U.S. Department of Energy chimes in
on improving motor efficiencies
via 802.15.4 wireless sensors
Are power generation plants and the high horsepower industrial
motors they feed a major waste of our critical energy supplies?
That’s the topic of a 3-year study by the U.S. Department
of Energy. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, GE Global Research
and Sensicast Systems are partners in the study.
The three organizations joined forces to create an embedded
motor sensor system to predict failures, monitor energy usage,
monitor load conditions, and improve maintenance strategy.
As the condition of these generators and motors deteriorates,
their efficiency degrades at a rapid rate. By keeping power
station generators and high horsepower electric motors at
peak efficiency, theDOE projects energy savings exceeding
120 trillion BTUs.
Combined with power quality measures, the temperature and
vibration signals show whether the motors are operating normally
or dropping in efficiency, long before they fail.
“Electric motor driven systems consume 23 percent of
all electricity used in the United States — a truly
staggering number,” stated Paul Sereiko, president of
Sensicast. “Improving these motors’ efficiency
is a real world example of technology making a significant
difference.”
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