A 100 motor study: Investigating pre-EPCA motors as a subset of the industrial motor population for its effects on the economics of motor replacement, preliminary results

In the absence of hard data, the engineering world tends to be overly conservative in estimating benefits of change. The hypothesis herein discussed is that with hard data, the economics of motor repair/replace decisions could change significantly. If true, this could appreciably boost the efficiency of the industrial motor population by affecting the penetration of high-efficiency motors, such as NEMA Premiums. The energy savings from motor replacement depend on the difference between the efficiency of the new motor and the old motor. There has been a great deal of work investigating new motor efficiency and very little work investigating the actual running efficiency of older motors in the field. Motors that have operated for years experiencing failures and repairs may operate below their original nameplate or assumed efficiency. This study is a preliminary investigation of the efficiency of motors in industrial settings with the purpose of updating currently available motor analysis software tools to more accurately reflect the economic benefits of utilizing high-efficiency industrial induction motors.