Who's t/Largest e/Motor user?

[dArsonval]

What industry today is using the most electric motors?

One could answer, "society", in a way.
For everyone has a blower motor on their furnace/air conditioning unit and so on.

From an Industry Perspective... where are all the "dollars" hovering?

What industry in 2011 is using the most Electric Motors?

John

 

[jraef]

I saw a US Census statistic that determined 60% of all electric power used in the US is for pumping in one form or another. That pretty much locks it up.

"If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend six sharpening my axe." -- Abraham Lincoln
For the best use of Eng-Tips, please click here -> faq731-376

 

[ScottyUK]

Pumping might use the majority of the power, but many of those pumps will be big machines, each consuming power equivalent to many thousands of smaller motors. Is the question 'which category uses the most power?' or 'which category uses the most motors?'.

Automotive must account for a large number of motors, numerically at least.


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If we learn from our mistakes I'm getting a great education!

 

[jraef]

Hmm... good point. That report was on electrical energy use, not quantitative as to numbers of machines.

 

[dpc]

Probably hard disk drives or iPods



David Castor

http://www.cvoes.com

 

[ScottyUK]

Yeah, computers would be a candidate. I count five fans, two CD-RW drives, two FDDs, two HDDs. A big server could easily total over a dozen motors.

Do iPods have motors?


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If we learn from our mistakes I'm getting a great education!

 

[dpc]

Mine does.

David Castor

http://www.cvoes.com

 

[waross]

How about cell phones?
Automobiles and pickup trucks may average half a dozen motors.

Bill
--------------------
"Why not the best?"
Jimmy Carter

 

[jraef]

Hadn't thought about the now ubiquitous hard disk drive. I think there is one in my new toaster...

Clocks? They have (had?) little synchronous motors in them for a lot of years.



"If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend six sharpening my axe." -- Abraham Lincoln
For the best use of Eng-Tips, please click here -> faq731-376

 

[waross]

Hi Jeff. I keep losing alarm clocks and having to replace them. Most of the alarm clocks I see now have LCD displays and counters. Many are crystal controlled but some use the grid for a time base. How do I know? I have been taking a lot of short term assignments in remote construction camps. Some of the camps are on diesel power. My last clock was crystal controlled and kept time. The clock I have now is grid controlled and I have to reset it every two or three days when I am in a diesel powered camp.
Both were LCD clocks.

Bill
--------------------
"Why not the best?"
Jimmy Carter

 

[potteryshard]

I used to amuse myself (yes; I know... It doesn't take much) by asking this very question. I proved to my own satisfaction that electric motors are far more ubiqutious in any environment that you care to examine than one might think.

Looking at the question from the viewpoint of the greatest number of dedicated motors per person, I would have to suggest that the modern automobile is certainly a candidate.

Taking a mental inventory of a generic high-end car:

1 trunk latch motor
1 antenna retractrion motor
1 electric fuel pump
1 load leveling compressor
4 CD changer motors
4 window motors
4 door lock motors
4 outside mirror adjustors
6 seat adjustment motors
3 dash CD player motors
1 sunroof motor
2 lumbar support inflators
4 HVAC and defroster mix servomotors
1 electric windshield wiper motor
1 HVAC main blower motor
1 windshield washer pump
2 headlight wiper motors
1 headlight washer pump
1 antilock brake oscillator motor
2 electric engine cooling fans
1 engine starter motor
1 idle air control motor
1 electric power steering motor

Or, an estimated 49 motors in this one application. By similarly examining other environments, one easily becomes astounded by the nubmers of motors that surround us. I estmate that my refrigerator has 7 - 8 motors. I estimate 19 in the living room.

I have used this exercise in the past to help people understand the complete saturation and ubiquity of electrically operated equipment in their lives.

 

[MiketheEngineer]

A lot of vibrators have motors - like in a cell phone and of course the ONE thing that everyone else thought of first!!