5/6/24, 12:48 AM How to Determine the Electric Motor Load?

How to Determine the Electric Motor Load?

Electron Electronics & Electrical Digital Electronics

Electric motor load means the current drawn by an electric motor. It depends upon the
load on the shaft of the motor. For a given electric motor, it can estimated using input
power, amperage or speed of the motor. Most electric motors are designed to run at 50 %
to 100 % of rated load. Maximum efficiency is usually near 75 % of rated load.

A motor is considered under-loaded when it is in the range where efficiency drops

significantly with decreasing load. Overloaded motors can overheat and lose
efficiency.Many electric motors are designed with a service factor that allows occasional
overloading. The service factor is a multiplier that indicates how much a motor can be
overloaded under ideal ambient conditions.

Determining the Electric Motor Load

Method 1 – Electric Motor Load in terms of Input Power

When direct-read power measurements are available, we can use then to determine
electric motor load. By measuring the parameters of the motor using a hand-held device,
equation (1) can be used to determine the 3-phase input power to the loaded motor. Then,
we can quantify the motor load by comparing the measured input power under-load to the
power required when the motor operates at rated capacity.

The input power of a 3-phase electric motor being,

–
√ 3 × V × I × cos φ
Pi = . . . (1)
1000

Where,

Pi is 3-phase input power in kW,

V is RMS line voltage,

I is RMS line current, and

cos φ is the power factor of the motor.

The rated input power of the 3-phase motor will be,

0.746
Pi = hp × . . . (2)
rated
η f1

Where,

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5/6/24, 12:48 AM How to Determine the Electric Motor Load?

Pirated is 3-phase input power at rated-load in kW,

hp is rated horse-power from nameplate.

ηfi is full-load efficiency.

Therefore, the motor load will be

Pi
Electric Motor Load = × 1000% (3)
Pi
rated

Where,

Pi is the measured 3-phase power in kW,

Pirated is the input power at rated-load in kW.

Using the equation (3), the electric motor load can be determined.

Method 2 – Electric Motor Load in terms of Motor Current

The current load estimation method is recommended when only amperage measurement
is available. The current drawn by a motor varies approximately linearly with respect to
load, down to about 50% of full load. Below the 50% of rated-load, the current becomes
nonlinear, thus in the low load region, current measurement method is not used for load
determination. Therefore, the electric motor load can be calculated using the below
equation.

I V
Electric Motor Load = × × 100% . . . (4)
Ir Vr

Where,

I is the RMS current,

Ir is the rated motor current,

V is RMS line voltage and

Vr is rated voltage of the motor.

Method 3 – Electric Motor Load in terms of Slip

When the operating speed measurements are available, the slip method can be used to
estimate the motor load. The actual speed of the motor is less than the synchronous

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5/6/24, 12:48 AM How to Determine the Electric Motor Load?

speed.Therefore, the difference of synchronous speed and actual speed is called slip. The
slip is directly proportional to the load imposed upon the motor by the driven equipment.

By using a tachometer to measure actual motor speed, it is possible to calculate motor

loads. Using the below equation, the electric motor load can be determined in terms of
slip.

Slip
Electric Motor Load = × 100% . . . (5)
Ns − Nr

Where,

Slip = (Synchronous speed – Measured speed),

NS = Synchronous Speed in RPM,

Nr =Rated motor speed.

Numerical Example (1)

An electric motor is of 40 hp, 1500 RPM. The motor is 10 years old and has been
rewound.Determine the load of the motor, if the electrician makes the measurements as −

Line Voltage Line Current Power Factor

VRY = 465 V IR = 35 A Cos φR = 0.78

VYB = 475 V IY = 32 A Cos φY = 0.76

VBR = 470 V IB = 30 A Cos φB = 0.75

Solution −

Here,

VRY + VYB + VBY 465 + 475 + 470

Voltage, V = = = 470 V
3 3

35 + 32 + 30
Current, I = = 32.33A
3

0.78 + 0.76 + 0.75

Power Factor, cos φ = = 0.763
3

Therefore, the load taken by the motor will be,

– –
√ 3 × V × I × cos φ √ 3 × 470 × 32.33 × 0.763
Pi = = = 20.08 kW
1000 1000

Hence, the electrical load imposed by the motor on the supply system is 20.08 kW.

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5/6/24, 12:48 AM How to Determine the Electric Motor Load?

Numerical Example (2)

An electrical motor has synchronous speed equal to 1500 RPM, nameplate full-load speed
is 1450 RPM and the measured speed is 1470 RPM. The rated horsepower of the motor is
20hp. Determine the actual output horsepower of the motor.

Solution−

1500 − 1470
Electric Motor Load = × 100% = 60%
1500 − 1450

Therefore, the actual output horsepower would be,

Actual output hp = 20 × 60% = 12 hp

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