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Nema motors offer high efficiency and reliability
Published:  04 July, 2023

ABB has developed a new generation of large Nema induction motors with modular mechanical construction and flexible electrical designs. The AMI 5800 motors use high-strength welded steel frames usually reserved for even larger motors, to reduce stress and vibration and ensure long service lives.

The motors are said to offer high energy efficiency and reliability in demanding applications such as pumps, compressors, fans, extruders, conveyors and crushers. Rated for power outputs of up to 1,750hp (1,300kW), the motors are suitable for both new-build and upgrade projects.

The high-strength welded steel frames, typically found only in larger motors, reduce stresses on the motor, while mitigating vibrations and resonance. The machines are designed to operate reliably in harsh conditions with design lives of 25 years or 20,000 starts.

The motors have shorter bearing-to-bearing spans than previous models. This is said to improve performance at high speeds, and allows the motors to be used as a drop-in replacements for existing equipment.

Most AMI 5800 models exceed North American standards for energy efficiency. They can be customised to allow some models to operate above IE4-equivalent levels of efficiency, while meeting Nema electrical performance requirements.

ABB’s AMI 5800 Nema motors have an innovative modular mechanical construction

The motors are configured for optimal airflow, and will run as cool as possible, whether in an open-air installation or enclosed with a cooler. Micadur insulation makes the motors suitable for starting high-inertia loads direct-on-line (DOL), and they can also be used with VSDs (variable-speed drives).

ABB says that the motors open up new options for non-US OEMs wanting to export to customers in North America.

“We have engineered the AMI 5800 motor to meet customer requirements for high energy efficiency and reliability, as well as sustainable manufacture and use,” says Stephen Clabburn, ABB’s UK sales manager for large motors and generators. “Its modular design in terms of cooling methods, bearings, shaft extensions and terminal boxes also provide the flexibility to match the North American installed base. This makes the AMI 5800 ideally suited for both upgrading existing installations and next-generation designs, no matter how harsh the environment it will be operating in.”

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