Motor Protection: Three Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When motor protections are not properly sized or configured, two possible scenarios can unfold. In some cases they trip
continuously and consume valuable time from your maintenance staff, and in other cases they may not trip in response to
slight undervoltage or overload, conditions that are not always evident and which reduce the service life of motors.

The following are some common mistakes when configuring motor protections, and how to avoid them.

1) Undervoltage Protections Set Too High

Motors operating below their rated voltage suffer from overheating and a shorter service life. The National Electrical
Manufacturers Association (NEMA) does not recommend operating motors below 90% of their rated voltage for extended
periods. However, if an undervoltage protection is set too high, it can disconnect the motor when not required.

Assume a three-phase motor has a rated voltage of 230V. This means the lowest operating voltage acceptable according
to NEMA is 207V (230V x 90%). However, if an adjustable undervoltage relay is set at 220V, a 5% reduction in voltage
will be enough to disconnect the motor.

If you have a motor that is constantly being disconnected by the undervoltage relay, check the operating voltage and the
relay settings. Do not assume that voltage is the issue right away; maybe the relay is set too high, and the solution is as
simple as reducing the set point.

2) Thermal Overload Set Incorrectly

The required overload protection setting for motors is 125% of their full-load current according to the NEC, but make sure
you read the overload relay instructions as well.

 Some manufacturers have the 125% setting built in, which means you must set the overload protection at the motor’s
nameplate current.
 If the 125% value is not built into the relay, you must set it at the motor’s nameplate current + 25%.

For example, assume you want to protect a motor with 60A of full-load current, and you have an overload relay that can
be set from 50A to 100A. If the device already factors in the 125%, you must set it at 60A. If not, the correct setting is 75A
(60A + 25%).

If an overload protection is set too low, the motor can be disconnected even when operating normally. For example, if the
protection device described above came with the dial set at 50A and it was left that way for a 60A motor, it may not trip
immediately if the motor is lightly loaded, giving the impression that it is working correctly. However, higher motor loads
that bring current above 50A will trip the device.
 Of course, overload protection shouldn’t be set too high either, since the motor will not be protected effectively from
overload. For instance, if you add 25% when setting an overload relay that already has the 125% value built in, the actual
overload protection value will be 156%, which does not meet the NEC.

3) Magnetic Protection Set Incorrectly

Magnetic protections must disconnect the motor immediately under fault conditions, but must allow the inrush current
without disconnection. If the magnetic protection is fixed, make sure its trip curve allows the inrush current, which can be
up to 800% of rated current. On the other hand, if the magnetic protection is adjustable, set is value so that it will not trip
with the inrush current. Keep in mind that the inrush current may be lower if the motor has a reduced-voltage starter, a
solid-state starter or a variable frequency drive.

An Overview of Motor Current Specifications

When reviewing the specifications of an electric motor, you will notice that many current values are reported. To size the
motor’s feeder circuit and protections properly, it is very important to understand what each value means:

 FLA - Full load amperage

 LRA - Locked rotor amperage
 MCA - Minimum circuit ampacity
 MOPD or MOP - Maximum overcurrent protection device

FLA: Full Load Amperage

The full load amperage (FLA) is the current drawn by an electric motor when delivering rated horsepower at its shaft,
with rated voltage applied to its terminals. It is important to note that some motors are designed to run at two different
voltage values, where the winding connection changes accordingly, and in this case there is a separate FLA value for
each voltage. The FLA can also be written as RLA (running load amperage).

The FLA or RLA is used for load calculation in electrical installations. Motor control centers must be sized for
125% of the largest motor FLA, plus all other motor FLAs added together.

LRA: Locked Rotor Amperage

As its name implies, the locked rotor amperage (LRA) is the current drawn by a motor if rated voltage is applied to its
terminals when the rotor is locked in place. Although the LRA test is only carried out in laboratory conditions, the value is
equivalent to the inrush current drawn when the motor starts under normal conditions.
 The LRA value is used in applications where electric codes require the starting voltage drop to be calculated. It is
also used when specifying motor protections - you will want a protection device that does not trip with the
starting current.

For example, if you are aware that a motor draws 800% of its rated current during startup, you cannot use a magnetic
protection device that trips at 500% rated current - the motor will be unable to start.

