Electrical Workshop Practice-II

Prepared By: Yirga Amaha

CHAPTER-II
INDUSTRIAL MOTOR CONTROL
I. Introduction
The electrician working in industry should be able to install different types of motors and the
controls necessary to control and protect them and also to troubleshoot systems when they fail.

II. Functions of Motor Control

There are some basic functions that motor control systems perform. The ones listed below are by
no means the only ones but are very common.
I. Starting: - Starting the motor is one of the main purposes of a motor control circuit.
There are several methods that can be employed, depending on the requirement.
II. Stopping:-Another function of the control system is to stop the motor.
III. Jogging and inching: - Jogging and inching are methods employed to move a motor
with short jabs of power. This is generally done to move a motor or load into some
desired position.
IV. Speed Control: - Some control systems require variable speed. There are several
ways to accomplish this.
V. Motor and Circuit Protection: - One of the major functions of most control systems
is to provide protection for both the circuit components and the motor. Fuses and
circuit breakers are generally employed for circuit protection, and overload relays are
used to protect the motor.
VI. Surge Protection: - Another concern in many control circuits is the voltage spikes or
surges produced by collapsing magnetic fields when power to the coil of a relay or
contactor is turned off. These collapsing magnetic fields can induce voltage spikes
that are hundreds of volts. These high voltage surges can damage electronic
components connected to the power line.
VII. Safety: - Probably the most important function of any control system is to provide
protection for the operator or persons that may be in the vicinity of the machine.
III. Materials Required for Motor Control
1. Push Buttons
One of the most used symbols in control schematics is the push button. Push buttons can be
shown as normally open or normally closed (Figure 2.1). Most are momentary contact devices in
that they make or break connection only as long as pressure is applied to them. The pressure is
generally supplied by someone’s finger pressing on the button. When the pressure is removed,
the button returns to its normal position. Push buttons contain both movable and stationary
contacts. The stationary contacts are connected to the terminal screws. The normally open push
button is characterized by drawing the movable contact above and not touching the stationary
contacts.

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Fig2.1 NEMA standard push button symbols.

2. Double-Acting Push Buttons

Another very common push button found throughout industry is the double-acting push button
(Figure 2.2). Double-acting push buttons contain both normally open and normally closed
contacts.

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Fig 2.2. A double-acting push button contains both normally open and normally closed contacts.
3. Stacked Push Buttons
A very common connection employing the use of multiple push buttons is shown in Figure 2–8.
Push buttons that contain multiple contacts are often called stacked push buttons. Stacked push
buttons are made by connecting multiple contact units together that are controlled by a single
push button.

Fig 2.3. Emergency stop button can stop all motors.

4. Overload Relays
Overloads should not be confused with fuses or circuit breakers. Fuses and circuit breakers are
designed to protect the circuit from a direct ground or short-circuit condition. Overloads are
designed to protect the motor from an overload condition.
Overload Relay Properties
There are certain properties that all overload relays must possess in order to protect a motor:
 They must have some means of sensing motor current. Some overload relays do this by
converting motor current into a proportionate amount of heat, and others sense motor
current by the strength of a magnetic field.
 They must have some type of time delay. Motors typically have a current draw of 300%
to 800% of motor full-load current when they start. Motor starting current is referred to as
locked rotor current. Because overload relays are generally set to trip at 115% to 125% of
full-load motor current, the motor could never start if the overload relay tripped
instantaneously.
 They are divided into two separate sections: the current sensing section and the contact
section. The current sensing section is connected in series with the motor and senses the
amount of motor current. This section is typically connected to voltages that range from

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120 volts to 600 volts. The contact section is part of the control circuit and operates at the
control circuit voltage. Control circuit voltages generally range from 24 volts to 120
volts, although some controls operate on line voltages of 240 or 480 volts
There are two major types of overload relays: thermal and magnetic.
a) Thermal Overload Relays
Thermal overloads operate by connecting a heater in series with the motor. The amount of heat
produced is dependent on motor current. Thermal overload relays operate on the principle of
heat, they are sensitive to ambient (surrounding air) temperature. They trip faster when located in
a warm area than they do in a cool area.
Thermal overloads can be divided into two types: solder melting type, or solder pot, and bimetal
strip type.
b) Magnetic Overload Relays
Magnetic-type overload relays operate by sensing the strength of the magnetic field produced by
the current flowing to the motor. The greatest difference between magnetic type and thermal type
overload relays is that magnetic types are not sensitive to ambient temperature. Magnetic-type
overload relays are generally used in areas extreme changes in ambient temperature. Magnetic
overload relays can be divided into two major types: electronic and dashpot.
5. Relays
Relays are electromechanical switches that contain auxiliary contacts. Auxiliary contacts are
small and are intended to be used for control applications. As a general rule, they are not
intended to control large amounts of current. Current ratings for most relays can vary from 1
to 10 amperes, depending on the manufacturer and type of relay.

