Project Analog - August 2008 - (Page 3)

Viewpoint By Murray Slovick mslovick@hearst.com A Toward that end manufacturers seeking smarter and more efficient ways to run industrial and consumer products have been zeroing in on the energy consumed in driving motors. Smarter controls help make motors more Efficient s oil prices flirt with $140 per barrel and demand for energy continues to grow at unprecedented levels it’s easy to understand why anyone involved in the electronic components business would want to know how semiconductors can play a bigger role in providing products that enable energy efficiency. Toward that end manufacturers seeking smarter and more efficient ways to run industrial and consumer products have been zeroing in on the energy consumed in driving motors. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that electric motors use 60 percent of the world’s electrical power. To answer the need for higher energy efficiency industry is transitioning from single-phase AC motors to variable speed motors, resulting in 30 to 40 percent energy-savings. In “Power Modules for Variable-Speed Motor Control” Jonah Chen and Vijay Bolloju of International Rectifier help bring the subject of variable speed motor control into sharper focus. To enable low-cost variable-speed motor controllers, the authors point out, component vendors have sought to reduce the cost of the variablespeed controller, which is the most expensive part of the system, by making the design easier and reducing build complexity. Fairchild Semiconductor’s Joe Roy examines the AC induction motor (ACIM), a workhorse in most residential, commercial, and industrial applications, in “Efficient Motor/Controls Save Terawatt-Hours/Year.” For applications that routinely use motors at a fraction of their peak load, the author reports, it is possible to save 50% of the motor/control’s purchase price in energy savings per year by optimizing efficiency over their load range. Today’s intelligent variable-speed drives (VSDs) can adapt to an application’s needs, Roy notes, by providing peak torque or speed only when required. Enjoy! Contents Viewpoint Gate Drive Schemes for Motor Control Applications Considerations When Selecting the Proper MOSFET Driver Power Modules for Variable-Speed Motor Control Analog news Microchip analog page Motor Control Design Center Sample center microchipDIRECT Reference designs/ app notes Technical training http://www.microchip.com http://www.microchip.com/stellent/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&nodeId=79&redirects=analog http://www.microchip.com/stellent/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&nodeId=79&redirects=analog http://www.microchip.com/stellent/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&nodeId=2125¶m=en026178 http://www.microchip.com/stellent/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&nodeId=2125¶m=en026178 http://sample.microchip.com/Default.aspx?testCookies=true http://www.microchipdirect.com/catalogselection.aspx?returnURL=default.aspx http://www.microchip.com/stellent/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&nodeId=1469&filter1=function&redirects=appnotes http://www.microchip.com/stellent/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&nodeId=1469&filter1=function&redirects=appnotes http://www.microchip.com/stellent/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&nodeId=1423

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Project Analog - August 2008

Project Analog - August 2008 Contents Viewpoint About Project Analog Sponsor Gate Drive Schemes for Motor Control Applications Considerations When Selecting the Proper MOSFET Driver for Your Application Power Modules for Variable-Speed Motor Control Efficient Motor/Controls Save Terrawatt-Hours/Year Analog News Contact Microchip Treelink Microchip Advanced Parts Selector (MAPS)

Project Analog - August 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.