MCA: Minimum Circuit Ampacity

The minimum circuit ampacity (MCA) is the value that tells you the required current-carrying capacity of wiring. By
selecting wiring according to the MCA, you guarantee that it will not overheat. However, keep in mind that a higher
ampacity may be needed if the voltage drop is too high due to a long circuit run.

The MCA value is used when selecting wiring for the motor.

MOPD/MOP: Maximum Overcurrent Protection Device

The MOPD value indicates the highest allowable current rating of the motor protection devices. If you select a protection
device above the MOPD, it will not trip under some fault conditions that can damage the motor but are not of enough
magnitude to activate the protection mechanism.

Electrical Protection of Three-Phase Motors

The three-phase induction motor has a very wide range of applications in both industrial and commercial settings. The
following are just a few examples of its applications:

 Air conditioners / heat pumps

 Compressors
 Fans / air-handling units
 Pumps
 Industrial machinery

Given their wide range of applications, it is critical to protect induction motors adequately. Operating an induction motor
safely requires protection against a wide range of conditions and events.

Fault Protection

An electrical fault occurs whenever there is an abnormally high electric current. Some of the most common causes of fault
currents are:

 Short circuits
 Line-to-ground faults
 Line-to-line faults
 In the specific case of motors, failure to start due to a locked rotor may also cause a fault current: motors draw from 500%
to 800% of their rated current during startup. This has a very short duration if the motor starts normally, but will be
extended if the motor fails to start.

Fault protection is accomplished with circuit breakers which have a magnetic tripping mechanism: they are equipped
with a solenoid coil which induces a strong magnetic field, which in turn causes the electric contacts to open and interrupt
the supply of electric power to the motor. The magnetic tripping mechanism is instantaneous.

A fault, if uninterrupted, can start a fire or cause irreparable damage to electric motor components.

Overload Protection

An overload is a condition in which currents above the rated value are present, but unlike a fault current, overloads may
be of just a few amperes over the rated current. Nevertheless, overloads can cause irreversible damage due to the
amount of heat released. Overload protection can be accomplished with either thermal or electronic devices:

 Thermal protection is typically based on expanding and contracting contacts, calibrated to interrupt the circuit when the
rated current is exceeded.
 Electronic protection achieves the same effect, but through measurement and the use of a contactor.

Unlike fault protection, overload protection has a time delay. This has the purpose of allowing short-duration
overcurrent conditions, which are normal in the operation of some types of equipment.
 Under-voltage / Over-voltage Protection

Electric motors are designed to operate within a specific voltage range, and any voltage outside that range will cause
problems that shorten the service life of the motor:

 Under-voltage makes the motor draw a higher current, to be able to keep up with the load. Over time, this damages the
motor and it also causes the inrush current to be higher.
 Over-voltage saturates the ferromagnetic cores, which also increases the line current.

Motors are normally equipped with a protection circuit which immediately disconnects the equipment if the voltage falls
outside the range the motor is designed for.

Phase Loss Protection / Phase Imbalance Protection

A three-phase motor can continue operating if one of the phases is lost. However, this causes a considerable mechanical
stress on the equipment while also increasing the current of the two operational phases. This condition may cause a
motor to fail prematurely.

It is important to note that negative effects start as soon as the phases are imbalanced with respect to voltage - there is no
need for one of them to be completely shut-off, even though the effect is much more drastic.

Protection against phase loss and imbalance is accomplished with an auxiliary circuit, just like voltage protection.
Typically, phase imbalance must not exceed 2% in order to guarantee optimal motor performance.

606529

Motor Protection Relay for High Voltage Induction Motor

August 31, 2018 by Electrical4U

Above 90% of motors used in an industry are induction motors, because they are cheap, robust and
easy to maintain. For higher HP (>250HP) motors we prefer high voltage, because it will reduce
operating current and the size of the motor.
Why We Require Protection of Motors?
To understand this we need to know the cost associated with the failure of motor, i.e.

