QUANTUM CONTROLS'

TODAY’S ENGINEER
Vol 30 Issue 36: October 2018 Published exclusively for members of Quantum Controls' VIP Inner Circle

Technical advances in Drives and Motor technology is allowing

faster more accurate control of manufacturing processes
With the future of AI controls looking like the next big thing for UK and Global Manufacturing, Quantum have
invested in the most advanced Drives Service Software CRM available on the market today.

Q uantum are now by far the UK’s largest provider of VSD

Service Contract in the UK with 200+ active contract in
place today. The recording of our service and maintenance
activities on paper is not viable for today’s busy engineers who
need access to data instantly to help them run their complex
manufacturing processes, hence the investment in the new
Software which is revolutionising who we interface with our
contract clients.
But the written record has often had a far less positive effect.
From 1958 to 1961 Communist China undertook the great leap
forward, when Mao Zedong wanted to rapidly turn China into a
superpower. Intending to use surplus grain to Finance ambitious
industrial and military projects, Mao ordered the doubling and
tripling of agricultural production. From the government offices
in Beijing his impossible demand made their way down the
bureaucratic ladder, through provincial administration's, all the
way down to the village headmen. the new system with a full go live date of November the 1st.
The local officials, afraid of voicing any criticism to their superiors, If you’re an existing contract customer, we will be in touch with
concocted imaginary reports of dramatic increases in agricultural you soon to issue your password for full access.
output. As the fabricated numbers made their way back up the
autocratic hierarchy, each officer exaggerated them further,
adding a zero here or there with the stroke of a pen.
Consequently in 1958 the Chinese government was informed
that annual grain production was 50 percent more than it actually
was. Believing the reports, the government sold millions of tons
of rice to foreign countries in exchange for weapons and heavy
machinery, assuming that enough was left to feed the Chinese
population. The result was the worst famine in history and the
death of tens of millions of Chinese citizens
The new software provides our contract partners with instant,
direct, password protected access to all of their own Drive Assets
with a smartphone, tablet or PC
This a bespoke package tracing full history of any manufacturers
VSD by serial number check, including previous preventative and
Instant Access to Drive Asset Register for Quantum Contract Partners
reactive maintenance, drawings and datasheets, stock levels and
price.
Giving you the engineer full control of your assets with instant
If you are not an existing service partner but want to know
access to factual history and data immediately.
more about the unique service from Quantum Controls
Full Implementation is already underway, through all our 200+ give us a call and one of our engineer will be happy to
contracts Quantum Service Team now cover more than 10,000 meet with you discuss in more detail.
Drive Assets in the UK. All this drive data is being entered onto

