AutomationDirect announces the release of a new White Paper, “Group Motor Protection”, that explains how the usual way of preventing a small motor from drawing too much current is to install overcurrent protection in the form of a circuit breaker or some other kind of limiter. But installations that employ more than one motor might not want to use this approach.
By using group motor protection as described in NFPA 70, the U.S. National Electrical Code (NEC) Article 430.53, two or more motors can be protected by the same overcurrent device as long as the installation meets specific requirements.
The White Paper explains some of the numerous benefits group motor protection provides. For example, the economic advantage; one protection device handles multiple motors and typically ties up half the panel space of individual protection devices or even less.
Rather than explaining the full NEC standard, the paper provides an easy-to-understand overview of Article 430 of the NEC motor branch circuit requirements for short circuit and ground fault protection, as well as motor overload protection.
This White Paper provides detailed information to distinguish between overcurrent and overload protection, as well as when it is more beneficial to provide protection for individual motors over group motors.
>> The White Paper can be downloaded as a PDF here
