ELECTRIC MOTORS FOR CENTRIFUGAL COMPRESSOR DRIVES

by
J. C. Moore
Manager Product Sales

Large AC Motor & Generator Department

General Electric Co.

Schenectady, New York

\Vith thic; wide selection of standard ratings, it i s easy

]esse C. "]alec" Moore graduated
to find a good match between tlw driven machine size
from Texa.1 Tech Unirersity with a
and the motor ratitw: without the use of continuou" over-
B.S. in Industrial Engineering in
load capabilities. '
7941. lie joined General Electric
Company the same '_Yiear and has Paot practict' has hecn to usc motor;; with an over­
spent his entire career in the design, load capability of] 15 percent. This can reduce investment
testing, application and marketing of co�t. if the machine is to he operated at 115 JWrccnt: load.
large ac motors and generaton. Mr. Thf' motor life, however, will lw shortened because the
1lloore is the author of nwnerous pub­ temperature ris'� at 115 percent load is 90C. Conversely,
lished papers and articles. and is a the life of the same motor will he increased if this motor
member of Tau Beta Pi. is operated at 100 pl'rccnt load or approximatdy 70C
nse.
1\TilODLCTIOJ\
COHHECT MO'fOH HHHJU: SELECTION
r n the past. the decision to usc electric motors for
,.,,ntrifugal compressor drives has been made only after Torqut' selection would he easier if a simple match
all otlw1: r•nssihilitie;; to use either a steam or gas iurbim· between full-load brake horsepower and the motor rating
lun ,, Jwen ''xhatt�tnl- ----or so it has seem<'d to motor wp­ were the whole story. To get the benefits of the motor's
plier�. This picturl' may how('ver be changing a� a result simplicity. the plant desigrwr must understand its peculiar­
of the inerease in fuel cost". parti('ularly petroleum. In ities. \Vhen a motor is starting, it draws four to seven
clddition to the considnatinn;; of heat balance and invest­ tinws it:- full-load cmTcnl. Tl;i s depresses the voltage,
ment l'ost. a third factor--the availahilitv of feed stock-­ particularly on large nwtor�, and results in a reduction
mu�t be r·onsiden'tl. \Vhy burn a part ,;f the m·edcd hy­ of motor starting torque by the squarP of the voltage drop.
drocarbons when t>lectric powt>r generated from coaL hy­ If the voltage drops to BO percent, the torqut� drops to
dro, or nuclear t'ncrgy can he purehast�d with a resultant 64 [Wrcent [(80j(l2=MJ0]. This will he no problem if
!'aving of feed stock to make mon' product? Obviously, the designer has planned for this condition and matched
with th('S<' alternatin·3 this should not occur--particularly the motor speed torque curve at reduced voltage to that
when dectric motors of high efficiency and reliability are required by the compressor.
available to drive almo�t any configuration of centrifugal
It is good practice to apply a motor with torque
t·mnpressor. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the
capability at th'> Yoltage which the system drops to when
important clements of sdecting. a motor for centrifugal
tlw motor is being started that is at least 10 percent
• ·tnnpre�sor drives.
greater than thc torque required by the driven machine
at all points between zero and full speed. See Figure l.

COl{({ ECT 1\IO'fOH SIZE SELECTION

Nothing is mort' useless than a motor installed on its

foundation that is too small to start the machine to which
it is coupled. There is no excuse for this problem because
the widespread usc of computers by machine designers
makes it practical to predict accurately the brake horse­ UJ
::>
power requirements of the compressor. It is easy to avoid 0
"'
this problem because motors are available in standard 0
>-
ratings in the larger horsepower sizes in average incn·­
ments of about 15 percent. Therefore, a practice of se­
lecting the standard motor rating that matches or exceeds
the brake horsepower of the driven machine will result in
0 to 15 percent margin.
The practice of adding 10 percent to the calculated SPEED

brake horsepower and then using the next larger standard

horsepower motor will result in margins of 10 to 25 per­ Figure 1. Typical motor vs driven machine speed-torque
cent. curve.