Quantum Controls, Quantum House, Low Prudhoe Industrial Estate, Prudhoe, Northumberland NE42 6PQ
T: 01661 835 566 F: 01661 833 868 E: sales@quantum-controls.co.uk W: www.quantum-controls.co.uk
 Vol3013Issue
Vol Issue
36:18: Aug 2016
October 2018| |Engineers’
Engineers'Q&A's
Q&A 2016
ENGINEERS' Q & A
Every month we will put your questions to one of our engineers.
Here are the questions for October.
Question
What are the basics of DC motors for electrical engineers?
Answer...
Separate field excitation DC motors are still sometimes used for
driving machines at variable speed. These motors are very easy to
miniaturise, and essential for very low powers and low voltages.
They are also particularly suitable, up to high power levels (several
megawatts), for speed variation with simple, uncomplicated
electronic technologies for high performance levels (variation range
commonly used from 1 to 100).
Their characteristics also enable accurate torque regulation, when
operating as a motor or as a generator. Their nominal rotation
speed, which is independent of the line supply frequency, is easy to
adapt by design to suit all applications.
They are however less rugged than asynchronous motors and much
more expensive, in terms of both hardware and maintenance costs,
as they require regular servicing of the commutator and the brushes.
DC motor construction parts
A DC motor is composed of the following main parts:
Field coil or stator
This is a non-moving part of the magnetic circuit on which a
winding is wound in order to produce a magnetic field. The electro-
magnet that is created has a cylindrical cavity between its poles.
Armature or rotor
This is a cylinder of magnetic laminations that are insulated
from one another and perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder.
The armature is a moving part that rotates round its axis, and is
separated from the field coil by an air gap. Conductors are evenly
distributed around its outer surface.
2 3
Commutator and brushes
The commutator is integral with the armature. The brushes are
fixed. They rub against the commutator and thus supply power to
the armature conductors.
Operating principle
When the field coil is energised, it creates a magnetic field
(excitation flux) in the air gap, in the direction of the radii of the
armature. This magnetic field “enters” the armature from the North
pole side of the field coil and “exits” the armature from the South
pole side of the field coil.
When the armature is energised, currents pass through the
conductors located under one field coil pole (on the same side
of the brushes) in the same direction and are thus, according to
Laplace’s law, subject to a force.
The conductors located under the other pole are subject to a force
of the same intensity in the opposite direction. The two forces
create a torque which causes the motor armature to rotate (see
Figure 1).
Figure 1 – Production of torque in a DC motor
When the motor armature is powered by a DC or rectified voltage
supply U, it produces back emf E whose value is:
E = U – RI
where RI represents the ohmic voltage drop in the armature.
The back emf E is linked to the speed and the excitation by the
equation: E = k ω Φ
Where:
• k is a constant specific to the motor
• ω is the angular speed
• Φ is the flux
This equation shows that at constant excitation the back emf E
(proportional to ω) is an image of the speed.
The torque is linked to the field coil flux and the current in the
armature by the equation:
T=kΦI
If the flux is reduced, the torque decreases.
There are two methods for increasing the speed
1. Either increase the back emf E, and thus the supply voltage at
constant excitation: this is known as “constant torque” operation.
2. Or decrease the excitation flux, and thus the excitation current,
while keeping the supply voltage constant: this is known as
“reduced flux” or “constant power” operation. This operation
requires the torque to decrease as the speed increases (see
Figure 2 below). However, for high reduced flux ratios this
operation requires specially adapted motors (mechanically and
electrically) to overcome switching problems.
Figure 2 - Torque/speed curves for a separate field excitation motor
The operation of this type of device (DC motor) is reversible //
If the load opposes the rotation movement (the load is said to be
resistive), the device provides a torque and operates as a motor.
If the load is such that it tends to make the device rotate (the load is add their effects. Otherwise it is a negative flux motor. But this
said to be driving) or it opposes the slow-down (stopping phase of a particular mounting method is very rarely used as it leads to
load with a certain inertia), the device provides electrical energy and unstable operation with high loads.
operates as a generator.
Various types of DC motor
Figure 3 – Diagrams of the various types of DC motor
Engineers' Q&A | Vol 30 Issue 36: October 2018
Parallel excitation (separate or shunt)
The coils, armature and field coil are connected in parallel or
supplied via two sources with different voltages in order to adapt
to the characteristics of the machine (e.g. armature voltage 400
volts and field coil voltage 180 volts).
The direction of rotation is reversed by inverting one or other of the
windings, generally by inverting the armature voltage due to the
much lower time constants. Most bidirectional speed drives for DC
motors operate in this way.
DC shunt motor
Series wound
The design of this motor is similar to that of the separate field
excitation motor. The field coil is connected in series to the
armature coil, hence its name. The direction of rotation can be
reversed by inverting the polarities of the armature or the field coil.
This motor is mainly used for traction, in particular on trucks
supplied by battery packs. In railway traction the old TGV (French
high-speed train) motor coaches used this type of motor. More
recent coaches use asynchronous motors.
Compound wound (series-parallel excitation)
This technology combines the qualities of the series wound motor
and the shunt wound motor. This motor has two windings per field
coil pole. One is connected in parallel with the armature. A low
current (low in relation to the working current) flows through it. The
other is connected in series.
It is an added flux motor if the ampere turns of the two windings
DC shunt motor
 Vol 30 Issue 36: October 2018 | Engineer of the Month Award Winners | Vol 30 Issue 36: October 2018

