. This may cause the start transient to become unacceptably long. In addition, there
can be a significant short term transient when the delta connection is applied.

Additional Start Circuitry

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Inrush current can also be controlled by controlling the supply to the motor.
Autotransformer Start
Using an autotransformer with a number of secondary "taps" it is possible to control the supply voltage to
the motor. At low speeds, the supply voltage is kept low to maintain a low current. As slip reduces and the
motor phase impedance increases, the supply voltage can be increased by changing the transformer taps.
Once close to rated speed, the autotransformer can be by-passed altogether.
The autotransformer approach has the advantage that it is not necessary to access the terminals of the
motor windings, the control can be applied remotely to the motor. (unlike Y-Δ). This is a significant
advantage in many operating environments. However, like Y-Δ, reducing the phase supply voltage reduces
the currents, torque and therefore increases the length of time of the start transient. In addition,
autotransformers are expensive additional equipment that is only used in starting.
Additional Resistance or Reactance
Adding additional impedance in line with the stator increases the overall impedance of the motor circuit
during starting, again limiting current at the expense of torque. Again, one of the significant disadvantages
of this method is the cost of the additional equipment.
Electronic Soft Start or Variable Speed Drives
An electronic soft start works by sing power electronics to gradually increase the voltage applied to the
motor. This effect is somewhat like using an autotransformer, but carried out with electronics rather than
magnetic circuitry. The power electronics work similarly to a light dimmer, reducing the rms voltage, but at
fixed frequency.
Variable speed drives adjust both the voltage and frequency of the supply to the motor. As a result, it is
possible to accelerate a load at rated torque without exceeding rated current. Drives are generally beyond
the scope of this course, but will be covered briefly.

© ANDY KNIGHT EMAIL WEBSITE HOME

SCHULICH SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY

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