Motor failures come in three basic types: electrical, mechanical and mechanical that progresses
into electrical. We’ll first focus on electrical motor failures and next issue will look into
mechanical failures. Both will share tips for avoiding application-related problems and getting the
longest life out of your pumping installation.
About eighty percent (80%) of electrical motor failures are a result of winding damage in the
motor stator, due to either overheating or voltage issues. Electrical motors take electrical energy
and convert it into mechanical energy, producing heat as a by-product. In submersible motors, that
heat is removed by the flow of the water past the motor. Overheating is always either caused by a
lack of cooling flow, or the generation of more heat than can be displaced.
Electrical current (amperage) that is higher than normal poses a problem to the motor. As
amperage in the motor increases, the amount of heat on the windings increases. This build-up of
heat in the windings affects the life of the motor. For every 10 °C (18 °F) the internal winding
temperature is increased, the life of the motor is cut in half. For example, if the motor is normally
designed to have an internal temperature of 30 °C with a life expectancy of 10 years, raising the
winding temperature to 40 °C cuts the life to five years. This rule-of-thumb applies to all motors,
not just submersibles.
High amperage can be caused by several conditions creating bound pump, dragging impellers, and
high, low or unbalanced voltage. It may seem counterintuitive, but voltage that is either too high
or too low causes high amps. Franklin Electric designs voltage windings to operate up to plus or
minus 10% from nameplate voltage. For example, a 230 Volt motor needs to see voltage between
207 and 253 Volts. Once the voltage exceeds this range in either direction, the motor cannot run
without excessive heating of the windings.
A three-phase motor is designed to operate with three equal voltages and any voltage imbalance
will lead to an even higher current unbalance. For example, a 1% voltage unbalance will result in
approximately 6-10% current unbalance, causing overheating in the motor windings. At service
factor amperage, the current imbalance in a three-phase motor should not exceed 5% (see page 34
of the AIM Manual for details and how to correct). Any current that significantly exceeds service
factor amperage (found on the motor nameplate and the AIM Manual) is considered high
amperage.
The extreme case of three-phase imbalance is single-phasing. That is, when one of the three
phases is lost. There are two types of single-phasing: primary and secondary. Primary single-
phasing occurs when one line of the high voltage (primary side) of the transformer is opened. A
tree limb falling or a car hitting a power pole can cause this. Single-phasing of the primary can
cause the motor amperage on two of the three lines to increase by 115%, while the third line
increases by 230%. Secondary single-phasing occurs when one line on the motor side (secondary
side) of the transformer is opened. This can be caused by storm damage, loose connections or
insulation problems in the wiring. Single-phasing of the secondary causes the motor amperage on
the remaining two lines to increase by 173%, while the third line drops to zero.
High voltage surges or spikes are usually the result of close proximity lightning strikes, power line
switch gear or the removal of large inductive loads from power lines. These spikes and surges can
travel to the motor windings and break down insulation resistance. Franklin Electric motors can
handle momentary voltage surges up to 10,000 Volts; however, power surges are not limited to
that magnitude of voltage. That is why surge arrestors, capable of handling multiple hits, are
recommended for submersible motors without internal arrestors. Surge arrestors are provided with
most Franklin 4-inch, single-phase motors. Surge arrestors will need to be provided as a separate
component with three-phase motors. Keep in mind that proper grounding is key to the
effectiveness of a surge arrestor. Any surge is looking for the easiest path to the ground and there
is little advantage to an arrestor unless it is grounded to the water strata.
Proper overloads are critical in protecting a submersible motor electrically. Overloads protect
motor windings against heat damage caused by high current. The job of the overload is simple-
detect the condition and take the motor off-line. All Franklin Electric 60 Hz, single-phase motors
have overload protection built-in, either in the motor itself or in the control box (see the May /
June 2011 edition Franklin AID for more details).
Franklin three-phase motors do not come installed with overload protection; you will need to
supply the protection in the three-phase panel. Three-phase panels from Franklin Electric come
supplied with the overload protection you need. These overloads can be one of three types:
1) the traditional heater type
2) adjustable overloads such as the ESP100
3) the electronic type such as SubMonitor.
No matter which type of overload is used it must be a Class 10 overload or capable of providing
Class 10 protection. Improper overload selection and adjustment is one of the leading causes of
three-phase motor failures. Overloads are also designed to protect the motor from extreme cases of
overcurrent. For the best protection against a complete range of scenarios, an electronic protection
device such as Pumptec (single-phase) or SubMonitor (three-phase) is ideal. For more information
on three-phase overloads see pages 29-31 of the Franklin Electric AIM Manual.
Even when the unexpected happens, Franklin Electric encourages you to be prepared by
understanding the cause and effect of electrical application motor failures. With a Franklin motor
you can feel confident in your installation and by taking the proper steps you can better provide a
long motor service life.