74
 ELECTRIC MOTOR DRIVERS FOR CENTRIFUGAL COMPRESSOR DRIVES 75

A motor with special torque characterictics, a stiffer power WI(2 OF THE COMPRESSOR·
system, or a method of unloading the driven machine
may be required. On some very large motors, all three The energy required to accelerate the inertia of the
of these may be required to ensure a drive that will op­ driven machine shows up as heat in the m otor rotor as
erate. the machine comes up to speed in exactly the same way
that the kinetic energy of a moving automobile i s con­
verted to heat in the brake linings as the automobile is
MOTOR VOLTAGE AND STARTING METHOD
stopped. Frequent stops or too heavily loaded stops of an
Selection of the proper motor voltage is usually de­ automobile will cause the brake linings to overheat and
termined by the available electrical system and its size. fail. In a similar fashion, starting the motor too frequent­
The most frequently used voltage for 500-4000·hp motors ly or starting a driven machine with a load inertia larger
is 4160 volts. On large e lectrical systems, motors 4000 hp than the motor was designed for, will cause the motor
and larger may have to be rated 6600 or 13,200 volts be­ rotor winding to overheat and fail. Here the analogy
cause of available switchgear. stops for, if the motor is properly matched to the load
inertia, the rotor winding will last indefinitely. Industry
When motors are started, they draw high inrush cur· standards have been established for t he load WK2 capabil­
rent that depresses the line voltage. The amount of voltage ity of the standard m otor. These values are high enough
drop depends upon the size of the electrical system. Stan­ for most centrifugal compressor drives. Many high-speed
dards usually indicate this voltage dip should be less than compressors require step-up gears. The WK2 at the motor
10 percent; however, there are many good systems where shaft is proportional to the square of the gear ratio. For
the motor driving a compressor is the largest in the plant this reason, special m otor characteristics may be required.
and where the voltage dip is 20 to 30 percent or more.
As pointed out previously, motor torque varies as the
square of the applied voltage. This reduced available MOTOR SPEED AND TYPE
torque usually requires that motor-driven compressors be
Motor Speeds
started with the inlet valves or guide vanes closed. Most
compressors will operate under these conditions for a short Centrifugal compressors of higher speeds are being
time (usually 60 to 120 seconds) without damage from used m ore frequently than ever before. The top motor
heating or surge until the motor reaches full speed. speed available is 3600 rpm on a 60-hertz system. To
meet requirement speeds higher than 3600 rpm, it is nec­
In many cases, the compressor breakaway torque is essary to use step-up gears.
15 to 20 percent and as the compressor comes up to speed,
it evacuates itself until the torque at full speed is 15 to 20 The introduction of a step-up gear permits a normal
percent. These curves typically are as shown in Figure 2. induction motor speed of 1800 rpm: For 500 to 20,000·hp
drives, 1800 rpm is the lowest first-cost induction motor.
100 Similarly, the lowest first cost synchronous m otor speed
is 1200 rpm in sizes from 5000 hp and up. There i s really
"""eo no size limit when building a motor. Four 45,000-hp mo­
z tors, Figure :1, coupled in tandem ,to drive a 180,000-hp
� 60 axial-flow compressor at Ames Aeronautical Laboratory,
Moffet Field, California, have been operating for many
a.. years.
� 40
� 20
15 �------�
0 100%

Figure 2. Typical compressor speed-torque curve.

With low starting torque requirements, it is possible
on large ratings to design special low-inrush low-torque
motors that will cause less voltage drop when starting.
The three commonly used methods of reduced-voltage
starting in use at present are: reactor start, auto-trans­
former start, and unit transformer start. The most popular
of the three is the unit (or captive) transformer start be­
cause it does not require extra switching, can be designed
to meet individual system requirements simply by select­
ing the transformer impedance, and can permit the use
of medium or small motors on 13,800-volt systems with­
out penalizing motor characteristics. Reduced voltage Figure 3. Four 45,000-hp wound rotor induction motors
starting is never a drive requirement, but is a require­ connected in tandem to drive a wind tunnel 180, 000-hp
ment to prevent or limit the electrical system disturbance. axial-flow compressor.
76 PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRD TURBOMACHINERY SYMPOSIUM

