WIRING METHOD &

MOTOR SELECTION
In a commercial building, the major part of the electrical work is the installation of
the branch-circuit wiring. The electrician must have the ability to select and install
the correct materials to ensure a successful job. For some jobs, the specifications or
bid documents will dictate a specific wiring method that is required. For other
installations, the owner will specify the wiring method to be used.

The term raceway, which is used in this chapter as well as others, is defined by the
NEC® as a channel that is designed and used expressly for the purpose of holding
wires, cables, or busbars. The term circular raceway is finding its way into the NEC
to distinguish between raceways that are circular in configuration from raceways
that are rectangular such as wireways.
 Batten Wiring (CTS or TRS)
Cab Tyre Sheathed (CTS)
•Cab Tyre Sheathed
•Tinned copper conductors, each core insulated with VIR, &
cab tyre outer sheath
•Single, Flat Twin and Flat Triple
•Cab tyre was the same rubber formula used for car tyres,
making this cable a very tough rubber cable

TRS

Tough Rubber Sheath

Conduit Wiring
Different types of raceway/conduit
• intermediate metal conduit(IMC)
• rigid metal conduit (RMC),
• flexible metal conduit (FMC)
• liquidtight flexible metal conduit(LFMC)
• rigid polyvinyl chloride conduit(PVC)
• high-density polyethylene conduit (HDPE),
• nonmetallic underground conduit with conductors(NUCC),
• reinforced thermosetting resin conduit(RTRC),
• Liquid tight flexible nonmetallic conduit(LFNC),
• electrical metallic tubing (EMT),
• flexible metallic tubing (FMT), and
• electrical non metallic tubing (ENT).
Rigid Metal Conduit (RMC)
Electrical Metallic Tubing (Emt)
Installation of Metallic Raceway
Raceway Seals
Flexible Metal Conduit (FMC)
Liquidtight Flexible Nonmetallic Conduit (LFNC)
Armored (Type Ac) And Metal-Clad (Type
Mc) Cables
 Rigid Polyvinyl Chloride Conduit (Pvc)
The most commonly used PVC (formerly referred
to as rigid nonmetallic conduit) is made of
polyvinyl chloride, which is a thermoplastic
polymer.
Solvent-type cement is used for PVC connections
and terminations.
Overview. The two most popular types of PVC
are as follows:
• Schedule 40: Permitted underground (direct
burial or encased in concrete) and aboveground
(indoors and outdoors exposed to sunlight)
where not subject to physical damage. Some
Schedule 40 is marked for underground use only.
Schedule 40 has a thinner wall than Schedule 80.
• Schedule 80: Permitted underground (direct
burial or encased in concrete) and aboveground
(indoors and outdoors in sunlight) where subject
to physical damage. Schedule 80 has a
thicker wall than Schedule 40.
• The main differences between aboveground
and underground listed PVC are its fire resistance
rating and its resistance to sunlight (UV).
 Motor and Appliance Circuits
Motor failures happen for many reasons.
Abuse,
lack of oil,
bad bearings,
insulation failure (end-of normal life, oil, moisture),
dirt or other foreign material (reduced ventilation),
single-phasing,
unbalanced voltage (more about this a little later), and
jammed V-belts are a few of the conditions that can cause a motor to draw more than normal
current.
Too much current results in the generation of too much heat within the windings of the motor.
For every 10°C above the maximum temperature rating of the motor, the expected life of the
motor is reduced by 50%. This is sometimes referred to as the “half-life rule.”
Size and Rating of Motor
• 1. Continuous Rating. It is based on the maximum load which a motor can deliver for an
• indefinite period without its temperature exceeding the specified limits and also possesing the
ability to take 25% overload for a period of time not exceeding two hours under the same
conditions.
• For example, if a motor is rated continuous 10 KW, it means that it is capable of giving an
output of 10 KW continuously for an indefinite period of time and 12.5 KW for a period of two
hours without its temperature exceeding the specified limits.
• 2. Continuous Maximum Rating. It is the load capacity as given above but without overload
• capacity. Hence, these motors are a little bit inferior to the continuous-rated motors.
• 3. Intermittent Rating. It is based on the output which a motor can deliver for a specified
• period, say one hour or ½ hour or ¼ hour without exceeding the temperature rise
 Since primary limitation for the operation of an electric motor is its temperature rise, hence
motor rating is calculated on the basis of its average temperature rise

For example, if a motor carries a load L1 for time t1 and load L2 for time t2 and so on, then

An electric motor operates at full-load of 100 KW for 10 minutes, at ¾ full load

for the next 10 minutes and at ½ load for next 20 minutes, no-load for the next 20 minutes and this
cycle repeats continuously. Find the continuous rating of the suitable motor.
 Different Types of Industrial Loads
Continuous Load. In such cases, the
calculation of motor size is simpler because the loads
like pumps and fans require a constant power input
to keep them operating. However, it is essential to
calculate the KW rating of the motor correctly. If
the KW rating of the motor is less than what is
required, the motor will overheat and consequently
burn out. If, on the other hand, KW rating is more
than what is needed by the load, the motor will
remain cool but will operate at lower efficiency and
power
Variable Loads. In the case of such loads, the most
accurate method of selecting a suitable
motor is to draw the heating and cooling curves as
per the load fluctuations for a number of motors.
The smallest size motor which does not exceed the
permitted temperature rise when operating on the
particular load cycle should be chosen for the
purpose
What really causes havoc to a motor is unbalanced voltage.
Unbalanced voltage causes unbalanced currents in the
motor’s stator windings. This is the most common cause of
motor failure. A slight amount of voltage unbalance causes a
very high increase in temperature in the phase with the high
current. Figur shows motor winding damage due to an
unbalanced voltage condition. Motors might hum. NEMA
recommends that for motors, the unbalanced voltage not
exceed 61%. Another way to recognize unbalanced voltage is
thatsome lighting will dim, whereas other lighting will
brighten. Uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) systems
might open and close
National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA)
NEC RULES
• Motors rated more than 1 hp without integral thermal protection
automatically started [430.32(C)]
• must have an overload device sized per the motor nameplate current
rating [430.6(A)]
• Motors with a nameplate service factor (SF) rating of 1.15 or more
must have an overload protection device sized no more than 125% of
the motor nameplate current rating.
Example No. 1: Suppose you use a dual-element fuse for
overload protection. What size fuse do you need for a 5-
hp, 230V, single-phase motor with a service factor of 1.16
if the motor nameplate current rating is 28A?
(a) 25A
(c) 35A
(b) 30A
(d) 40A
3 phase motor wiring diagram
3 phase motor wiring diagram with additional
phase controller
A motor has to perform the following duty cycle
100 H.P. For 10 min
No Load ” 5 min
60 H.P. ” 8 min
No Load ” 4 min
which is repeated infinitely. Determine the suitable size of continuously
rated motor
 Heating of Motor or Temperature Rise

Heating Time Constant= T

A 40 KW motor when run continuously on full load, attains a temperature of

35oC, above the surrounding air. Its heating time constant is 90 min. What would be the 1/2 hour
rating of the motor for this temperature rise? Assume that the machine cools down completely
between each load period and that the losses are proportional to square of the load