Given the sometimes frenzied movement in the effort to go green, maintenance management may overlook the fact that maintaining reliability can pay dividends towards efficiency while improving the bottom line. This brings us to the end of the Don't Forget Reliability six-tip series, which explored the impact of each of the six fault zones on motor efficiency.
Part Six – Air Gap
The gap between the rotor and stator assures efficiency when it is evenly distributed around 360 degrees of rotation. A non-symmetrical distribution will result in excessive vibration and eventual bearing failure or worse, a rotor/stator rub. Either of these faults increases the mechanical loading of the motor resulting in more power drawn to deliver the same load by the motor. More power in for the same energy out equals lower efficiency.
For more information on the effects of reliability on motor efficiency, go to http://www.pdma.com/pdfs/Articles/WhitePapers/ Motor_Efficiency_and_Fault_Zone_Analysis.pdf.
To watch a short discussion on the Air Gap Zone, go to http://www.pdma.com/webinars/Air_Gap_Fault_Zone/AirGap.html.
To learn more about PdMA Corporation, visit www.pdma.com.