ELECTRONICALLY ENHANCED LOW-VOLTAGE MOTOR PROTECTION AND CONTROL

The major advances in motor protection and control today and in the fu ture will be based on electronic enhancements. Electromechanical-based systems are limited to simple protection modes and typically have a o ne-to-one relationship between input (e.g., current) and reaction (e.g ., deflection). Micro-computer chips, with their ever increasing proce ssing speeds and program instruction sets, have given designers the to ols and the freedom to package multiple protection modes as well as cu stomized protection. This computing power allows designers to develop modern multi-function motor protection systems that include control fu nctions previously achieved only through complex hard-wired control ci rcuits. The designer can now re-examine motor protection requirements and provide unique solutions. It is also possible to replace some high level programmable controller solutions with a dedicated controller b uilt into a more user friendly, individual motor protection package. T his same package may provide data communication links for factory-wide management systems. Such a motor protection and control system addres ses motor application needs that, in the past, were often beyond the r ange of practicality.