Motor Types
There are three types of motors available for compres·
sor drives:
l. Induction
2. Synchronous
3. Wound Rotor Induction
The induction motor is the first choice for drives from
500 to 5000 hp because it has one insulated stator wind­
ing and one uninsulated, shorted rotor winding. For
1200-, 1800-, and 3600-rpm compressors, no speed in·
creaser is required. The 1800-rpm motor is the least ex·
pensive of the three speeds; therefore, this speed is usual·
ly selected for higher speeds using step-up gears.
The synchronous motor is usually the primary choice
for very large ratings because of price when power factor
and efficiency are prime considerations. These motors Figure 4. Four 37,500-hp motors connected in tandem
have three windings: one insulated winding on the stator to drive a wind tunnel 150,0100-hp axial flow compressor.
and two windings on the rotor-one insulated and one un­
insulated amortisseur winding that is used for starting
only. is no other way to control the compressor output except
The insulated synchronous motor rotor winding re· by speed control. The units shown in Figure 4 are in·
stalled at NASA Lewis Flight Propulsion Labo ratories,
quires a d-e power supply that is usually supplied from
a hrushless exciter mounted on the motor shaft. Cleveland, Ohio, and consist of four 37,500-hp motors in
tandem driving a wind tunnel 150,000-hp axial flow com·
Synchronous motors are available at the same speeds pressor.
as induction motors; however, in practice only the 1200-
rpm speed is used. Step-up gears are always used to match The increased cost of energy and the availability of
thyristors in large power sizes is causing a new interest
the compressor speed requirements. The control and op·
eration of synchronous motors require more devices, hut in the wound-rotor motor because instead of discarding
these are well understood and are very reliable. The sys· the slip power as heat at lower than synchronous speed,
tern is such that the operator controls the machine in the this power is "recycled" by solid-state rectifier inverter
same way he controls an induction motor. techniques and put back into the power system. (See Fig·
ure 5.) On applications where speed control is required
The synchronous drive is more efficient, can operate (and particularly where the load cycle requires o peration
at 1.0 pf or 0. 8 pf, and is lower in first cost in the larger at reduced speed for long periods) , this drive results in
horsepower sizes. Recent changes in motor prices have relatively high efficiency over the entire speed range.
altered the specific relationships of synchronous versus Figure 6 shows a 16, 800-hp a·c adjustable speed drive
induction motor prices, but a general relationship con· motor installed at the Schenectady Plant of the General
tinues to exist as shown below: Electric Company.

For Geared Drives Lowest First Cost MOTOR ENCLOSURES

Induction Synchronous
1800 rpm 1200 rpm Motor winding life can be substantially increased by
1. 500-15,000 hp X
the proper choice of enclosure.
2. 6,000-50,000 hp X

The overlap between 6,000 hp and 15,000 hp is inten· WOO NO

ROTOR GEAR
tiona! because specific drive characteristics and require· MOTOR COMPRESSOR
ments will change the choice.
For very large drives above 30,000 hp, the use of non· SOLID
self-starting synchronous motors at 3600 rpm is possible. STATE
RECTIFIER
These are synchronous generators that must be brought INVERTER
up to speed with a starting turbine or motor and syn·
chronized with the system and operated as a motor. Ob­
viously, it is a requirement on these drives that the com·
pressor be unloaded to 15 to 20 percent of full load to
keep the starting equipment size reasonable.
Wound-rotor induction motors have not been used for UNE
compressor drives because of their cost and high losses
when resistors are used for speed control. One exception Figure 5. Slip frequency is recycled for high efficiency
is the very large drives used in wind tunnels where there at reduced speed.
 ELECTRIC MOTOR DRIVERS FOR CENTRIFUGAL COMPRESSOR DRIVES 77

Figure 6. AC adjustable-speed test stand driven by a Figure 8. NEMA Weather-protected Type II (WPII)
16, 800-hp motqr. induction motor, rated 6000 hp, 1800 rpm.

Figure 9. Totally enclosed synchronous motor with top­

Figure 7. Dripproof enclosed induction motor, rated 450 mounted air-to-water heat exchanger.
hp, 3600 rpm.

1. Open Dripproof-For use in indoor, relatively clean

locations. See Figure 7.
2. Weather Protected II (WP 11) -For use in outdoor
locations. This enclosure can easily be m odified to include
filters when used in extremely dirty locations. See Fig­
ure 8.
3. Totally Enclosed, Water-air-cooled (TEWAC) -For
use in outdoor or indoor, clean or dirty locations. Since
the heat from the motor losses is taken away by the water,
motors having this enclosure are well suited for installa­
tion in small rooms. See Figure 9.
4. Totally Enclosed, Fan-cooled (TEFC) -These ma­
chines are arranged so that the heat is transferred from
the motor to the ambient by utilizing an air-to-air heat
exchanger either mounted on the frame of the motor or
built as a part of the motor with fins cast into the end·
shields or frames. See Figure 10.
5. Hazardous Locations-This requirement must be
m et by pressurizing the motor enclosure with clean air
or inert gas. Explosion-proof motors are not generally Figure 10. Totally enclosed fan-cooled induction mot.or
available above 500 hp. with top-mounted air-to-air heat exchanger.
78 PROCEE DINGS OF THE THIRD TURBOMACHINERY SYMPOSIUM