ENGINEER OF THE MONTH Quantum wins prestigious

This month we’re talking to Global 100 ‘Best UK ABB Drive
Keith Donaldson, Integrity Service Provider 2018’ Award
Manager at Yorkshire Water (left to right); Keith Donaldson, Paul Mayfield, Alan Rainer and Darren
Henighan
1. Tell us about your company, your clients and the services
you offer.
Quantum Controls were established in 1989, we have been the
Question 1 - Let’s start by telling us your background and when you started at Inter Yorkshire Water? largest supplier of ABB Variable Speed Drives and Motors in the
UK since 1994, making us experts in ABB Drives. We have over
Answer: I started work with Yorkshire Water a long time ago as a junior engineer and have held various roles 200 Drive Maintenance Contacts throughout the UK and are the
(management and engineering) in my 30 plus years. leading independent supplier of Drive Service and Maintenance
to all sectors of Industry. We are Official Service Partners
for Schneider, Danfoss, Mitsubishi, Vacon and Nidec Control
Techniques. This means we can offer expert service on all major
Question 2 - How would you describe your day/job to a child? drive brands in the UK though our fully qualified and trained
Drive Service Engineer Network.
Answer: Job Title: Integrity Manager therefore “make sure things don’t fall down”.
2. How does it feel to be an award winner and to what do you
most owe this success? We are innovative in bringing new solutions to our client’s
We are delighted to win this award, our constant drive to always problems, we don’t dwell on what we as a company need. We
Question 3 - Describe your role in 3 words. exceed our customers’ expectations in every aspect of our are engineers and experts so understand the problems our
business has led to our growth and success. clients face each day, we strive to always provide solutions to
Answer: Challenging, exciting and rewarding. client’s problems.
3. How important do you believe awards like this to be, both to
7. Tell us about your overriding philosophy when it comes to
individual businesses like yourselves and in your wider industry?
your clients. What do you see as the most vital areas to focus
Winning awards like this is important for our staff and our
Question 4 - What do you enjoy the most and least about engineering? on when it comes to providing the best possible service?
clients, it enables them to feel assured they are working for
We believe that dealing with Quantum should deliver solutions
contributing to a successful business and our clients have
Answer: Every day brings a new challenge and not learning from past experiences. the reassurance they are dealing with the a company that is
to client’s problems and be a pleasurable experience all round.
recognised as the ‘best in class’ in our industry sector. 8. Tell us about the culture within your firm and the things you
do to maintain and develop it. How does it influence your
4. What techniques do you employ to ensure you remain at the
Question 5 - If you could switch jobs with someone, who would it be? interactions with and results achieved for your clients?
top of your industry?
Excellent Customer service is what all our staff strive to deliver,
We put our customers first, all of our staff receive continuous
Answer: Tony Pullis - manager of Middlesbrough FC training to ensure they are experts on the Drives and Motors
we invest heavily in our staff and employ for attitude as this is a
constant while product knowledge can be learnt.
we sell and support into the UK market place but alongside that
we ensure that all employees have the right attitude to ensure 9. What sets you apart from your competitors and peers and
how do you use this differentiation to your advantage?
Question 6 - What new engineering skills have you developed over the past year? customer service is the first things they think of every day. We
have recently published our definitive guide to ABB Drives, it’s We are innovative in our product and service delivery to our
Answer: How many different techniques there are when undertaking asset integrity inspections. an easy user guide that shows you how to carry out correct customers, we set a level customer service along with technical
installation, basic start up programming and fault finding for the expertise that when put together is unrivalled in our industry.
complete range of ABB Drives manufactured from 1995 – 2018. 10. What have been the most prevalent trends in your industry
This has taken over a year to collate, a lot of hard work but the over the past 12 months?
Question 7 - What is your biggest achievement to date - personal or professional? end result is worth it and we recommend getting your hands on We have seen growth in motor and drive sales but a huge
one if you can! uptake on temporary rental and long term lease of Variable
Answer: We have just completed our 2nd self-build house project, the first one was circa 25 years ago and we Speed Drives. A Service that is unique to Quantum Controls in
5. What areas have you focused on and what challenges have
forgot how hard it was! the UK.
you overcome to be named for this award?
We have doubled the size of our business in the last four years, 11. What does the future hold for your firm?
serving our clients at local level on a national basis. Investing in We are opening more service centres throughout the UK and
Question 8 - Last but not least, do you have any advice for someone who has just joined the engineering industry? people to deliver the best experience possible for our customers. expanding our Rental Division into Europe in 2019.
6. How do you stay ahead of your competitors in a fast paced To get your hands on one of our Easy Guide to ABB Variable
Answer: Enjoy it and learn from the experienced engineers. business environment? Speed Drives, visit our dedicated site, www.abbquickguide.com.

