One big compressor motor

Philip d · May 15, 2020

This is a 600hp motor that runs a backup ammonia compressor motor for Cavendish farms? freezers. The unit is scheduled for a compressor replacement so it?s also getting a new motor and new parallel runs of 500kcmil copper with ground straps to help deal with harmonics or electrical interference. Funny Phil25 mentioned going to a robot farm as we went to a former robot farm yesterday. They had 2 robots for 11 years but opted to trade them in in a parlour. To keep it tractor related they have a new John Deere hooked to the liquid manure spreader. Rough calculations at 14c/kWh ,if this motor was running 24/7 it would cost in the area of $45 000/mo to operate. The other picture is the soft starter so it powers up in stages ,600hp flicked fully on would be quite a wallope

tractorsam · May 15, 2020

I work with some mining equipment that can be either diesel or electric powered and the largest motor we used was 1400hp (7600v if I remember correctly). That certainly sucked some serious juice to start. You were only able to start it three times in an hour due to heat build up in the soft start.

showcrop · May 15, 2020

Phillip, I have to tell you that I admire you for being willing to leave your line of work of many years and go to school to learn another trade, and then go out and do it and apparently enjoy it. Half of the world could learn from your example!

phil25 · May 15, 2020

looks all to familiar to me, we had two running air compressors for what's called a hull bubbler lubrication system, 600hp across the line at 6.6kv, using vacuum tube circuit breakers. would make a V16 diesel grunt..
plus a separate air cooling system to cool the space, as the motor heat and compressor heat would cause a shutdown.
Did we get the analogue question right?
HA! the old people know stuff..., you are the company's expert on dairy sites now...?

Part Time Pete · May 15, 2020

The big stuff is fun. The biggest motor I worked on was 2500hp. It was an ID fan motor for a 650 megawatt steam boiler/turbine generator. It was at a utility owned power plant so they didn't worry about a soft start. At 13.8kv it would peg a 100amp meter for 30 seconds when they put it across the line.
Pete

oneshot · May 15, 2020

Dont you just love bending and terminating those 500mcm. I have done many many of them, makes for strong hands and arms. Well over 30 some years playing with that stuff.

Enjoy your new career.

David G · May 15, 2020

This is the start of your adventures, tons of stuff out there, fun.

Janicholson · May 15, 2020

Joy Manufacturing makes turbo compressors for companies like Ford and GM assembly plants. Some are in the 2500hp class. They replaced (in Indianapolis in 1080) a room full of piston ingersol Rand compressors with 18 inch bores and 30 inch strokes. Jim

coshoo · May 15, 2020

Showcrop, the way the dairy farming business has been going lately, I don't suspect it was too heart-rending a decision to get out of it. Seems like it has been in the dumps forever, don't know how some are still surviving. An old friend just got out, he only had 90 cows, still milked in a flat barn. I told him I had wondered how he had hung in there while others were starving to death. He said "We multitasked- hung in there WHILE starving to death."

I'm curious, Philip, why the one outfit is getting rid of the robots and going back to a parlor. There are several robots around here, and everybody raves about them.

kenny kabat · May 15, 2020

At the Marathon refinery in Robinson they have a 16000 hp motot. Runs off 2 13.8 feeders. We ran new 750 mcm to it earlier this year.

Lumbersawyer · May 15, 2020

The power plant I retired from had four ID fans on the big unit that were 13,000hp and were fed with 13,200v power. They weighed about 35,000lbs. the shafts were 9" in diameter.
There were many motors in excess of 1,000hp all over the plant. It was very interesting to watch the electricians bump start a 5,000hp direct across the line and watch the copper cables bigger than your thumb jump when the currant was turned on. We always had to check rotation after a motor was sent out for rewind or servive.

wilson ind · May 15, 2020

Guessing you are an extended neighbor? Robinson is roughly 50 miles from me in western Ind.

kenny kabat · May 15, 2020

I live 3 hours south, motel 3 nights a week

used red MN · May 15, 2020

Jim, surprised someone like Louis and Clark didn?t report all that mechanized activity in Indiana, 1080 AD? I?m sure you meant 1980. LOL. The biggest motors that I know of in the 300k bbl per day refinery I work at are 8500hp they run reciprocating vapor compressors, 3 in that unit. The name plates say the are synchronous and turn 800 rpms. Just off the top of my head there are at least 12 other recip compressors that range from 2000 - 5000 hp. In general a third of them are spares so not all are in operation at once. There are many other motors on compressors or pumps in the 500 -2000hp range. I think the largest single hp producer in the refinery is a steam turbine operating a large blower/ compressor, I think it is in the neighborhood of 10,000hp. You mentioned piston air compressors one unit still has a couple of those in service, one of them looks to be 1950s vintage, 1955 is when the oldest parts of the refinery were built. There are at least a half dozen of those turbo style air compressors throughout the complex and range from 500 to 1500hp. About two years ago the refinery added a power plant, I think it is a 35mw unit and is said to only produce about 30 percent of the refinery?s needs.

Philip d · May 15, 2020

They?re not for everyone,I didn?t exactly love ours and he hated his.

Philip d · May 15, 2020

It?s a good workout haha

Philip d · May 15, 2020

Oh yes got , 100% on that assignment haha

Philip d · May 15, 2020

Thank you very much, I enjoy physical work and figuring
things out, trades seem to be a good fit for me so far.

Philip d · May 15, 2020

Those are some huge motors!

wilson ind · May 16, 2020

ok thanks

One big compressor motor

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