 Loss of production (Cost of production)

 Replacement of motor (Replacement cost)
 Cost of repair
 Cost of man hours due to this emergency
The basic function of a protective relay is to identify the fault and isolate faulty part from the healthy
part of the system. This will improve the reliability of power system.
For protection of motor, we have to identify the various causes of failure and to address the same.
The various causes of failure are as below
 Thermal stress on winding
 Single phasing
 Earth fault
 Short circuit
 Locked rotor
 Number of hot starts
 Bearing failure
Brief descriptions of the different failures are given below:

 Thermal Stress on Winding –

If a motor runs continuously more than its rated capacity then this will over heat the winding and
insulation. Subsequently deteriorate the winding insulation resulting in failure of motor. If
the voltage is less than the designed value then also it will over heat the winding at rated load and
failure of the motor can occur.
 Single Phasing –
Loss of one phase supplied to the motor (in case of 3-phase motor) leads to single phasing. If we start
the motor on load, then the motor will fail due to imbalance.
 Earth Fault –
If any part of winding comes in contact with the ground then we can say the motor is earthed. If we
start the motor then it will lead to failure of motor.
 Short Circuit –
If there is a contact between two phases of a three phase winding or between the turns of a phase, and
then this will be termed as short circuit.
 Locked Rotor –
If the driven equipment is in jammed condition or the motor shaft is jammed, then this is known as
locked rotor. If we start the motor then it will fail.
 Number of Hot Start –
Each motor is designed to withstand a certain number of hot starts. Consider a motor is in running
condition, if we stop the motor and immediately start the same, then this is called as a hot start.
Depending upon the thermal curve of a motor we have to give certain time to bring down the
temperature of winding.
 Bearing Failure –
If bearing fails then rubbing of rotor on stator will occur, resulting physical damage of insulation and
winding. The bearing failure can be avoided by monitoring the bearing temperature. Bearing
temperature detector (BTD) is used for monitoring and tripping of motor in case of abnormality.
All motor protection relays operate on the basis of current taken by the motor. Motor protection
relay is used for high voltage area having the following features
 Thermal overload protection
 Short circuit protection
 Single phasing protection
 Earth fault protection
 Locked rotor protection
 Number of start protection
For setting of the relay we require the CT ratio and full load current of the motor. The setting of
different element is listed below
 Thermal over Load Element –
To set this element we have to identify the % of Full load current on which the motor is running
continuously.

 Short circuit Element –

The range available for this element is 1 to 5 times of starting current. Time delay is also available. We
normally set it at 2 times of starting current with a time delay of 0.1 second.
 Single Phasing Element –
This element will operate, if there is an unbalance in current of three phases. It is also called as
unbalance protection. The element is set for 1/3rd of starting current. If it tripped during starting, then
the parameter will changed to 1/2 of starting current.
 Earth Fault Protection –
This element measures the neutral current of star connected CT secondary. The range available for this
element is 0.02 to 2 times of CT primary current. Time delay is also available. We normally set at 0.1
times of CT primary current with a time delay of 0.2 seconds. If tripped during starting of motor, then
the time setting can be raised to 0.5 sec.
 Locked rotor protection –
The range available for this element is 1 to 5 times of full load current. Time delay is also available. We
normally set at 2 times of FLC (Full Load Current). The time delay will be more than the starting time
of the motor. “Starting time means the time require by the motor to reach its full speed.”
 Number of hot start protection –
Here we will provide the number of start allowed in specified time duration. By this we will limit the
number of hot starts given to the motor.
The schematic diagram to connect a motor protection relay is as below

Modern digital motor protection relays are having some extra features, i.e. protection against no load
running of a motor and thermal protection.
In case of no load running, the relay senses the motor current. If it is less than the specified value then
it will trip the motor. We can also connect the temperature probe to the relay, which will monitor the
bearing and winding temperature and trip the motor if it exceeds the specified value of temperature.
Small and Large Motor Protection Scheme
August 31, 2018 by Electrical4U