4 5
 Vol 30 Issue 36: October 2018 | Engineer Mastery
ENGINEER MASTERY
What are the 10 different duty
types (load cycle) of three-phase
asynchronous motors?
Motor Duty / Load Cycle: the term duty defines the load cycle to which the machine is
subjected, including, if applicable, starting, electric braking, no-load and rest de-energized
periods, including their durations and sequence in time.
D
uty considered as a generic term, for example, can be
classified as continuous duty, short-time duty or periodic
duty. The percentage ratio between the period of loading
and the total duration of the duty cycle is defined ‘cyclic
duration factor’.
It is the responsibility of the purchaser to declare the duty, although
expert motor suppliers should always prompt you by asking the right
questions.
Where the purchaser does not declare the duty, the manufacturer
shall assume that duty type S1 (continuous running duty) applies.
The duty type shall be designated by the appropriate abbreviation
and the purchaser may describe the type of duty based on the
classifications according to the indications given below.
When the rating is assigned to the motor (values declared, usually
by the manufacturer, for a specified working condition of a
machine), the manufacturer must select one of the rating classes.
If no designation is given, the rating relevant to the continuous
running duty shall be applied.
In compliance with the classification of Std. IEC 60034-1 here are
some indications regarding the duty types which are typically
considered as reference to indicate the rating of the motor.
Continuous running duty (type S1)
For a motor suitable to this duty type, the rating at which the
machine may be operated for an unlimited period is specified. This
class of rating corresponds to the duty type whose appropriate
abbreviation is S1.
DEFINITION – The duty type S1 can be defined as operation at a
constant load maintained for sufficient time to allow the machine
to reach thermal equilibrium.
Short-time duty (type S2)
For a motor suitable to this duty type, the rating at which the
machine, starting at ambient temperature, may be operated for a
limited period is specified. This class of rating corresponds to the
duty type whose appropriate abbreviation is S2.
DEFINITION – The duty type S2 can be defined as operation at
constant load for a given time, less than that required to reach
6 7
thermal equilibrium, followed by a time de-energized and at rest
of sufficient duration to re-establish the equilibrium between the
machine temperature and that of the coolant temperature.
A complete designation provides the abbreviation of the duty
type followed by an indication of the duration of the duty (S2 40
minutes).
Periodic duty (type S3-S8)
For a motor suitable to this duty type, the rating at which the
machine may be operated in a sequence of duty cycles is specified.
With this type of duty, the loading cycle does not allow the machine
to reach thermal equilibrium.
This set of ratings is linked to a defined duty type from S3 to S8 and
the complete designation allows identification of the periodic duty.
If not otherwise specified, the duration of a duty cycle shall be
10 minutes and the cyclic duration factor shall have one of the
following values: 15%, 25%, 40%, 60%.
The cyclic duration factor is defined as the ratio between the period
of loading, including starting and electric braking, and the duration
of the duty cycle, expressed as a percentage.
Duty type S3
(Intermittent periodic duty)
DEFINITION – The duty type S3 is defined as a sequence of identical
duty cycles, each including a time of operation at constant load
and a time de-energized and at rest. The contribution to the
temperature-rise given by the starting phase is negligible.
A complete designation provides the abbreviation of the duty type
followed by the indication of the cyclic duration factor (S3 30%).
The duty type S4
(Intermittent periodic duty with starting)
DEFINITION – The duty type S4 is defined as a sequence of identical
duty cycles, each cycle including a significant starting time, a time of
operation at constant load and a time de-energized and at a rest.
A complete designation provides the abbreviation of the duty
type followed by the indication of the cyclic duration factor, by the
moment of inertia of the motor JM and by the moment of inertia of
the load JL, both referred to the motor shaft (S4 20% JM = 0.15 kg
m2 JL = 0.7 kg m2).
The duty type S5
(Intermittent periodic duty with electric braking)
DEFINITION – The duty type S5 is defined as a sequence of identical