INSt:LATION SYSTEMS Class B insulation, normally furnished with NEMA

standard 100 percent -rated motors, operating at 80C rise
The insulation system used on most motors in the 500- by resistance in a 40C ambient, has a design life of ap­
to 20,000-hp size is rated Class B and is based on mica proximately 15 to 20 years, which matches normal plant
and epoxy. Mica has long been referred to as the standard life. Because the rate of an oxidation reaction is doubled
for dielectric capability, particularly in the area of corona for each 8-12C rise in temperature, it has been said that
resistance. Mica is applied to the coils, and then by use the lifr of a motor insulating system is cut in half for
of various Yacuum pressure methods (See Figure ll), the each 8-12C the total temperature of the winding is in­
coils are impregnated with rpoxy which is highly resistant creased. Therefore, another way of applying motors more
to moisture. Epoxy is inert to most chemicals, has excrl­ conservatively is to specify a lower than standard temper­
lrnt mechanical characteristics, and because of the im­ ature rise.
pregnation process, serves to t'nhance the mechanical
strength of thP winding by completely filling it and bond­
ing it togrthPr. The mechanical strength of the epoxy Because of torque limitations discussed previ ously, in
mica system is great To it have been addPd bracing sys­ practice the lower temperature rise can better be secured
tems like the General Electric COIL LOCK system, Figure by specifying an oversize motor. This procedure does not
12, utilizing polyester glass materials to mold a support penalize the motor operating characteristics, power factor
system designed to hold the motor Pnd turns practically and efficiencies, if no lower than 3,4 load operation is con·
immobile during the high-current starting conditions. templated. Most motors will operate at approximately SSC
These systems virtually eliminatE' coil movement and rise at 75 percent load. For temperature tise at loads in
chafing between turns which have been a primary caus<' between 75 percent and full load, the curve, Figure 13,
of winding failure in the past. is typical.

140
u II
l3130 1/ I
w

� 120 11
1.0 SERVICE
I J
0 FACTOR -
I r-, ��� II
I 1 10 !
w
u
�100 II v
I-"
tJ)
(ij 90 1/ II
w
cr
>- 80 II
Ill J 1/
)
� 70 7
7 /
w 60 / �
cr /
Figure 11. Complete stator being placed m vacuum :::>
I-50
v 1.15SERVICE
t-t-
pressure impregnation (VPI) tank. <3: � / FACTOR
cr
v v
� 40
� ......
�
� 30
20
;
10
50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140
PERCENT OF RATED HORSEPOWER

Figure 13. Typical temperature rise vs percent of rated

horsepower curve.

CONTROL AND PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT

It is generally beyond the scope of this paper to go into
the details of the control except to list the functions needed
and to stress the importance of care in selecting and coor­
dinating this equipmrnt with the motor design.

Figure 12. COIL LOCK bracing secures end turns to The function provided by the control should include
limit coil movement during starting. those listed in Table I.
 ELECTRIC MOTOR DRIVI<�RS FOR CENTRIFUGAL COMPRESSOR DRIVES 79

TABLE I

Function Ind. Motor Sy n. MotOT

1. Stall protection X X
2. Runni ng overload
protection X X
3. Protection against
single-phase operation X X
4. Protection against
failure to synchronize X
5. Protection against
loss of excitation X
() . Protection against
operation out of
sy nchronism X

