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Could Vacuum Contactor cause motor failure?

Could Vacuum Contactor cause motor failure?

Could Vacuum Contactor cause motor failure?

(OP)
About a month ago I replaced an old 2300 volt oil immersed motor starter lineup with new vacuum contactor starters. One of the motors has since failed to ground and I was wondering if the failure could have occurred because of a  transient caused by the fast interrupting time of the vacuum contactor and the long motor lead length.  The motors are about 1 mile from the starters and are 125HP submersible well pumps.   

RE: Could Vacuum Contactor cause motor failure?

Could well be.  A bit of chop from the vacuum contactor, a bit of capacitance from an underground line, and a nice bit of transient overvoltage along with some old, weak, insulation and motor failure is not terribly unexpected.  Since you imply other motors with the same configuration, I would suggest surge arresters at the motors (or as close as practicable).

RE: Could Vacuum Contactor cause motor failure?

This has been discussed several times in this forum in the past. A Keyword Search might prove helpful.

Eng-Tips: Help for your job, not for your homework  Read FAQ731-376

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