duty cycles, each cycle consisting of a starting time, a time of
operation at constant load, a time of electric braking and a time
de-energized and at a rest.
A complete designation refers to the duty type and gives the same
type of indication of the previous case.
The duty type S6
(Continuous-operation periodic duty)
DEFINITION – The duty type S6 is defined as a sequence of identical
duty cycles, each cycle consisting of a time of operation at
constant load and a time of operation at no-load. There is no time
de-energized and at rest.
A complete designation provides the abbreviation of the duty type
followed by the indication of the cyclic duration factor (S6 30%).
The duty type S7
(Continuous-operation periodic duty with electric braking)
DEFINITION – The duty type S7 is defined as a sequence of identical
duty cycles, each cycle consisting of a starting time, time of
operation at constant load and a time of electric braking. There is
no time de-energized and at rest.
A complete designation provides the abbreviation of the duty type
followed by the indication of both the moment of inertia of the
motor JM and the moment of inertia of the load JL (S7 JM = 0.4 kg
m2 JL = 7.5 kg m2).
The duty type S8
(Continuous-operation periodic duty with related load / speed)
DEFINITION – The duty type S8 is defined as a sequence of identical
duty cycles, each consisting of a time of operation at constant load
corresponding to a predetermined speed of rotation, followed
by one or more times of operation at other constant loads
corresponding to different speeds of rotation.
There is no time de-energized and at rest.
A complete designation provides the abbreviation of the duty type
followed by the indication of the moment of inertia of the motor JM
and by the moment of inertia of the load JL, together with the load,
Engineer Mastery | Vol 30 Issue 36: October 2018
speed and cyclic duration factor, for each speed condition (S8 JM =
0.7 kg m2 JL = 8kgm2 25kW 800rpm 25% 40kW 1250rpm 20% 25
kW 1000 rpm 55%).
Non-periodic duty (type S9)
Duty with non-periodic load and speed variations.
For a motor suitable to this duty type, the rating at which the
machine may be operated non-periodically is specified. This class of
rating corresponds to the duty type whose appropriate abbreviation
is S9.
DEFINITION – The duty type S9 is defined as a duty in which
generally load and speed vary non-periodically within the
permissible operating range. This duty includes frequently applied
overloads which may greatly exceed the reference load.
Duty with discrete constant loads and speeds (type S10)
For a motor suitable to this duty type, the rating at which the
machine may be operated with a specific number of discrete
loads for a sufficient time to allow the machine to reach thermal
equilibrium is specified.
The maximum permissible load within one cycle shall take into
consideration all parts of the machine (the insulation system,
bearings or other parts with respect to thermal expansion).
The maximum load shall not exceed 1.15 times the value of the load
based on duty type S1. Other limits as regards the maximum load
may be given in terms of limits of temperature of the winding. The
minimum load may have the value zero, when the machine operates
at no-load or is de-energized and at rest.
This class of rating corresponds to the duty type whose appropriate
abbreviation is S10.
DEFINITION – The duty type S10 is defined as the operation
characterized by a specific number of discrete values of load
maintained for a sufficient time to allow the machine to reach
thermal equilibrium. The minimum load during a duty cycle may
have value zero and be relevant to a no-load or rest condition.
Duty for equivalent loading
For a motor suitable to this duty type, the rating, for test purposes,
at which the machine may be operated at constant load until
thermal equilibrium is reached and which results in the same stator
winding temperature rise as the average temperature rise during
one load cycle of the specified duty type.
Ultimately, this is brief guide for use by today’s busy engineers,
but we recommend that you get you motor specified by
qualified motor suppliers. Quantum Controls are the UK’s
leading supplier of the market leading ABB motor range, and
our experts would always request application details from you
and then offer the right motor for you needs.
If we can help you in specifying the appropriate motor for your
application, email us at sales@quantum-controls.co.uk
 Vol 30 Issue 36: October 2018