ln addition, the following will giH' the motor greater

protection and should be used on large and critical drives:
Temperature D<'tectors (Stator Winding) Figure 14. Motor lerm£rw.! box with lightning urresler8
Tcmpt>rlure dct<;ctors in the stator windings arl' nvail­ and surge protection capacitors.
ahl<' on all motors being considered. \Vitb relavs in�talled
in the controL the signal from these detectors can lw made
to sound an alarm when tlwre is an abnormal change in Suacc JJ eaters
motor winding lPHlJWrature . This signal can lw ll!'<'d as an Space heaters should he installed on motors locati'd
indication of molnr distress so that the operator can check orrt-of-doors or indoors where changes in ambient ten1pera­
fur O\t'rload, clogg<·d i·iltl'rs, or other obstructions in the tuno, wlH'll the motur i� ohut. down. can cau�e accumula­
n·ntilatiug passages to the motor. A. Sf'cond relay can be tion of moisture by the dew r)()illt phc·wnm·rw. These
arranged to :;hut the machine down when the ,; perating lwater·s �imply maintain th(· mulor ternp(·ralure ,.;lightly
tcnrpcrature e>:ceeds the fksign limit by a nominal amount nhove amhir'nt �o that dew will not form durin� len1rwra·
( approximakly 10C) . turc change�. Corrosion of the mechanical parl' and moio.,.
lure damage � to tlw insulation i� thereby- minirniz<·d or
8euring Temperature Detectors eliminated .'
Bcariqg tempc·rature d<·tectors or relays arc availahJr;
that will sensP the bearing temperature on sh·cH' lwarings !Jz:j]erentia/ Protection
Dama�e cauc;cd by arcing when a rnulnr fails carr lw
' drives to minimize damage.
and �huuld he us(•d on lar!!:c
lkaring l<'mJWraturcs usua lly do not change unlesc; a ] �,s� minimized hy the 11�c of dilfen·rrtial protection. Thi� i�
of oil film (caused hy forei gn material in the oil, Io�s of accomplished by comparing the current in each phase of
· ·
oil �upply. change in aligumenL etc. ) bas caused bearing Lhc motor winding to ;;cn��c any ctllT<'Ill unbalance C<lused
'
damage. These devices are available for all motors and by winding turn insulation fai lure. An alternat<' and less
should he used on all drives where downtime must be held cxpcnsin' sy�tt>m. called a ground :-;cn�or relay. is frt··
tu a minimum. High-temperature alarm and high-temper­ qucntly lt�ed on critical dri\'es. This de\·ice senses a line
ature cutoff are available and should be set at a nominal current unbalam:e caused hv, a fault to ground. Both ;;vs·
amount above normal operating temperature and at the tems arc Yl'l'Y snrsitin· and will limit motor punclr(n g
maximum temperature permittt;d by the design, respec­ damage from arcing to ground.
tively. These devices may not giw sufficient warning to
sa\ing the bearings, hut journal and rotor damage is pre·
n·nted. �IECHANICAL CONSlDEHATIONS OF
l\IOTOR.CEAR-COi\:IPRESSOI\ ARHANCF:ME�T
Lightning and Surge Protection
Lightning arrestors and surge protection slwuld be in­ 1\lost oi the considerations discussed thus far an' well
understood by electrical l'ngineers. Howen·r, in many
stalled on all motors rated 1500 hp and larger or 1000
n1lts and higher. It may he desirable to protect even cases, mechanical coupling of the nwtor, gear. and com­
smaller maehines on critical driws. The lightning arres· pressor is often overlooked. The three most important
tors can be located in the control or at the main plant factors to be considered in a discussion of mechanical
substation if there is no exposed line between this point coupling are torsional analysis, vibration, and coupling
selection. Not withstanding their importance, it is possible
and the motor. The surge protection must be located at
the motor terminals. These surge capacitors slope off the to deal with them in only a cursory fashion in the follow­
yoltagc surges caused by switching other equipment in ing sections.
the same fashion that surge tanks or flow restricting de­
vices soften hydraulic surges caused by valving in a hy­ TOHSIONAL A NALYSIS
draulic system. Analogous to the hydraulic system, it does
little good to locate the surge tank very far from where Mechanical consideration of the motor-gear-compressor
the surge can cause damage. Over-size terminal boxes arrangement must be carefully designed as stated by P. B.
with lightning arrestors and surge protection capacitors, Thames and T. C. Heard in 1959 at an AlEE .Middle
Figure 14, are optional accessory items for large motors. Eastern District Meeting.
80 PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRD TURBOMACHINERY SYMPOSIUM

"The necessary precautions to assure satisfactory 4.0

torsional vibration performance have long been the
object of routine analytical procedure for equipments
�3.5
:IE
using synchronous machines directly connecting recipro­ I 3.0
cating compressor and engines. The primary responsi­ z

bility for such analyses, and the provisions to be made Q 2.5

to assure satisfactory torsional performance, has tradi­
.....

:2.0 \
tionally rested with the compressor or engine manufac­

�\r1 1'--_
lXI II ell
turer. Less well appreciated, though, is the importance > 1.5
of making a similar analysis of the torsional mass elas­
tic system for other types of drives. Examples of other
(!)
z
a: 1.0
I
types in which such analytical precautions have become "'
�0.5 ·�, "A•

routine are certain types of wood chippers used in the v

paper industry and geared turbine-compressor sets. 0 ____. I
With the increasing usage of large motor-gear-compres­ 0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0
sor drives in the petroleum, gas transmission, and rare RUNNING SPEED FREQUENCY
RAT IO.
gas industries, the same analytical precautions have ' RESONANT FREQUENCY

