Free DOE software supports motor and motor systems planning

U.S. Department of Energy's Industrial Technologies Program
Tags: energy management, motors

MotorMaster+ is a free online software tool developed by the U.S. Department of Energy's Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) to support motor and motor systems planning by identifying the most efficient action for a given repair or motor purchase decision. It accomplishes this by providing a motor comparison feature that allows users to choose between repairing, rewinding, or replacing motor equipment.

This tool quickly identifies inefficient or oversized facility motors and computes the savings that can be achieved by replacing older, standard efficiency motors with National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) premium efficiency motors. MotorMaster+ includes a catalog of more than 20,000 low-voltage induction motors and features motor inventory management tools, maintenance log tracking, efficiency analysis, energy- and cost-savings evaluation, energy accounting, and environmental reporting capabilities.

MotorMaster+ is designed for industrial energy coordinators, facility managers and engineers, plant electricians and maintenance staff, procurement personnel, and utility auditors who are interested in improving the energy efficiency of motor systems at industrial facilities.

Inputs

Screen shot of the U.S. Department of Energy's Industrial Technologies Program Web site. The screen capture is of the top half of the BestPractices page, focusing on the software tool MotorMaster+. The page gives a brief description of the software tool, below a photo close-up of motor gears and the words MotorMaster+: Motor-Driven Systems.

To create an in-plant motor inventory, you will need to input the following information:

Facility and department information
Utility and rate schedule
Process-related operating schedules
Motor inventory information, including motor nameplate information, operating profile, load status, and field measurements
Life cycle economics, including depreciation method, costs, financing, electricity use and cost, and project life.

Outputs
Based on your inputs, MotorMaster+ will calculate and display the following information:

Expanded list of more than 20,000 motors from 14 manufacturers, including NEMA premium efficiency medium voltage (>600 volt) motors
Analysis of repair-versus-replace cost effectiveness for in-service motors at a facility
Technical data to help optimize drive systems
Motor purchasing information
Energy and dollar savings, simple payback, cash flows, and after-tax rate of return on investment from using selected particular premium efficiency motor in a new purchase or retrofit application
Energy accounting, conservation savings tracking, and greenhouse gas emission reduction reports.

MotorMaster+ International
ITP also offers MotorMaster+ International, which includes many of the same capabilities and features of MotorMaster+ but is tailored to work internationally. For instance, the tool has a multilanguage capability (with the current release supporting Spanish, French, and English) and allows users to conduct economic analyses using various currencies. The software also allows users to evaluate repair/replacement options for a broader range of motors, including those tested under the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers standard and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) methodology. The current version of MotorMaster+ International contains manufacturers' databases for over 25,000 NEMA motors and over 7,200 IEC motors.

To get started with MotorMaster+ or MotorMaster+ International, visit http://www1.eere.energy.gov/industry/bestpractices/software_motormaster.html.

Additional software tools that will help you identify and analyze energy system savings opportunities in your plant or industrial facility are also available for download on ITP's Web site: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/industry/bestpractices/software.html.