ECM Motor in Commercial Refrigeration Application

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ECM Motor in Commercial Refrigeration Application

ECM Motor Basics

ECM Motor, which is the abbreviation of electronically commutated (ECM) Motor. They are brushless DC motors where the direction of the electric current is switched using electronic controllers. So some also call "DC motors" because they have an internal inverter, when people using AC current for ECM motors, the ECM motors' internal commutator converts the current to DC voltage, which can help to achieve greater efficiency in air-flow systems than AC Shaded pole motors. Meanwhile, ECM motors are variable speed motors which have a rather higher level of energy efficiency of 65%~75%, while AC shaded pole motor typically reach a level of 18%. However, AC shaded pole motors are still sold in huge quantities in commercial refrigeration sections because they are the cheapest motor option to drive a fan.

Our GP ECM motors can be operated with AC and DC power supply directly.

ECM Motor Advantages

ECM motors are using ball bearings which mean that the motors run "cool", and reduce the need for lubricating oil. Also the amount of waste heat produced is dramatically reduced, thus the compressor can operate at a more economic way and saving more energy. Generally ball bearings also require low maintenance costs.

In refrigeration section, some condensing units would choose ECM Motors that run at a constant speed, while they can still save a lots energy than an AC shaded pole motor running at a constant speed in same condition. ECM motors are with soft-start function which means they can be started and stopped slowly when you press the button. However, AC shaded pole motors start and run at full speed almost immediately, which can greatly increase the humidity than ECM motors.

ECM motors are brushless motor, in terms of the brushed motors, which have no abrasion to the brushes, thus make the lifetime of ECM motor much longer than AC shaded pole motors, and have more stable performance. In the long term, the replacement rate and MTBF (Mean-Time-Between-Failure) can be reduced. As we all know, food safety and money are at stake when commercial refrigeration breakdown issues arise.

ECM motors are much quieter than traditional AC Shaded pole or PSC motors, this advantage is becoming more and more important as people request for more quiet refrigerators. In the mean time, ECM motors integrated with high resistance to vibration.

ECM motor applications

In the refrigeration sections, ECM motors are ideal for replacing AC shaded pole motors and ECM motors can be typically found in commercial refrigerators, condenser units, freezers, showcase, evaporators, vending machines, walk in coolers, commercial display cases and cabinets. In these refrigeration applications, high energy efficiency, low maintenance costs, controllable speed for day/night mode, low noise and vibrations are essential elements.

Although ECM motors have so many advantages, when comes to the costs, compared with traditional AC shaded pole motor, ECM motors are more expensive, which is also the main factor preventing people change to ECM motors because in this fast developing business world, people tend to focus on the short term costs control but not the long term costs efficiency. Anyway, with the EC technology developing and the volume rising, EC motor manufacturer like GP motors can better average the costs, and then offer a more preferable price for regular and potential customers. With limited energy resources and global climate warming, governments becoming more strictly about the energy consuming products, many countries start the transition period by giving the permission only to energy saving products in certain sections. The time of EC technology is sure to come in near future.

By GP Motor Technology Co., Ltd

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