The electric motor is most essential drive in modern era of industrialization. From fractional hp AC
motor used for different home appliances to giant synchronous motor and induction motor of up to
10,000 hp are used for different industrial applications. It should be protected against different
electrical and mechanical faults for serving their purposes smoothly. The motor characteristics must
be very carefully considered in selecting the right motor protection scheme.
The abnormalities in motor or motor faults may appear due to mainly two reasons –
1. Conditions imposed by the external power supply network,
2. Internal faults, either in the motor or in the driven plant.
Unbalanced supply voltages, under-voltage, reversed phase sequence and loss of synchronism (in the
case of synchronous motor) come under former category. The later category includes bearing failures,
stator winding faults, motor earth faults and overload etc.
The degree of motor protection system depends on the costs and applications of the electrical motor.
Small Motor Protection Scheme
Generally motors up to 30 hp are considered in small category. The small motor protectionin this
case is arranged by HRC fuse, bimetallic relay and under voltage relay – all assembled into the motor
contactor – starter itself. Most common cause of motor burn outs on LV fuse protected system is due
to single phasing. This single phasing may remain undetected even if the motors are protected by
conventional bimetallic relay. It can not be detected by a set of voltage relays connected across the
lines. Since, even when one phase is dead, the motor maintains substantial back emf on its faulty
phase terminal and hence voltage across the voltage relay is prevented from dropping off.
The difficulties of detecting single phasing can be overcome by employing a set of three current
operated relays as shown in the small motor protection circuit given below.
The current operated relays are very simple instantaneous relays. There are mainly two parts in this
relay one is a current coil and other is one or more normally open contacts (NO Contacts). The NO
contacts are operated by the mmf of the current coil. This relay is connected in series with each phase
of the supply and backup by HRC fuse. When the electrical motor starts and runs then the supply
current passes through the current coil of the protective relay. The mmf of the current coil makes the
NO contacts closed.
If suddenly a single phasing occurs the corresponding current through the current coil will fall and
the contacts of the corresponding relay will become to its normal open position. The NO contacts of
the all three relays are connected in series to hold – in the motor contractor. So if any one relay
contact opens, results to release of motor contractor and hence motor will stop running.

Large Motor Protection

Large motor especially induction motors require protection against-
 1. Motor bearing failure,
2. Motor over heating,
3. Motor winding failure,
4. Reverse motor rotation.
Motor Bearing Failure
Ball and roller bearings are used for the motor up to 500 hp and beyond this size sleeve bearings are
used. Failure of ball or roller bearing usually causes the motor to a standstill very quickly. Due to
sudden mechanical jamming in motor bearing, the input current of the motor becomes very high.
Current operated protection, attached to the input of the motor can not serve satisfactorily. Since this
motor protection system has to be set to override the high motor starting current. The difficulty can
be overcome by providing thermal over load relay. As the starting current of the motor is high but
exists only during starting so for that current there will be no over heating effect. But over current
due to mechanical jamming exists for longer time hence there will be an over heating effect. So
stalling motor protection can be offered by the thermal overload relay. Stalling protection can also be
provided by separate definite time over current relay which is operated only after a certain
predefined time if over current persists beyond that period. In the case of sleeve bearing, a
temperature sensing device embedded in the bearing itself. This scheme of motor protection is more
reliable and sensitive to motor bearing failure since the thermal withstand limit of the motor is quite
higher than that of bearing. If we allow the bearing over heating and wait for motor thermal relay to
trip, the bearing may be permanently damaged. The temperature sensing device embedded in the
bearing stops the motor if the bearing temperature rises beyond its predefined limit.
Motor Over Heating
The main reason of motor over heating that means over heating of motor winding is due to either of
mechanical over loading, reduced supply voltage, unbalanced supply voltage and single phasing.
The over heating may cause deterioration of insulation life of motor hence it must be avoided by
providing proper motor protection scheme. To avoid over heating, the motor should be isolated in 40
to 50 minutes even in the event of small overloads of the order of 10 %. The protective relay should
take into account the detrimental heating effects on the motor rotor due to negative sequence currents
in the stator arising out of unbalance in supply voltage. The motor should also be protected by
instantaneous motor protection relayagainst single phasing such as a stall on loss of one phase when
running at full load or attempting to start with only two of three phases alive.
Motor Winding Failure
The motor protection relay should should have instantaneous trip elements to detect motor winding
failure such as phase to phase and phase to earth faults. Preferably phase to phase fault unit should
be energized from positive phase sequence component of the motor current and another
instantaneous unit connected in the residual circuit of the current transformersbe used for earth faults
protection.
Reverse Motor Rotation
Specially in the case of conveyor belt, the reverse motor rotation must be avoided. The reverse
rotation during starting can be caused due to inadvertent reversing of supply phases. A
comprehensive motor protection relay with an instantaneous negative sequence unit will satisfy this
requirement. If such relay has not been provided, a watt-meter type relay can be employed.
NB: However, we have to provide some additional motor protection system for synchronous motor
which is discussed in details in synchronous motor protection topic.

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