Motor control fundamentals

Electric motors are a critical part of our daily lives and as important is the ability to safely operate them. Motor starters provide that safety to both the operator and the motor itself. In this video Kyle Harrison, Product Manager Medium Voltage Control Assemblies, explains what motor starters are and how they work.

Motor starters are electrical devices used to safely start and stop motors while also providing them with overcurrent and undervoltage protection.

Along with a breaker or fuse, the primary components that go into motor starters are contactors and relays. The purpose of the contactor is to establish and interrupt the power circuit to the motor. Relays protect motors from drawing too much current and overheating.

Kyle also walks through the various motor starter designs and how they work including:
Across-the-line (ATL) starter (also referred to as full voltage starters) and how inrush current affects motors and the electrical system
Reduced-voltage autotransformers
Reduced-voltage primary reactors
Solid-state soft starters (also referred to as reduced voltage soft starters (RVSS))
Variable frequency drive (VFD)

We also explain how motor starter design is based on system voltage and discuss motor starters applications.

Stay tuned for our Medium voltage motor controls video coming soon.

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Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:16 What are motor starters
01:29 How do motor starters work
02:20 Types of motor starters
08:31 Where are motor starters used

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