STARK Forced Ventilation
We Make Motors Cool
Overheating: one of the most common causes of motor failure
Heat is the biggest enemy of electric motors. According to the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), operating a motor just 10°C above its recommended maximum operating temperature cuts its life in half, even if the overheating was only temporary.
As manufacturer in the industry the last thing you want to occur is downtime or breakdown because of an overheated motor. When overheating destroys a motor, lost revenues may exceed the costs of replacement purchase and installation. A ruined batch or stopped assembly line can delay a production and cause customers to seek out another supplier.
That’s never good for business, and it’s probably not something you want to be known for by potential customers.
In the following situations we advise to use forced ventilation:
- High torque on low speed
- Operation of a motor with frequency inverter with a setting range > 1:20
- Frequency inverters that have to generate rated torque at low speeds or even at standstill
- Use of an encoder system on the B-side (when the integrated fan is removed)
- Drives with high starting frequency
- Drives that are operated above the rated speed (high fan noise)
To prevent motors from overheating cooling is necessary to continuously transfer the heat to a cooling medium, such as the air. IEC and NEMA state that for every 10°C that the motor is cooler, the insulation life will be doubled. This can be achieved with forced ventilation.
Forced ventilation units are separately driven fans for electric motors. An IC 416 (formerly IC43) externally cooled motor can operate at a higher load and is likely to have a longer life than an electric motor without forced ventilation.