16 Jul Don’t risk or reinvent the motor control coordination – Rockwell Automation has done it for you
16 July 2024: Adrian van Wyk, Managing Director at Referro Systems a Level 2 B-BBEE empowered supplier of control and automation solutions for the industrial sector, warns against the risks of using untested components in motor control combinations.
“A motor control circuit is made up of numerous basic interconnected components that achieve the desired performance. The components will vary in size depending on the motor’s power; however the operation principles stay the same. Therefore it’s possible to design a high-performance motor control combination, using a few basic components.
“However, combining type 1 with type 2 motor control elements without testing can have huge negative effects. If one uses an untested combination, there is a high risk of causing damage within the motor control centre and there is also a risk of causing an arc flash which could cause damage and serious injury to plant personnel.
“Testing coordinated combinations is hugely expensive, but it’s imperative to use these tested combinations to reduce risk, meet international standards and ensuring safe and efficient motor control combinations.
“A safer and more pragmatic approach is to rely on Rockwell Automation’s Global Short-circuit Current Ratings (SCCR) Tool which provides coordinated high-fault branch circuit solutions for motor starters, soft-starters, and variable speed drives. The one-line bill of materials provides coordinated high-fault SCCR ratings for all power devices used in the circuit, which saves customers time and effort to find and determine these ratings. The data provided by the Global SCCR tool is based on compliance to IEC and UL standards, pinpointing combinations that have been tested with coordination tables from 0.5 kW – 600 kW at various voltages and fault levels. These also include South Africa’s very unique and very common, mining motor control operational voltage of 525V/ 550V, which is not a global test voltage.
“There are very specific products and variations of products that work together safely within a motor control circuit – these have been tested by Rockwell Automation and are available to the public.
“The SCCR website: https://www.rockwellautomation.com/en-us/support/product/product-selection-configuration/global-short-circuit-current-ratings-tool.html#gate-d7062766-3b47-4e95-9223-b478fe7b23f6 is the easy way to select safe combinations as Rockwell Automation has already tested all the different combinations allowing companies to build their motor control combinations using complimentary elements that have been tested and are compliant according to regulations.”
Customers can use tested combinations to ensure performance levels and safety is guaranteed.
ENDS.
About Referro Systems:
Referro Systems is a sales and distribution company for many of the world’s leading electrical, automation and global software and hardware brands across industrial and commercial sectors. The Level 2 BBBEE company supplies best-in-class industrial automation, electrical control and instrumentation fit-for-purpose and provides cost-effective solutions.
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