EC Motors Continue Gains in Industry: Such Motors Utilize Variable-Speed Technology to Optimize Fan Speeds

摘要

Electronically commutated (EC) motors continue to gain a foothold in the industry. Such motors utilize variable-speed technology to optimize fan speeds for load requirements, maximizing energy efficiency, and minimizing sound.rnAccording to research done by Washington State University (WSU), EC motors were developed to deal with such problems as not having access to three-phase ac power, phase-shifting, and friction and wear problems that might come with electromechanical commutators.rnAs the study noted, "Three-phase ac power is not available everywhere and the frequency and voltage are constant, which makes speed control difficult. Single-phase power has all the shortcomings of three-phase power.rn"In addition, phase-shifting methods produce an imperfect rotating field and tend to introduce losses in the motor. Many of the phase-shifting methods produce a weak starting torque."rnAccording to the study, an electromechanical commutator solves several of these problems.