Centrifugal fans with forward-curved impeller blades demand maximum motor power at maximum air flow rate and zero static pressure.
Certain fan models have minimum pressure levels required so that the motors will not overheat. Performance curves then terminate at minimum permitted pressure. Finger guards are available upon request.
ECOFIT motors are speed controllable by voltage variation, but where electronic controllers are used, they must be designed for electric motor duty and be compatible with ECOFIT products. Capacitors must be of the "motor run" type and be of the recommended value, voltage rating, and life expectancy.
The customer must test for motor total temperature in the application, with the worst operating conditions for the motor. ECOFIT should then validate the test results.
Centrifugal fans with forward-curved impeller blades demand maximum motor power at maximum air flow rate and zero static pressure.
Certain fan models have minimum pressure levels required so that the motors will not overheat. Performance curves then terminate at minimum permitted pressure. Finger guards are available upon request.
ECOFIT motors are speed controllable by voltage variation, but where electronic controllers are used, they must be designed for electric motor duty and be compatible with ECOFIT products. Capacitors must be of the "motor run" type and be of the recommended value, voltage rating, and life expectancy.
The customer must test for motor total temperature in the application, with the worst operating conditions for the motor. ECOFIT should then validate the test results.
EC (Electronically Commuted or Electronically Controlled) motors are electric motors which have permanent magnets on the rotor and use electronics to control the voltage and current applied to the motor.
EC motors have no brushes, so they avoid the sparking and short life of brushed motors. Because they have electronics controlling the stator and do not need to waste power inducing the rotor field, they give better performance and controllability and run cooler than induction motors (for small motors, at least; high horsepower 3 phase induction motors can be very efficient). EC motors are used today in many fractional-horsepower applications where high motor efficiency, reliability, and/or controllability are desired.
EC motors are very high efficiency and maintain a high efficiency level even at part speed. This means that in most cases, they use from less than one-third to one-half of the electricity needed by the traditional "shaded pole" induction motors used in the ventilation and refrigeration industries, which in turn translates into lower operating costs and short payback periods.
EC motors’ high efficiency also means that the motors run “cool” and dramatically reducethe amount of waste heat produced. Reduced waste heat at the evaporator motor level also typically results in reduced operation at the compressor level, which allows further energy savings. Further, running cooler improves the life of highly loaded motor parts like windings and bearings.
EC motors also have a wider operating range than traditional induction motors, which means that one ECM motor can replace several induction motor models. In this way, the number of models required by a typical customer is significantly decreased, which reduces and simplifies inventory. This is the main reason why ECM product lines usually include fewer motor models than their induction counterparts.
In terms of speed control and features, because the motor’s operation is controlled by software, EC motors allow customers to optimize and integrate the motor, fan, and controller with the application and to include features like data communications, constant volume control, variable speed, etc.
EC motors are also quieter than traditional inefficient motors, have longer design life, and require less maintenance.
