World's Largest AC Motor

[JBUDA54]

Does anyone know where the world's largest electrical Motor resides, what it is used for, and who makes it? I went to a Large AC Motor GE Seminar and found two motors that was used in a refinery for Motiva that drove Fans. The following was taken from an IEEE website "The ASU for the Motiva Delaware City repowering project depends upon the proper application and operation of very large synchronous motors, including a four-pole 66000-hp machine and a four-pole 43000-hp machine, the former being the largest 1800-r/min compressor driver ever designed and manufactured."

http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/freeabs_all.jsp?arnumber=952516

This article was written in 2001 so there has to be bigger motors since then.

Thanks in advance for any input. I tried search eng-tips for prior discussions and did not find any.

 

[JERRYROBINSON]

I know that NASA and Boeing aircraft both use 60,000 hp motors on their wind tunnels.

We actually have in our possession the old motors off the Seattle wind tunell. It was 36,000 hp wound rotor induction motor, 10 pole. It was coupled to a 20,000 hp synchronous motor thru an eddy-current coupling, and had a 450 hp wound rotor pony motor on the common shaft.

The 450 pony started the sync motor, which accellerated the 3600 thru the clutch. when the unit was up to slip speed, it was closed onto the power system to minimize impact on the utility.

I belive I read an article that both Siemens and ABB both have breached the 80,000 hp rating, but cannot find the artical.

 

[jraef]

We have had this discussion here in the past, but I couldn't find it. At one time ABB was working on a 125,000HP motor and drive for Boeing's supersonic wind tunnel, but that got the axe when Boeing abandoned the SST for the 2nd time recently.

JRaef.com
"Engineers like to solve problems. If there are no problems handily available, they will create their own problems." Scott Adams
For the best use of Eng-Tips, please click here -> faq731-376

 

[ScottyUK]

That was 1997 - it was a 101MW variable speed drive and motor. According to ABB's literaturer it was delivered too.

http://library.abb.com/GLOBAL/SCOT/.../$File/MEGADRIVE-LCI_for_SoftStarter_Rev0.pdf

One contender for 'largest' must be the motor-generators installed at the Dinorwig pumped storage hydro station in Wales. 330 MVA generating, 312 MVA motoring, 18kV, 500rpm.

http://www.fhc.co.uk/dinorwig.htm

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Sometimes I only open my mouth to swap feet...

 

[CJCPE]

It would be interesting to know the rated torque as well as the horsepower of some of these big motors. That 36,000 hp, 10 pole motor would produce as much torque as a 90,000 Hp, 4 pole motor and would be comparable in physical size.

 

[Tmoose]

http://www.amsuper.com/products/motorsGenerators/104074509641.cfm

A couple of million lb-ft, more or less.

 

[ScottyUK]

Miles behind those big Welsh machines:

500rpm @ 4,395,487,000 lb-ft, give-or-take.

Depends a little on what power factor the motor-generator is running at.


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Sometimes I only open my mouth to swap feet...

 

[motorman]

How about the motor at Arnold Air Force base. Two 83,000HP coupled to two 60,000HP for a total of 286,000HP

http://www.arnold.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-070131-089.pdf.

 

[arcflash99]

The refinery now belongs to someone other than Motiva. It was sold about 4-5 years ago to Premocor, not sure if they still own it.

The two motors were part of a syn-gas plant that started when the place belonged to Texaco.

I nkow they had some process issues for quite a while and couldn't use the motors.

 

[Drivesrock]

I believe the Dinorwig big electrical machines were made by GEC Machines in Rugby, England - now Converteam Motors. Thanks for the link ScottyUK.

 

[bacon4life]

Bath County Pumped storage plant.
563,400 horsepower (420,127 kilowatts)

http://www.dom.com/about/stations/hydro/bath.jsp

 

[JBUDA54]

Is the 563,400HP (420,127kW) of Pumping Power a single motor or is it multiple motors. My guess is that its multiple, but what are the motor sizes to equal that amount. That is very impressive!!!

 

[Skogsgurra]

Yes, there are six motors/generators: "six 350-megawatt turbine generators"

Gunnar Englund

http://www.gke.org

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[MJJBEE]

Grande Coulee Dam in the NW united states 690 MW pumped storage machines

http://www.usbr.gov/power/data/sites/grandcou/grandcou.html

 

[motorspert]

Largest - by size, torque, type output, always a tough one. the propulsion motors for the QE2 cruise ship are (59,000HP) 44MW at 144rpm. There are two at this rating, each one driving each propellor directly.

Must be "up there", in terms of torque

 

[unclebob]

Does any one of you have heard of a big motor that is use to crunch rocks? I don't remember where I saw it (in my dreams...) or at school, or both . Anyway, the rocks were put between the rotor and the stator and the turning did the crushing. The way I see it, it must turn very slowly, if it really exist...

 

[waross]

I think that an airgap large enough to crush rocks on a motor large enough to crush rocks with the rotor would need an unrealistic level of magnetizing current.
respectfully

 

[DickDV]

Rock crushers are common in gravel pits and quarries. Also, for reclaiming old concrete.

The hp's are low, often in the 50 to 200hp range but watch out for the flywheel. The stored energy in the flywheel does all the heavy work!

 

[itsmoked]

unclebob; That must have been imagined while you were in an altered state.

Keith Cress
Flamin Systems, Inc.-

http://www.flaminsystems.com

 

[unclebob]

Look what I found. A gyratory crusher. Not as big as I ''imagined'' and not using the airgap as a crushing chamber.

Check that:

http://www.metsominerals.com/inetMi...ls/mm_crush.nsf/WebWID/WTB-041101-2256F-BFDD1