Motors and Drives
BACnet Bags Big Backers
Proponents of the BACnet open communications standard received some good news recently, as two major international HVAC and controls manufacturers announced they are committing to the protocol as their primary vehicle of interoperability. ABB's Low-Voltage Drives division announced BACnet is now available as a loadable option in the company's all-new drive for HVAC, ACH550 DriveIT Low Voltage A...
The Cold Facts — A Case of Overheating Motors
Motor failures can be a mystery, especially when their causes originate outside a facility's walls. That's the conundrum that faced a small motor shop recently, when a spate of failures sparked an investigation of the seemingly random breakdowns. The machinists called for assistance from the motor-rewind shop that had been repairing the failed models—a not-unusual resource for those facin...
Fans Blowin’ Up a Storm
Fans and blowers are the workhorses of building mechanical systems. But while they may not exactly be the most glamorous equipment, surprisingly, this equipment is often the focus of continuing research and development. Presented here are not only some recent innovations in fan and blower products, but also some useful new specifying tools for fans and blowers.
AHR Expo Sets West Coast Attendance Records
New attendance records were set at the 2004 AHR Expo in Anaheim, at least for a West Coast show. With more than 22,000 registered visitors—not including exhibitor personnel—the '04 event set a new record, while the number of exhibiting companies (1,652), and net sq. ft. of exhibit space (324,590) also topped previous West Coast records.
Corvette Summer
Sometime in the early or mid-'70s I was sitting in my dentist's office looking at MotorTrend or some such magazine, reading an article that showed some concepts of what the future Corvette might look like. At the time, the current model was the Stingray, which I thought was a very cool car. Looking at those prototype renderings, however, I thought, "What dope came up with this idea?" Several ye...
What’s On CCTV?
Even the best designed and installed camera system is nothing more than a security tactic or tool that should help answer the question: What is the owner interested in protecting?For example, when trying to protect the exterior building perimeter, parking lots, utility connections and other outdoor items, exterior cameras must be used.
“Motor Decisions Matter” Campaign Launched
A coalition of motor manufacturers, utilities, trade associations and government agencies have teamed up to promote energy conservation for motors.
Do the math: efficient motors alone don’t add up
It's a distinct probability that sometime in your career you've read an article on energy conservation and increasing motor efficiency. The whole point of these essays is to provide instruction or influence readers to get into the mindset to conserve resources and decrease pollution—noble causes.
Research Shows Copper Rotor Efficiencies for Motors
Motors using new die-cast copper rotors can reduce energy loss by 15 to 23 percent, compared with the current industry-standard motors using aluminum rotors, according to the Copper Development Association (CDA), New York.
Modifying Engine Exhaust for Savings
Electric and steam-turbine drives for chillers are common practice. However, the use of gas-engine-driven chillers, particularly in a high-rise city building, is unique.When it came to a chiller retrofit for the Time & Life building in Manhattan, this selection required an analysis of the gas-engine exhaust, noise and vibration potential and the cooling tower and riser capacity.