Managing High-Power Motors: A Scientist's Perspective

[Ivan Seeking]

A personal comment on a job that has my shorts more than just a little tight... we're talking about a serious pucker factor here. Next week I am responsible for bringing online six motors at 700 HP each. That's 3.1 Megawatts!

Okay how does that go? Green to start and red to stop?

 

[chroot]

Just think about it this way: it's only three-thousandths of a gigawatt!

- Warren

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Just think about it this way: it's only three-thousandths of a gigawatt!

- Warren

Whewww. That sounds much better!

 

[The_Professional]

And I thought this was about you starting your own business

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Already got that.

 

[dekoi]

What don't you have?

:p

 

[Evo]

What don't you have?

:p

He doesn't have deer ticks! You can put your clothes back on now Ivan.

Tsu - thanks for the tip!

btw, I re-stocked your freezer with broccoli.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

btw, I re-stocked your freezer with broccoli.

Oh good! I gave away all of my frozen broccoli to trick-or-treaters and now we have Christmas coming.

 

[Evo]

Oh good! I gave away all of my frozen broccoli to trick-or-treaters and now we have Christmas coming.

I know, I kept thinking of the poor little tykes waking up Christmas morning, running over to their stockings and finding NO FROZEN BROCCOLI in them.

What's Christmas to a child if there's no broccoli in their stocking?

(although canned tuna is another must)

 

[Ivan Seeking]

(although canned tuna is another must)

That's for birthdays, you silly mentor you.

 

[Tsu]

NO! WAIT! The frozen broccoli is to be given to the Christmas CAROLERS! The tuna's for the cats (and Ivan's birthday gift).

p.s.
Thanx for the broccoli Sis!

 

[Moonbear]

NO! WAIT! The frozen broccoli is to be given to the Christmas CAROLERS! The tuna's for the cats (and Ivan's birthday gift).

p.s.
Thanx for the broccoli Sis!

Don't forget to dip the broccoli in ketchup to give it the proper complement of holiday colors.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Well, darn!

 

[Evo]

I hope that's not indicative of how things went.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Well, there used to be this nice little town...

Really things went pretty well. I still can't get over the power going through that place. One leg of the three phase going to each motor consists of something like ten, one inch+ cables! Also, strangely enough, modern drives are so efficient that 480 volt motors were used to replace 3600 volt motors. Historically the I-squared-R losses demand a higher voltage, but the ability to control motor speeds and the ability to idle yield greater gains than the losses incurred due to the increased current.

When we were ready I got a real rise from the crew when I told them how to start the motors; that I didn't want to be anywhere near the place when started. [its always my job to make the final call to start]. I saw about twenty eyes get real, real big.