seta + | Arcee ane White apes by Kepword Industry Insights Find Suppliers Industry sighs Far Business About UstYeurSusiness Sevedsuopie™ Login Rept All About Motor Soft Starters - What They Are and How They Work Chrstan contol store in How can you protect and enhance your electric motors? AG and BC meters ae invaluable machines that create movernen from electri, but they are prone to failure fused incoreetly. Thistle rate increases ia motor intally ule large current, which can damage both ts cos ants wiring, Sll sar moles starters area useful toon preventing such darge whe ls inereasng the motor system's affceneyby regulating this inush of current, These devies are necessary for some fundamental applications s this aice wl help readers understand what a sof starters, how they werk an how they are use in real word systems. What are soft starters? Soft starters ate electrical devices connected between 2 power supply ané the metor that regulates the amount of current fee tothe moter. Soft starters are used with ry moter that nally pul an excess of current, lz known az having a lage “inrush erent”. The name “sft tater” commonly refers to electric solid-state drives, which simply means a drive which uses semiconductors. To lean about the other kinds of starters, feel ree to read our article on mata carers, [As explained in our article on induction motors, typical AC motes initial ull tw t seven times their ated curent, 35 requires alt of energy te get these machines to full peed rom rest. This surge of power can, at best, add unwanted ers ino the system and, at worst, damage the ‘ator coi nd ts wiring. Te prevent thie from happening oft tater will prevent auch inrush and tart the moter “softin other word, they lower the intial current zo that the motor gets *uI speee without an exceze current pul They re similar t variable teouency crives (VED), bt can only vary curentané net speed (read more about VFDs in ouraticle on AC motor contralirs). While unable to change the moter speed, ott starters increase both eficieney ang safety when used, Sot starters are populrn highinetasysteme which most be brouhs to fl speed sradualy How do soft starters work? The advancements in sien based technologies have allowed for electrical solid-state sat starters to make a big splash in the market. To reduce theinwush of curent and ramp-up te fullsped, solid-state sot starters typically use components known as thysstrs ose recttiers (see Figute 1 below) sem amston Figure Typical ciruit symbol for SCRs/thyristrs ‘These components reduce the incoming voltage ta the motor and an allow operators to keep valtage constant uni full speed s achieves. They are commonly used in three pats (or TRIACS) te account fr each phase ef the meter, 2 thres-shase metarstypeally require sof stating (see Figure below) a B lo ase Seer Hema 1sseta + | Arcee ane White apes by Kepword Industry Insights Image creit: tos Aton 00 0.2/oticle/choosng-eaisle-requensyodrive-sol-strter-needs hi Upon start, each phase wilrun through each IRIAC before getting to the mator. The thyristors willreue the voltage (and therefor the trent) ane wil llw an attenuated signal to pas to the mator-The currents mentored uni the mater resehes full speed, where the thyristors ae thes bypassed by connecting the motor dtetiy ta the power source vis the contacts (ls known as powering the mato aeross-theline). ‘The torque-seee & current-speed cuves for serazs-theline vs. sot-arted moter cn be seen below in Figures 3&4, ang help to visualize the effect fusing these machines on outa: eroas-he-tinecurreat VS. ‘Softstartercuront Figure 3 6 4: Comparing the torque-speed/eurrent speed curves for fll voltage and sft starter powered motors. The green portion on the ‘urrent-speed curve represents where bath curren curves erp. Its clear from these graphs that, et only de set starters equalize the current during startup, but alse control moter torque as well Soft starters provide elble, consistent torque at rated speeds, and while not providing as good a starting torque as across-the-line motor, they lower the Vatition and provide consistent, afer power. Soft starter specifications ‘This section wll detail some commen specications to leok out for when choosing 2 soft starter for your application. Note that ths Ist only provides the most common specications across allzolt starters, but more exet based on specific madels an fet Load type Soft starters are most often usein canjunetion with three-phase meters as these AC matos have high stating currents and torques. is inmportant to know what kind af nad (motor and moter apliation) will be usec in terme of curent (Ampere) and power (AW ar HP), a the sot starter choice must be of = comaatine sign, Rated working voltage (What's the range of voltage forthe sft starter, and how much can the voltage deviate from tis range? For example, a soft starter can have 2 \otking range o230/400V wits a permissible deviation of #10%. Not only wllnowing these values help prevent under/over-pewering the rotor, butt willalze factor int how the starter teat is poweree Safety features Mest sot starters come with bypass mechanisms which Willsher the starter cut tfullvatage at set speeds. When used long term, tis important te have safety features which wll prevent damage othe Crcuit when shorting, such a thermal averlea protective lays for overcurrent and overvaltage. Also knowin the maximum imbalance between phases wll help keep the system within working parameters. Final, having come kind of dat logging for recording fault recorcs can hela with troublesnooting during maintenance 3¢ well ‘Mounting, housing, and dimensions A ar webs ‘ (oo Base Senet nu eras at 26satis + | Arcee ane White apes by Kepword Industry Insights Applications and Selection Criteria Soft starters are best used in applications that need 2 slow staring but powertl moter. They ae commonly found in application suchas bulding Bic filters, where a moter must power large fan. sft starter was net used in this case the fan woul start at high speeds and reduce the effectiveness ofthe ering 25 well as potentially damage the moter by running a high neil load, Similarly, soft starters ind uses in aie spay _sslams where water must be slowly pumped to prevent pressure buildup Final, cosueyarssysems benefit frm sft starters, as they mast ‘ceeerate ters trom rest without jerking or they risk tems falling othe Blt, Sot starters are also popular upgrades fr older seduced voltoee slates as they aremore costtalable, programmable an¢ afcent Soft starters provi smooth, step-less acceleration of crrent-hungry mators that may otherwise stress their power systems. Use the above spectcationsanétalk with your supplier to provide the bat chances af finding the ight sft starter forthe job. These machines, while aice than othe starters, wl greaty benefit both the efficiency and safety of any system in which they are deployed, Sot starters give mere conrol‘o operators, rece the risk of damage, ard increase elfiiency, shel nital cost sil pay for tel aver periods of operating ime. Ary applications hich havea high inertial loaé and a large inrush of current should seriously considera softstarter, or they rsk unintended movernens lures, and unneeded delays. Summary This atte prasented an understanding of what sft starters are and how they work Fr more information on related products, consult our ather guides o visit the Thomas Susplier Discovery Patou te lecate potential sources af supply or view details on specie products. Sources: ‘htlas// ww matloncontealioscom/uhen-do.you-need-a-softctarertoran-se-molaed, 2 http //docselmariheldng eu/LOWY:20VOITAGEY:70POWERY: 20D1STAIBUTION/Mota-¥:70Contre¥20and¥620Protecton/Starters/Sot 1 20Starars/Tachnial¥.20specificaton- V20Seft%20starte*:20ELM¥6207500 pdt 2 bllns/teaoarscom/sofstaier/ 4 bin//uee colorado edu/siemen 5. hitpsy/Itertureocwellautomstioncom More from Machinery, Tools & Supplies Types of Drawer Slides A Thomas Buying Understanding Lubriatersané Lubricating _All About Magnetic Motor Starters - What Guide systems ‘They Are and How They Werle ‘More about Abrasives All About Permanent Magnet Motors ‘About Marking Machinery ME Thomas Industry Update EmallAddess Subscribe Related Resources a8seta « | antler ane Wie Paper by Kerra Industry Insights Detroit Ske Startup Reluens Schuvin Assembly to U.S. for Fits Time in Neatly 30 Year SUBSCRIBE & Be Inspired! 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