NovaTorque, Inc. announces the release and availability of the 2 and 3 HP @ 1800 RPM motors of the company’s line of Premium Plus+ high efficiency electric motors. The NovaTorque Premium Plus+ motors offer higher efficiency and smaller size at a price competitive to current NEMA Premium induction motors. The motors are available direct from NovaTorque either as a motor system paired with a variable frequency drive (VFD) or standalone.
“The delivery of these initial models of this new line of high efficiency electric motors to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and systems integrators is a breakthrough, offering higher efficiency than that of NEMA Premium motors” said Emily Liggett, NovaTorque CEO. “The NovaTorque motors offer equipment manufacturers, and their customers, a competitively priced step-up in performance and efficiency just as the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which mandates higher motor efficiency, is taking effect.”
The 2 HP Premium Plus+ motor has a full-load rated efficiency of 91.5% at the rating point of 1800 rpm, while the 3 HP Premium Plus+ motor has a full-load rated efficiency of 90.5%. In comparison, the full-load NEMA Premium motor ratings are 86.5% and 89.5% for 2 and 3 HP motors respectively. In addition to having higher efficiency at the rating point than NEMA Premium motors, the Premium Plus+ motors maintain their high efficiency over a much wider speed and load range. The net result is a 5-to-8% average improvement in operating efficiency over that of a NEMA Premium motor in a typical variable speed, variable load application such as a fan or blower. The improvement is even more dramatic when compared to typical installed induction motors, averaging in the range of 15-to-30%.
“The design team set an objective to develop a more efficient motor that would assist in lowering energy consumption, and ultimately reduce carbon output, while maintaining a price point competitive with current state-of-the-art NEMA Premium motors ,” said John Petro, NovaTorque CTO. “We have delivered on that objective!”
In addition to offering improved efficiency and performance, the Premium Plus+ motors are smaller than comparable NEMA Premium motors. The benefit to equipment manufacturers is the ability to reduce the size of the motor cabinet or enclosure, or use a direct-drive configuration in fan applications, saving cost of materials. The 2 HP Premium Plus+ motor is available in a 143T frame. The 3 HP version is available in a 143T or 182T configuration. Foot and flange mountings are available.
The Premium Plus+ motors are based on NovaTorque’s unique stator and rotor hub geometry. The laminated field poles used in the stator have conical end-surfaces, instead of the conventional perpendicular flat cross-section. The rotor hubs have conical shapes that match the end-surfaces of the field poles. This approach doubles the surface area available for magnetic flux transmission, while minimizing the volume of materials. The increased surface area at the rotor/stator interface concentrates the magnetic flux. This allows NovaTorque to use lower cost ferrite magnets in its interior permanent magnet (IPM) rotor hubs to achieve motor efficiency and performance that equals or exceeds much more expensive motors that use rare-earth (neodymium) magnets.
Sample units of the Premium Plus+ motors are immediately available to qualified OEM equipment manufacturers and systems integrators.