been extended to this category of equipment. Histori­ POINT "A''-MOTOR MOUNTED ON RUBBER FOR FACTORY
cally speaking, the chances are not great that difficulty TEST
in this respect will be encountered on any given equip­ POINT 8"- TYPICAL OPERATING POINT AT INSTALLATION
''
AREA �C" TO .. D" TO BE AVOIDED
ment. On the other hand, the risk inwrred with the
increasing size of the drives and the number of installa­ Figure 15. Typical resonant response curve.
tions using a multiplicity of identical drives, warrants
a thorough investigation of torsional performance be­
fore the equipment is manufactured.
are controlled by the motor manufacturer; some are func­
Any system consisting of inertias connected by shaft­ tions of the foundation, driven e quipment, alignment,
ing has one or more natural torsional frequencies. The etc. , and are obviously beyond the control and responsi­
values of these frequencies should be determined, and it bility of the motor manufacturer. The responsibility for
should be ascertained that these natural frequencies are the satisfactory mechanical operation of the motor-driven
not in near resonance with possible continuous torsional compressor system generally lies with the compressor
exciting forces. Prolonged operation at or near reson­ builder or the user who is putting the system together.
ance will result in shortening life of the gear and coup­
lings and possible damage to these components or the System Vibration at Resonance
shafting. It should further be determined that the A motor and the machines it drives form a system
equipment will not be damaged b]' conditions of un­ which has many resonant frequencies. The amount of vi­
avoidable resonance which mal' exist transiently."1 bration that will result from impressing periodic or vibra­
The above paper develops methods of calculating tor- tory forces on the system will be influenced by the rela­
sional performance of a motor, gear compressor system by tionship between impressed forcing frequencies and the
the use of analog computers. However, many motor-com­ resonant frequencies. Figure 15 is a typical vibration
pressor drives are put together without this type of analy­ response curve which shows how the vibration amplitude
sis-with surprising success. It has been this author's varies, due to rotating unbalance, at different ratios of
experience that when a torsional analysis is made, either . running speed frequency to system resonant frequency.
the shaft sizes of the gear or motor, the coupling flexibil­ The desirability of preventing the coincidence of a forc­
ity, and occasionally the size of the gear is changed to ing frequency with a resonant frequency is obvious. It is
improve torsional performance. usually desirable to have the resonant frequency 25 per­
cent above or below the forcing frequency.

CONTROL OF VIBRATION AND BALANCE Motors are designed and built so that resonant fre­
quencies of the motor components by themselves, or as an
General assembly, do not approach any known forcing frequency.
Excessive vibration is undesirable since it imposes un­ It is possible, however, that the combination of the mass
necessary forces and stresses on the equipment, its foun­ and stiffness of a motor with the mass and stiffness of a
dation, and nearby equipment. In addition, vibration is base or foundation will result in a combined resonant fre­
often the source of undesirable air-borne noise. quency which lies too close to a primary forcing frequen­
Excessive vibration may be produced by: cy, resulting in excessive vibration. The problem of res­
onant amplification should be one of the concerns of
l. Excessive vibratory forces, resulting in the genera­ those assembling and/ or installing the motor-driven com­
tion of forced vibrations of unacceptable levels. pressor system.
2. Resonant amplification, resulting in the generation of
unacceptable vibration levels by normal vibratory forces. SOURCES OF MOTOR VIBRATION
3. A combination of Items l and 2. Mechanical Unbalance of Rotor
The vibration level experienced by an installed machine All rotating bodies have a certain amount of unbalance
is a function of many variables. Some of these variables and also have a point defined as the residual unbalance.
 ELECTRIC MOTOR DRIVERS FOR CENTRIFUGAL COMPRESSOR DRIVES 81

