Managing High-Power Motors: A Scientist's Perspective

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ivan Seeking
  • Start date Start date
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the challenges and experiences associated with managing high-power motors, specifically focusing on the operational aspects of bringing multiple 700 HP motors online. The conversation touches on technical details, personal anecdotes, and humorous exchanges among participants.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses anxiety about the responsibility of starting six 700 HP motors, highlighting the significant power involved (3.1 Megawatts).
  • Another participant lightens the mood by reframing the power in terms of gigawatts, suggesting a more manageable perspective.
  • There are humorous exchanges about personal life and food, including discussions about frozen broccoli and its role in holiday traditions.
  • A later contribution discusses the technical aspects of the motors, noting the efficiency of modern drives that allow for the use of 480 volt motors instead of the historically required 3600 volt motors, emphasizing the trade-offs between voltage and current in terms of I-squared-R losses.
  • The participant recounts the reaction of the crew when informed about the motor startup procedure, indicating a shared sense of caution and excitement.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants share a light-hearted tone and engage in humorous banter, but there is no explicit consensus on the technical details or operational procedures discussed. The conversation remains largely exploratory with varying perspectives on the challenges faced.

Contextual Notes

Some technical assumptions regarding motor efficiency and voltage requirements are mentioned but not fully resolved. The discussion includes personal anecdotes that may not directly relate to the technical aspects of managing high-power motors.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in electrical engineering, motor management, or those looking for a light-hearted take on technical challenges in high-power applications may find this discussion engaging.

Ivan Seeking
Staff Emeritus
Science Advisor
Gold Member
Messages
8,252
Reaction score
2,664
A personal comment on a job that has my shorts more than just a little tight... we're talking about a serious pucker factor here. Next week I am responsible for bringing online six motors at 700 HP each. That's 3.1 Megawatts! :eek:

Okay how does that go? Green to start and red to stop?
 
Engineering news on Phys.org
Just think about it this way: it's only three-thousandths of a gigawatt!

- Warren
 
chroot said:
Just think about it this way: it's only three-thousandths of a gigawatt!

- Warren
Whewww. That sounds much better! :rolleyes:
 
And I thought this was about you starting your own business :approve:
 
Already got that. :biggrin:
 
What don't you have?

:p
 
dekoi said:
What don't you have?

:p
He doesn't have deer ticks! You can put your clothes back on now Ivan. :-p

Tsu - thanks for the tip!

btw, I re-stocked your freezer with broccoli. :biggrin:
 
Evo said:
btw, I re-stocked your freezer with broccoli. :biggrin:

Oh good! I gave away all of my frozen broccoli to trick-or-treaters and now we have Christmas coming.
 
Ivan Seeking said:
Oh good! I gave away all of my frozen broccoli to trick-or-treaters and now we have Christmas coming.
I know, I kept thinking of the poor little tykes waking up Christmas morning, running over to their stockings and finding NO FROZEN BROCCOLI in them.

What's Christmas to a child if there's no broccoli in their stocking? :cry: :cry:

(although canned tuna is another must)
 
  • #10
Evo said:
(although canned tuna is another must)

That's for birthdays, you silly mentor you. :rolleyes:
 
  • #11
NO! WAIT! The frozen broccoli is to be given to the Christmas CAROLERS! The tuna's for the cats (and Ivan's birthday gift). :biggrin:

p.s.
Thanx for the broccoli Sis!
 
  • #12
Tsunami said:
NO! WAIT! The frozen broccoli is to be given to the Christmas CAROLERS! The tuna's for the cats (and Ivan's birthday gift). :biggrin:

p.s.
Thanx for the broccoli Sis!

Don't forget to dip the broccoli in ketchup to give it the proper complement of holiday colors. :approve:
 
  • #13
Well, darn!



blast.jpg
 
  • #14
I hope that's not indicative of how things went.
 
Last edited:
  • #15
Well, there used to be this nice little town...

Really things went pretty well. I still can't get over the power going through that place. One leg of the three phase going to each motor consists of something like ten, one inch+ cables! Also, strangely enough, modern drives are so efficient that 480 volt motors were used to replace 3600 volt motors. Historically the I-squared-R losses demand a higher voltage, but the ability to control motor speeds and the ability to idle yield greater gains than the losses incurred due to the increased current.

When we were ready I got a real rise from the crew when I told them how to start the motors; that I didn't want to be anywhere near the place when started. :smile: :smile: :smile: [its always my job to make the final call to start]. I saw about twenty eyes get real, real big.
 
Last edited:

Similar threads

The Scientist as Hero - or not
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
4K
No problem.Meet a Mentor: D H - Get to Know Your Wonderful Mentors Better
  • · Replies 28 ·
Replies
28
Views
9K
Requesting suggestions for languages, libraries, and architectures for parallel (and sometimes non parallel) numerical and scientific computations
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
5K
Schools Remarks on AP courses in high school
  • · Replies 110 ·
4
Replies
110
Views
25K
Graduate Hydrogen-boron High Density Plasma Toroid Fusion
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
4K
Graduate Gambini & Pullin on measuring time in quantum physics
  • · Replies 38 ·
2
Replies
38
Views
10K
Mathematica This Week's Finds in Mathematical Physics (Week 261)
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
3K
ECONOMICS: It's stupid to be afraid (Lee Kuan Yew to Der Spiegel)
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
5K
News Bush Honest & Trustworthy Until How Many Lies?
  • · Replies 65 ·
3
Replies
65
Views
13K
Mathematica This Week's Finds in Mathematical Physics (Week 253)
  • · Replies 20 ·
Replies
20
Views
5K