New motor series delivers enhanced comfort, efficiency
As the name implies, A. O. Smith’s new Comfort Series line of motors offers customers an improved indoor comfort experience. In addition, the new electronically commutated motors deliver enhanced efficiency compared with conventional fan and blower motors, quiet operation, and installation versatility.
The top-of-the-line Premium Comfort motor is a fully variable ECM product designed for applications in which the customer needs full variable capability for precise control of motor speed, torque, or air flow. Premium Comfort motors deliver a speed range between 200 and 1,500 RPM—with precise speed control anywhere in that range. In this case, control equals comfort, as the motor can be programmed to minimize abrupt temperature changes, offer improved air quality and enhanced humidity control, and deliver the correct volume of air flow based on the needs of the building. The most popular uses are commercial air handlers or rooftop air conditioning equipment, residential furnaces or air conditioning equipment.
Another Comfort Series benefit is enhanced efficiency. The entire line of Comfort Series motors yields a nominal efficiency of 80 percent—and the efficiency remains consistent over the entire speed range. A conventional permanent split capacitor (PSC) fan or blower motor offers 60 percent efficiency, but only at its operating point. Running a conventional motor at a higher or lower speed significantly reduces efficiency, resulting in greater energy consumption and higher energy bills.
HVAC manufacturers will appreciate that Comfort Series motors can be customized by software configuration and require no electric design modifications. A single Comfort Series motor can replace multiple PSC designs, reducing OEM inventory and cost. And the proprietary software offers the same “look and feel” throughout the Comfort Series, a valuable benefit to the engineer developing motor profiles.
In addition to the Premium Comfort, the A. O. Smith line includes the Comfort Plus, a full variable product with reduced airflow control capabilities, and the Comfort Select, an electronically controlled motor that allows the user to define five pre-programmed speeds or torques.
For more information on A. O. Smith’s innovative Comfort Series ECM motors, go to www.aosmithmotors.com
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