This point represents the practical lower limit to which TABLE II

balance can be refined. As standard procedure, the rotors FACTORY-TEST VIBRATION LIMITS
of new motors are balanced to generally accepted limits ( In Mils Peak-to-Peak Vibration)
for most applications. The degree of balance a given mo­
MOTOR SPEED NEMA
tor has is generally defined by the amount of vibration
( RPM) STANDARD SPECIAL
that will be produced under certain standard test condi­
tions. The vibration produced under the conditions is not 3000 and up 0.001 0.0005
1500 to 2999 0.002 0.001
only a function of the actual amount of unbalance in the
1499 to 1000 0.0025 0.001
rotor, but is also a function of the mass of the motor, the
stiffness of the supports on which the motor is mounted,
NOTE: Large 3600 rpm motors usually require special
etc. This system is used because most people are not con­ balance.
cerned with the number of ounce-inches unbalance the
rotor of a motor may have, but rather with the vibration It should be recognized that the vibration amplitude
this unbalance will produce at some measurable point on limits given in Table I apply to a given set of conditions
the motor. of mounting, temperature, etc. , for factory tests and are
not necessarily the limits which can be expecte d under
actual operating conditions. The vibration amplitudes that
Since, in most cases, it is not practical for a motor man­ are produced under actual operating conditions m ay be
ufacturer to duplicate actual motor mounting conditions, more or less, depending upon a variety of factors.
NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association)
has set up standard mounting and test procedures. For Magnetic Forces
these tests, the motor is mounted on soft rubber mounts, Inherent in the design of electric motors are the mag­
which results in a system resonant frequency well below netic forces acting across the air gap between the rotor
the running speed frequency of the motor. The purpose and stator. These forces produce the useful work per­
of this mounting is to decouple the motor from founda­ formed by the motor; however, they also produce side
tion effects so that the vibration produced by rotor un­ effects that can result in undesirable vibration and noise.
balance, magnetic forces, etc., can be measured without The magnetic flux across the air gap produces a steady
inconsistent outside influences. NEMA standards describe force which tries to pull the rotor and stator together; the
the following test procedure for factory vibration test: flux also produces a varying force which tries to vibrate
the rotor and stator at a frequency of twice the frequency
"Method of Measuring the Motor Vibration (Dynamic exciting the motor. These forces are fairly well neutral­
Balance). ized by centering the rotor in the stator to produce a uni­
form air gap ·and are minimized by the design and con­
nection of the stator windings. However, the forces cannot
A. Place the motor on an elastic mounting so propor­
be eliminated; those remaining are responsible for normal
tioned that the up and down natural frequency shall
motor vibration and noise at twice-line frequency and the
be at least as low as 25 percent of the test speed of
resultant harmonics.
the motor. To accomplish this it is required that the
elastic mounting be defleeted downwards at least by It is important to note that these forces can be trans­
the amounts shown in the following table due to the mitted from the motor to the driven equipment, founda­
weight of the motor. When a flexible pad is used, tions, and adjacent structures and that resonant amplifica­
the compression should in no case be more than 50 tion in these parts can result in excessive vibration and
percent the original thickness of the flexible pad; noise. In addition, when a motor is installed, it can be
otherwise, the supports may be too stiff. subjected to conditions that may increase twice-line fre­
quency vibrations by increasing the amount of vibratory
Compression force and/ or changing the resonant frequencies, e ither of
RPM Inches which may result in resonant amplification. Vibratory
900 1 forces may be increased by running the motor at higher
1300 1/4 than rated voltage. Mechanical misalignment can cause
3600 1/16 shaft deflections that produce air gap dissymmetries with
7200 1/64 the resultant increase in unbalanced magnetic forces.
The resonant frequencies of rnajor motor c om ponents
B. The amplitude of vibration shall be measured on can be changed by the characteristics of the foundation
the bearing housing, in any direction, with the axis on which the motor is installed, by the type of coupling
of the shaft in the normal position. With the motor used to connect it to the driven equipment, or by differen­
operating at no load, it shall be balanced with one tial thermal expansion.
half a standard key in the keyway; that is, a key
of full length flush with the top of the keyway. An When designing a motor-driven compressor installation,
alternating-current motor shall be operated with the coincidence of system resonant frequencies with the
rated voltage and frequency applied and a direct­ various forcing frequencies present in the system should
current motor shall be operated from a ripple-free be avoided. The primary forcing frequencies originating
power supply."2 in the motor are:
l. Running-speed frequency
The factory limits for the vibration produced by a mo­ 2. Line (power supply) freque ncy
tor when tested in the previously described manner, are
given in Table II which follows: 3. Twice line frequency
 82 PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRD TURBOMACHINERY SYMPOSIUM

SOURCES OF SYSTEM VIBRATION There are few published standards of either v ibration
(or balance) limits or methods of measuring motor vibra·
The vibration a motor-driven system will experience is
tion. However, the NEMA standard procedure for measur­
not only a result of the vibratory forces produced by thE'
ing motor vibration and the typical factory vibration
motor and driven equipment, but also the dynamic re­
limits shown in Table II are generally acceptable for most
sponse of the system. This system includes bases, founda­
applications.
tions, piping and all associated parts and structures. The
sytem, then, must include all components participating in Customers who specify vibration limits for motors gen·
the vibrations. erally do so in terms of mils vibration produced at the
bearing housings with the motor operating at rated line
The primary vibratory forces associated with motor
voltage and frequency on standard NEMA mounts. This
operation have been discussed and it is beyond the scope
appears to be the most practical approach to the p roblem
of this paper to discuss the vibratory forces generated by
because it recognizes that the manufacturer cannot dupli­
the wide variety of compressors. Each type of compressor cate actual installation characteristics for test purposes; it
may produce a particular set of vibratory forces and they also recognizes that there are other possible sources of
act on the system and create -vibratory responses. motor vibration in addition to rotor unbalance.
The manner and precision with which a motor is
coupled to the dri-ven equipment can greatly influence the
COUPLINGS-CHOICE IS IMPORTANT
amount of -vibration produced by the motor and system.
The proper selection of couplings for the particular appli­ There are many types of couplings in use, but most can
cation is important, and precise alignment between shafts be classified as either rigid or flexible.
is necessary to maintain vibration at acceptable levels.
The flexible coupling is the type most often used with
Improper coupling and alignment practices can result induction and synchronous motors. For compressor drives,
in excessive vibration, not only by the creation of unnec­ the flexible coupling comes in many forms: gear type,
essarily large vibratory forces, but also by altering the flexible-disc type, pin and bushing type, spring-grid type,
resonant characteristics of the system to cause resonant and rubber-biscuit type.
amplification.
Experience has shown there is considerable misuse of
The amount of vibration various types of machinery the flexible coupling. Many users have the mistaken idea
can safely be subjected to without incurring undue haz­ that flexible couplings eliminate the need for precision
ard of premature failure, safety, etc. , varies greatly. This line-up of equipment. This is not true! The function of the
is determined not only by the type of machine, size, speed, flexible couplings is mainly to compensate for some minor
etc. , but also by the critical nature of equipment applica­ misalignments which might occur during operation due,
tion and what other consequences may occur due to a for example, to change in relative foot heights as motor
forced shutdown or premature failure. Generally, it is up and driven equipment heat to operating temperature.
to the user to determine the standards of performance.
The tolerancE' curves shown in F igure 16 are typical, but A typical coupling arrangement is illustrated in Figure
are intended for guidance purposes only. 17. It is good practice to have a "centering" or thrust­
carrying bearing as an integral part of the equipment,
which determines, within fairly close limits (0.015 inch),
the position of the rotating element of the driven equip­
10.0 ment (fixed shaft in F igure 17). If the coupling shown
9.0
8.0 VERY ROUGH in this arrangement were of the rigid type, the position of
...... SHOULD BE
7.0
' CORRECTED the motor shaft would be set relative to its own bearings
6.0
-- 1-- SLIGHTLY "
;;; 50 ROUGH
::! 4.0 r---... '\.
:::;; "'
;: 3.0
� NORMAL """
z -...... "'�--.
w
i3 2.0
!"'...... GOOD "' "' 1\
�
....... "\
.......
c[
(f)
6
z 1.0
0 0.9
f= 0.8
r---�--.
� 1\
� 0.7 "' "
!!l 0.6 "\ "\
� 0.5
'\.
\
� 0.4 "
1'\
Q.
�
I