Fig 2.4. A magnetic relay is basically a solenoid with movable contacts attached.
6. Contactors

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Contactors are very similar to relays in that they are electromechanical devices. Contactors can
be obtained with coils designed for use on higher voltages than most relays. Most relay coils are
intended to operate on voltages that range from 5 to 120 volts AC or DC. Contactors can be
obtained with coils that have voltage ranges from 24 to 600 volts. Although these higher voltage
coils are available, most contactors operate on voltages that generally do not exceed 120 volts for
safety reasons. Contactors can be made to operate on different control circuit voltages by
changing the coil.
7. Time-delay relays
Time-delay relays can be divided into two general classifications: the on-delay relay, and the off-
delay relay. The on-delay relay is often referred to as DOE, which stands for “Delay On
Energize.” The off-delay relay is often referred to as DODE, which stands for “Delay On De-
Energize.” Timer relays are similar to other control relays in that they use a coil to control the
operation of some number of contacts. The difference between a control relay and a timer relay
is that the contacts of the timer relay delay changing their position when the coil is energized or
de-energized. When power is connected to the coil of an on-delay timer, the contacts delay
changing position for some period of time.
When voltage is connected to the coil of the on-delay timer, the contacts remain in the open
position for 10 seconds and then close. When voltage is removed and the coil is de-energized, the
contact immediately changes back to its normally open position. The contact symbols for an on-
delay relay are shown in Figure 2.6. The operation of the off-delay timer is the opposite of the
operation of the on-delay timer. For this example, again assume that the timer has been set for a
delay of 10 seconds, and also assume that the contact is normally open. When voltage is applied
to the coil of the off-delay timer, the contact changes immediately from open to close. When the
coil is de-energized, however, the contact remains in the closed position for 10 seconds before it
reopens.

Fig 2.6. On-delay normally open and normally closed contacts.

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IV. Motor Control System

 DOL Start-stop control system

When the START button is pushed, current flows through the relay coil and normally closed
overload contact to the power source (Figure b.). When current flows through relay coil M,
the contacts connected parallel to the START button close. These contacts maintain the
circuit to coil M when the START button releases and returns to its open position (Figure c.).
The circuit continues to operate until the STOP button is pushed and breaks the circuit to the
coil (Figure d.). When the current flow to the coil stops, the relay de-energizes and contact M
re-opens. Because the START button is now open and contact M is open, there is no
complete circuit to the relay coil when the STOP button is returned to its normally closed
position. If the relay is to be re-started, the START button must be pushed again to provide a
complete circuit to the relay coil.

Fig a. Start–stop, push button circuit.

Fig b. START button energizes relay coil.

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Fig c. M contacts maintain the circuit.

Fig d. STOP button breaks the circuit.

 Sequence motor control system

Sequence control forces motors to start or stop in a predetermined order. One motor cannot start
until some other motor is in operation. Show Figure e.. In this circuit, push button 1 must be
pressed before power can be provided to push button 2. When motor starter 1 energizes, the
normally open auxiliary contact 1M closes, providing power to coil 1M and to push button 2.
Motor starter 2 can now be started by pressing push button 2. Once motor starter 2 is energized,
auxiliary contact 2M closes, providing power to coil 2M and push button 3. If the stop button
should be pressed or if any overload contact opens, power is interrupted to all starters.

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Fig e. One example of a circuit that provides sequence control.

 Forward – Reverse control system
The direction of rotation of any three-phase motor can be reversed by changing any two motor T leads
(Figure f.).

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Fig f. The direction of rotation of any three-phase motor can be changed by reversing connection
to any two motor T leads.

Fig g. motor operating in the forward direction

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Fig h. motor operating in the reverse direction.

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 DOL Forward – Reverse with Timer

 Star – Delta control System

Wye–delta starting is often used with large horse-power motors to reduce inrush current
during the starting period and to reduce starting torque. Wye–delta starting is accomplished
by connecting the motor stator windings in wye, or star, during the starting period and then
reconnecting them in delta during the run period. This is sometimes called soft starting. If the

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stator windings of a motor are connected in delta during the starting period, the starting
current will be three times the value it would be if the windings were connected in wye.

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