Since 2008, a municipal utility district (MUD) in Texas has worked with Less Watts Inc., a company that specializes in motor reliability and power quality testing for the water and wastewater industry. Less Watts Inc. supports MUDs by providing motor acceptance testing, commissioning and condition monitoring services. When one of the booster stations managed by the Harris County MUD was upgrading its pumps and motors, Stephen Hogue from Less Watts Inc. was asked to perform acceptance testing. This MUD’s main booster station pumps water into static tanks that are then pressurized to push drinking water throughout the municipal water district. The MUD had scheduled an upgrade to their Well-1 booster station in 2017 and ordered four booster pumps with 75-horsepower motors. Each pump system (pump, motor and drive) had been mounted on individual skids. Hogue brought a hand-held testing device to the pump suppliers’ warehouse to check the condition of the new motors before they could be officially accepted by the MUD. The device, which is used for de-energized Motor Circuit Analysis (MCA), is specifically designed for troubleshooting motors and commissioning new and rebuilt motors before installation. The testing device enables the operator to identify motor conditions that include winding contamination, stator and rotor unbalance, changes in rotor and stator condition, resistance in windings, contamination and insulation to ground issues.
![distribution pump](/sites/default/files/0618/1-10-18-FLUX-DRIVE-MUD-118-Pix-002.jpg)
![report page](/sites/default/files/0618/All-Test-test-results.jpg)
Lessons Learned
- Do not accept a motor if there is proof that it is not operating as intended. The proactive testing initiated by this MUD prior to delivery and installation of the motors helped them avoid additional project costs.
- Equipment owners can avoid unscheduled downtime, and even failure, by testing their equipment prior to receipt and installation. Even though motors may be brand new, they should be tested prior to acceptance and installation. If the motor had failed within the first year of operation, the standard parts and labor would likely be under warranty, while the vendor would have been responsible for the materials and replacement. However, if this motor had passed the warranty period, the owner would have had to cover the entire expense.
- Mistakes in the manufacturing or repair process can be detected with sophisticated testing instruments.