0 3
" \
<(.
� 0.2 1\ I\
\ MOTOR SHAFT POSITION MOTOR END Fl.OAT(INOO A 9 c
•• \:� \._. \'1114
I\
SHAFT ENDS TOGETHER
;, ""' �..
0. I SHAFT EN>S APART '· �64 I� 0
100 500 1,000 5000 10,000 '" ""'l>z o

RUNNING SPEED (RPM)

Figure 17. Recommended clearances with limited end­

Figure 16. l'tf achinery vibration tolerance curves. float flexible coupling.
 ELECTRIC MOTOR DRIVERS FOR CENTRIFUGAL COMPRESSOR DRIVES 83

except for the axial growth of the shafts due to tempera· 3. axial expansion of the shaft system and displace-
ture changes or due to a change in position of the "center· ment of the "centering" bearing.
ing" bearing. Reasonable motor bearing clearances ("A"
and "B") would then protect the motor bearing from Regardless of how well-designed the coupling is, when
having the slingers come in contact with the babbitted it is operating under load, the load torque will product>
end of the bearing. sufficient friction between the coupling elements so that a
fairly large axial force may be required to change the
Flexible couplings of the disc type and/ or rubber-his· axial spacing of the coupling halves. This friction depends
cuit type also limit axial movement of the shafts sufficient· upon a number of factors such as misalignment, amount
ly to prevent motor bearing damage with normal bearing of wear on the elements, and the cleanliness of the assem­
clearance. bly. Thus, a loaded coupling tends to be an axially
"locked" device and will transmit thrusts product>d by
Many designs of flexible couplings (gear type, pin and items (1), (2), or (3) mentione d previously.
bushing type, spring-grid type) permit relative motion
between the shafts. Unless this movement ("C" + "C")
is limited to less than the motor bearing clearances CONCLUSION
("A" + "B"), it is possible for the shaft slingers to come Electric motors are easy to apply as centrifugal com­
in contact with the motor bearing. Axial thrust may then pressor drivers. Their efficiency is usually over 95 percent
be transmitted through the coupling to the bearing shoul· so they fit today's need to save energy. The application
der. Experience has shown that in many applications, principles outlined in this paper are well understood and
sufficient axial thrust to cause bearing damage may be these simple motors with only one moving part are among
transmitted through the flexible coupling. The limited the most reliable machines produced in industry. Indeed,
end-float coupling is designed with typical clearances as the trend will be toward increased usage of motors for
shown in the table, Figure 17, to prevent the shaft sling· compressor drives as the balance of energy costs shift.
ers from contacting the motor bearing positioning sur·
faces.
REFERENCES
Axial thrust may be due to:
l. Thams, P. B. and Heard, T. C., "Torsional Vibration
l. gravity forces, because the rotational axis IS not in Synchronous Motor-geared-compressor Drives,"
level, AlEE Paper 59-657 presented at the AlEE Eastern
District Meeting, Baltimore, Md., May 19-21, 1959.
2. forces produced within the coupling due to mis­
alignment wear, and 2. NEMA Standards MGI-12. 06.