Results from initial testing by the Copper Development Association (CDA) comparing the efficiencies of the Copper Rotor Motor (CRM) and three Permanent Magnet Motors (PMM) were revealed at the 2015 Energy Efficiency in Motor Driven Systems (EEMODS) Conference.
Richard E. deFay, project manager for CDA’s sustainable energy program, presented the findings at the Sokos Hotel Presidentti in Helsinki, Finland. His presentation, titled A Comparative Efficiency Analysis of a 7.5 HP Copper Rotor Motor and Three Permanent Magnet Motors, gave specific details of the study’s recent testing procedures and research data results.
“The efficiency of the Permanent Magnet Motor has been widely regarded as superior to that of the induction motor,” said deFay. “What CDA set out to do was conduct a relevantly equal apples to apples system comparison between the PMM and CRM by using the drive specified by the PMM manufacturer to determine the validity of marketing claims.”
The first round of testing used a 7.5 horsepower Copper Rotor Motor and three different manufacturers’ Permanent Magnet Motors. The testing was conducted at the motor testing laboratory of Advanced Energy, Inc. of Raleigh, North Carolina under the supervision of Emmanuel Agamloh, Ph.D., P.E., and his staff over a period of several months.
Motors were tested in three phases over a range of speeds and torque on the same variable frequency drive to compare efficiency. In phases I and III of the study, the efficiency of the Copper Rotor Motor was found to be higher than that of the commercially available PM motor. During phase II, it was found that neither motor’s system efficiency was clearly higher than the other.
“The findings of this comparative analysis are quite interesting, and indicate that further motor studies must be undertaken at different horsepower speeds,” said deFay. “We now have an opportunity to conduct further evaluations on a larger scale to more accurately evaluate Copper Rotor Motor technology.”
Attendees were given the results of this first round of testing that could potentially include 5, 10 and 20 horsepower motors in the future.
EEMODS, held every other year, brings together the world’s leading experts to share findings and research data on the most cutting-edge motor technology and innovation. Past EEMODS have been in Beijing, China; Nantes, France; Washington, DC and Rio de Janiero, Brazil, to name a few. The 2015 conference took place September 15-18.
