Start-up delay can mean safe storage
Start-up delay can mean safe storage
AUTOMATIC crop storage systems which employ a number of electric motors to operate fans or humidifiers pose a risk to electrical systems, reasons Octagon Products.
The company says that should sensors activate the starting of several motors at the same time, the demand on an electricity supply could exceed its capabilities. In short, it could cause a catastrophic, expensive failure.
Octagon has now developed a start-up delay system which automatically prevents simultaneous starting of motors should store sensors demand so. Start-up delay can be set from a few seconds up to several minutes depending on the size of the motor.
The point to remember, says the company, is that when a motor is started up its power requirement is vastly more than when it is actually running. This means that while an electricity supply and its wiring might be satisfactory to run a given number of motors, it may not be up to the loads imposed when they are all asked to start at the same time – which an automatic sensing system could do.
Octagon also believes its system could be used to initiate a sequential start up of a grain conveying system – an auger into a conveyor feeding a second auger, for example.
Delayed start up of electric motors can help protect electrical circuits, says Octagon Products.