Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories
Newsroom
SEL motorMAX optimizes performance of low-voltage motor management
PULLMAN, Wash. — Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc. (SEL) has introduced a comprehensive, centralized control system that monitors, controls and protects low-voltage motor control systems. Scalable to any size motor control center (MCC), motorMAX™ is a turnkey system that ships to customers fully configured, tested and ready for immediate assembly into MCCs.
“We have leveraged SEL’s time-proven power system protection technology to bring smart motor controls to a whole new level,” said Scott Manson, P.E., Engineering Services technology director. “With motorMAX, SEL has completely eliminated programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and as a result has greatly simplified motor management.”
High-speed arc-flash mitigation technology comes standard in the motorMAX. The system detects arc-flash events and trips upstream breakers to protect personnel.
“Arc-flash detection and mitigation are effective methods for reducing incident energies in old MCC gear,” said Manson. “motorMAX is a low-cost alternative to replacing existing MCC line-ups while still allowing users to keep up with modern safety requirements.”
Another safety feature of the motorMAX is its remote human-machine interface (HMI), which allows operators to control motors from a safe distance. The HMI displays warnings, alarms and status indication signals to maintenance and process personnel. To assist in troubleshooting and diagnosing fault events, the system automatically collects time-synchronized Sequence of Events (SOE) records and COMTRADE oscillography in the SEL-849 Motor Management Relay, a standard component of the system. Time synchronization between the relays is accomplished via the Simple Network Time Protocol (SNTP). A standard Modbus® interface allows process control systems remote status and control of MCCs. A typical round-trip time for controlling a motor contactor is 100 ms and can be faster.
“motorMAX customers don’t need to enter any relay or controller settings because all devices come pre-configured and tested,” Manson said. “That saves our customers hundreds of hours of engineering labor for a typical MCC and translates into better quality and lower risk for MCC purchasers.”
motorMAX is available now, and customers can find more information about features, benefits and applications at www.selinc.com/p224 .
SEL serves the power industry worldwide through the design, manufacture, supply and support of products and services for power system protection, monitoring, control, automation, communications and metering. For more than 30 years, SEL has provided industry-leading performance in products and services, local technical support, a 10-year worldwide warranty and a commitment to making electric power safer, more reliable and more economical.