TheThe
Easy Guide
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A chance to win one of our Quantum Controls Jackets!

Send in your completed crossword for the chance to win one of our Quantum jackets!
Send a scan or a photo to d.koleva@quantum-controls.co.uk with your postage address and jacket size. Winner will be announced in the next issue! GOOD LUCK!

Across Down
1 the process of keeping something in good condion 2 equipment is installed and tested to verify
if it funcons correctly
3 comes in a range of sizes, R0, R1 etc
4 switch that opens and closes circuits
6 the regulaon employers need to either prevent or reduce their workers’ exposure to substances that are electromechanically or electronically
hazardous to their health
5 a tool for measuring distances and
7 used to create a vacuum or negave air pressure in a system or stack (abbreviated) transferring measurements at a fixed rao
of length
9 measurement correspinding to the value but not necessarily the real value
8 a flow of electricity which results from the
11 a conductor or a group of conductors used for collecng electric power from the incoming feeders and ordered direconal movement of
distributes them to the outgoing feeders electrically charged parcles
12 a fuse unit whch can be connected and disconnected manually with power using a handle 10 similar to a patch cord and is the informal
name given to a cable fied with a connector
13 cabinet for electrical or electronic equipment to mount switches, knobs and displays and to prevent electrical at one end and bare wires at the other
shock to equipment users and protect the contents from the environment
14 various types of machine in which the kinec energy of a moving fluid is converted into mechanical energy
by causing a bladed rotor to rotate

Across Down
1 the process of keeping something in good condion 2 equipment is installed and tested to verify
if it funcons correctly
3 comes in a range of sizes, R0, R1 etc
4 switch that opens and closes circuits
6 the regulaon employers need to either prevent or reduce their workers’ exposure to substances that are electromechanically or electronically
hazardous to their health
5 a tool for measuring distances and
7 used to create a vacuum or negave air pressure in a system or stack (abbreviated) transferring measurements at a fixed rao
of length
9 measurement correspinding to the value but not necessarily the real value
8 a flow of electricity which results from the
11 a conductor or a group of conductors used for collecng electric power from the incoming feeders and ordered direconal movement of
distributes them to the outgoing feeders electrically charged parcles
12 a fuse unit whch can be connected and disconnected manually with power using a handle 10 similar to a patch cord and is the informal
name given to a cable fied with a connector
13 cabinet for electrical or electronic equipment to mount switches, knobs and displays and to prevent electrical at one end and bare wires at the other
shock to equipment users and protect the contents from the environment
14 various types of machine in which the kinec energy of a moving fluid is converted into mechanical energy
by causing a bladed rotor to rotate