Developement of testing facilities for induction motors and lighting fixtures

Abstract

Energy is a finite quantity hence the need to conserve and properly manage it. A large proportion of energy in industrial and domestic applications is used in running induction motors and lighting. Management of energy in these applications requires knowledge of load characteristics such as power factor and efficiency for induction motors and Installed Load Efficacy Ratio (lLER) for lighting fixtures. In this study, methods for measurement of these performance characteristics have been developed.

A Test Facility with a capability to handle horizontally mounted induction motors of maximum 300kW Power capacity and maximum frame dimension of 550mm x 1500mm was constructed. A test standard based on Institution of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 112B was developed and used to test general purpose single phase and three phase inductions motors with the results indicating that efficiency and power factor increase with motor loading.

A Performance Assessment Unit for lighting fixtures with floor and window areas of 10.56m2 and 1.92m2 respectively was also developed. Illuminance and power consumption of various lighting fixtures' scenarios were measured. ILERs for various scenarios were determined with results showing that energy used for lighting can be greatly reduced if architectural designs are done in a way that maximizes the use of natural light.