Did you know that most motors will fail at less than HALF of their engineered life?
Extending motor life will drastically reduce your repair and replacement expenses!
Did you know that most motors will fail at startup?
Preventing electrical shorts at the startup phase will drastically reduce your repair and replacement expenses!
What if ONE technology could help you do both?
MEG-alert Motor Guard delivers extended motor life AND virtually eliminates burnouts at startup!
Extending motor life starts with an accurate assessment of the condition of the motor. The best measurement of the relative "health" of the motor is achieved by testing the insulation resistance within the windings of the motor.
Resistance is measured in "ohms", and total resistance within a motor is described in ohms x millions (that is "meg-ohms.) A new motor may have insulation resistance of 100 meg-ohms or greater. As the motor ages, "wear and tear", heat, vibration, and exposure to chemicals and other environmental factors will cause the insulation to deteriorate, lessening the electrical resistance.
Eventually the insulation resistance can not contain the electrical current. The current then "leaks" from the windings to the grounding circuit - resulting in a "burned out" motor. Sometimes a burned out motor can be "rewound", which means the motor is disassembled and new windings added and reinsulated. Unfortunately, motors can typically only be rewound once (if at all) and never approach the operating efficiency of a new motor. Rewinding typically costs 50% to 90% of the cost of a new motor.
If you knew the status of the winding insulation, you could take the motor offline before the burnout. A motor that is worn can be "reconditioned", that is, reinsulated.
Once test readings fall below 10 meg-ohms (that is, only 10% of the original electrical resistance), the motor should be scheduled for maintenance. Maintenance will save the motor from an imminent burnout. Reconditioning restores the undamaged windings to like-new condition. The motor regains its original efficiency and capacity. Best of all, reconditioning typically costs only 10% to 25% of the cost of a new motor.
Regular meg-ohm testing is the most important step in assessing the condition of your critical-duty motors. Testing will allow motors to be reconditioned versus replaced - at a savings of 75% to 90% of replacement!
Meg-ohm testing can be either manual, using a hand-held meg-ohm meter or automatic - using the proven technology of MEG-alert. Here are the differences:
Manual meg-ohm testing requires the motor to be shutdown. Shutdowns are often scheduled for the middle of the night or on weekends. The electrician must work around the production shutdowns. The electrician must then access the high voltage motor controls - a very dangerous environment. In fact, worker safety regulations require expensive protection equipment to avoid electrocution. These safety precautions only add time to what was already a time consuming process.
Manual testing will provide an accurate "spot check" of the motor's condition - but that is also the weakness. Just because a motor was "meggered" last month, last week, or even yesterday does not give an accurate assessment of the status today! Any of a hundred things can occur in the mean time: rain, high humidity levels, lightning surges, or other forms of contamination that will lessen the insulation resistance. You may have a "false sense of security" from the random and infrequent practice of manual meg-ohm testing.
MEG-alert provides automatic and continuous testing of motors whenever the motor is offline - regardless of the time or date. No electricians need to be scheduled.
MEG-alert provides accurate test results from the permanently installed systems. No electrician needs to access the high voltage controls. MEG-alert testing is totally "hands off".
MEG-alert provides accurate test results right up to the moment before startup. Every time the motor is shut down it is being tested.
MEG-alert provides tracking of the condition of the motor insulation. The exact meg-ohm reading is displayed on the meter in an easy to read "green-yellow-red" scale. It does not take an electrician to notice when the motor has readings in the yellow (or "pre-alarm") range. This is the time to schedule maintenance that can contribute to a 50% to 75% savings on motor replacement! This maintenacne is then performed on YOUR schedule - not on an emergency basis!
The "pre-alarm" level is also indicated by a yellow flashing light on the MEG-alert. Additionally, other lights or alarms can be attached. Remote monitoring can also be accomplished for tracking anywhere in the plant or even across the country!
MEG-alert allows you to monitor motors and schedule reconditioning versus replacement. But MEG-alert also prevents burnouts by using a starter lockout function. When the insulation resistance drops to dangerously low levels - whether from wear or temporary conditions such as excess moisture - the MEG-alert interrupts the starter circuit. This prevents the motor from being started, which would lead to an immediate burnout.
The starter lockout function is very important. Meg-alert Motor Guard monitors the motor right up to the moment before starting - automatically. If motors are prevented from starting they can also be prevented from burning out due to electrical shorts. The MEG-alert will not allow the motor to start until the condition causing the problem is reversed. Then and only then can the MEG-alert can be reset.
(Note: an exception is available by specifying an automactic reset. This is commonly used on remotely started motors or generators. If the fault condition is temporary, such as morning dew, and it resolves itself the fault may also be removed with time. The MEG-alert will continuously monitor the motor or generator and reset when the meg-ohm reading climbs out of the danger level.)
Automatic reset is commonly specified with wind generator applications.
A second exception to the use of the starter lockout is the installation of MEG-alert Motor Guards on fire pump controls. NFPA regulations prohibit any device that interferes with the motor contactor - the motor must be allowed to start, even if it will destroy itself in the process. In the case of fire pumps, ONLY the alarm functions are used to notify staff of the impending failure. The lockout is NOT employed.
For more information on how MEG-alert can extend motor (and generator) life, call MEG-alert Corporation. We can provide a Free, Non Obligation Consultation.
866-768-1817 email: info@meg-alert.com