For many operators of industrial motors, general purpose designs offer an appropriate level of functionality, reliability and longevity for their applications. However, for businesses that deploy equipment in challenging environments and difficult conditions, a higher level of performance is often necessary. For these types of challenges, a severe duty motor is often the answer.

Severe duty motors are designed to operate reliably for long periods of in time harsh industrial processing applications, such as petrochemical plants, mines, foundries, pulp and paper mills, waste management facilities, rock crushers and chemical plants. Severe duty motors must be able to handle demanding duty cycles, provide high starting and peak torques and operate over wide speed ranges.

General purpose motors are available in a wide variety of construction enclosures, from industrial steel band open designs to enclosed cast iron designs - in both single and three phase - for harsh applications. They’re highly efficient, inverter duty and can be operated in a wide variety of speed and torque ranges, but severe duty electric motor designs take versatility and durability to the next level.

The premium construction of these heavy-duty motors includes features designed to protect against contamination, moisture, vibration and demanding duty cycles. Electrical designs create a packaged solution that reduces energy consumption and handles the punishment of the applications.

ABB manufactures Baldor-Reliance Severe Duty motors with three guiding principles behind each design:

1. Safer installation, including rugged lifting provisions and oversized conduit box

2. Safer connection with clamp-type grounding lugs and permanently labeled color leads

3. Safer operation with Division 2 for hazardous locations and lead separators on all severe duty ratings to protect against shorts and abrasion of power leads, plus provisions for ABB Ability™ Smart Sensor touch-free condition monitoring

Severe duty motors offer protection from contaminants as small as dust particles that can get into small crevices and damage the electrical components. Rugged cast-iron enclosures protect the internals from falling debris often seen in harsh applications. Heavy duty motor mounts resist vibration and impacts. These heavy-duty motors must be capable of withstanding extreme temperatures and operate at high altitudes where the air is thinner or at sea level conditions where salt can corrode the equipment.

ABB offers Baldor-Reliance severe duty motors in several design levels to meet the unique challenges of many applications.

General Severe Duty
Built with a heavy-duty cast-iron enclosure and regreasable bearings to maximize the life of the motor.

EEE 841XL
Meet or exceed the requirements of the IEEE 841-2009 standard, established for the demanding applications in the chemical, oil and gas industry and adopted by other industries with harsh operating environments. A patented lubrication system, paired with bearing seals, provides maximum life in the application.

661XL
Used in petrochemical facilities to cool process fluids and manufactured to meet the specifications of API Standard 661 in vertical mounting configurations. Patented PLS bearing lubrication system, IP56 enclosure, dome shaft slinger, anti-condensation auto-drains, drilled and tapped shaft with vertical lifting provisions, bronze labyrinth shaft seal, and gasketed conduit box and cover.

Crusher Duty
Built for demanding aggregate industry challenges with all cast iron construction, IP55 or IP66 enclosures. Industry-leading locked rotor and breakdown torques and above-average service factors of 1.15-1.25. NEMA Design A allows for the high starting and peak torques required by many of the demanding applications in the aggregate industry.

Dirty Duty Plus
Built for highly corrosive environments, these motors feature a two-part epoxy paint system designed to pass the 2,000+ hour ASTM B117 salt fog/salt spray test. Permanently lubricated, double-sealed ball bearings increase reliability and reduce downtime. IP56 enclosures and IEEE 45 compliant for shipboard use.

NEMA Design A
NEMA Design A is the right choice over the historically popular offering of Design C. Design A allows for high starting torques required by many of the demanding applications in the aggregate industry. In addition, Design A has significantly higher peak torque (breakdown torque) than Design C. This peak torque difference will prevent machine stalls that Design C may not. When operating on a variable speed drive, it is the higher peak torque of Design A that provides more maximum torque throughout the speed range than Design C. Sizing the drive to match the motor capability is critical.

A final consideration when selecting a severe duty motor is its available condition monitoring capabilities. The ABB Ability Smart Sensor for hazardous areas monitors the health and performance of motors operating in hazardous locations. These sensors bring wireless, remote condition monitoring to a much wider range of motors – plants can even implement condition monitoring for entire motor fleets. Condition monitoring means that maintenance activities can be planned in advance, reducing downtime and supporting longer motor life.

No matter the conditions, severe duty motors are well-equipped to power pumps, compressors, fans, conveyors, crushers and other equipment with high efficiency and long-lasting performance.