IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS, VOL. 49, NO.

3, MAY/JUNE 2013 1221

Wound Rotor to Induction Motor and VFD

Conversion Case Study
Mike Kozlowski, Senior Member, IEEE

Abstract—This paper will present a method, which has been

used to retrofit vintage wound rotor motors in various appli-
cations in the forest products industry. This calculation method
was developed due to the end user’s need to retrofit an existing
application and the lack of detailed motor data. Specifically, the
author will present a case study from an actual project, which
was commissioned two years ago. The author will present general
background of the application, obstacles to overcome in the retrofit
process, calculations, motor application recommendations, and
postretrofit site data.
Index Terms—Induction motor, retrofit, variable-frequency
drive (VFD), wound-rotor (WR) motor.

I. I NTRODUCTION

T HE CONCEPT for this paper originated from the need

to develop and document a methodology for retrofitting
smaller (< 500 hp) vintage wound-rotor (WR) motors with
modern low-voltage induction motor and variable-frequency
drive (VFD) functional equivalent. Smaller WR motors were
selected for this analysis due to the number of opportunities
and the age of the installed base. Smaller WR motor applica-
tions utilize either a resistor/contactor or an inductor/resistor/
contactor-based torque control system, called a “stepless” con-
trol system. Drivers for the modernization of these systems
is primarily their age, number of rewinds, condition of a WR
motor (stator delamination shown in Fig. 1), and maintenance
of the contactors in the resistance control system.
The main issue to overcome in applying a new solution
to a vintage WR motor application is that motor application
engineers are supplied with little or no site data from which to
select a solution. Due to the age of many of these applications,
typically, an original set of speed torque curves or a general
arrangement drawing of the motor(s) is not available for anal-
ysis. More often than not, all that is available is horsepower,
revolution per minute, and an indication that the motor is a
WR motor type.
Conversely, due to the investment required for large
(1000–9000 hp) WR motor applications (and associated control
equipment), a mill will usually have a complete set of docu-
Fig. 1. WR motor stator becoming delaminated due to burnouts during
numerous rewinds.
mentation. The documentation will consist of a set of general
arrangement drawings, speed–torque curves, and nameplate
data consisting of horsepower rating, revolution per minute,
service factor, primary and secondary voltage, and current.
II. BACKGROUND
WR (also called slip ring) motors have been the staple of high
overload torque applications since the 1930s. This technology,
based on inserting external resistances into the induction motor
rotor circuit for induction motor torque control, has been suc-
cessfully applied for many years. Prior to the advent of VFDs,
there was no other way for an induction motor to develop high
overload torques (200%–280%) over a wide speed range as
required for many industrial applications such as crane hoists,
pulpers, or trolley drives.
While the WR motor technology is still present in many
large motor applications, there are still quite a number of
WR applications in the 20- to 500-hp range that can be good
candidates for retrofit to a VFD.

Manuscript received March 30, 2011; accepted December 31, 2011. Date of
publication March 6, 2013; date of current version May 15, 2013. Paper 2011-
PPIC-100, presented at the 2011 IEEE Pulp and Paper Industry Conference,
Nashville, TN, USA, June 19–23, and approved for publication in the IEEE
T RANSACTIONS ON I NDUSTRY A PPLICATIONS by the Pulp and Paper Indus-
try Committee of the IEEE Industry Applications Society.
The author is with ABB Process Automation Pulp and Paper, Greenville, SC
29680 USA (e-mail: michael.kozlowski@us.abb.com).
Color versions of one or more of the figures in this paper are available online
at http://ieeexplore.ieee.org.
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TIA.2013.2251594
III. W HAT I S A WR M OTOR ?
The WR motor is an induction motor where the rotor circuit
is terminated in slip rings to which external impedances can be
connected (see Fig. 2). The stator is essentially the same as is
used in any standard squirrel cage motor. By changing the exter-
nal impedance connected in the rotor circuit, the speed/current
and speed/torque curves of the induction motor can be altered.

0093-9994/$31.00 © 2013 IEEE

1222 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS, VOL. 49, NO. 3, MAY/JUNE 2013

Fig. 2. Typical WR motor for use in the trolley motion of a woodyard portal
crane.

Fig. 4. General representation of torque production in a WR motor [2].

which is a representation of the speed–torque characteristics of

a WR motor (see Fig. 4). The saw-tooth-like waveform is the
Fig. 3. Typical WR motor control system schematic diagram. torque profile produced by the shorting of resistor banks by
the controller as the load is accelerated from zero speed (on
The WR motor is primarily used to start a high inertia load the far right of the curve) to the leftmost portion, which is the
or a load that requires a very high starting torque across the slip speed of the motor. By setting upper and lower limits when
motor’s full speed range. By applying resistors to the motor’s the resistor banks are shorted out, a rough “constant” torque
slip rings, the motor is able to produce very high torque profile can be produced. For many years, this was one method
(200%–280%) at a relatively low current (175%) from zero to that allowed an induction motor to produce the overload torque
full speed. Relatively low locked rotor amperes are why these from zero to slip speed.
motors are sometimes employed in applications on weak power
grids.
In order to control torque production in the WR motor, IV. M ETHODOLOGY E XAMPLE TO S IZE AN I NDUCTION
resistor banks are switched in and out by means of high- M OTOR TO R EPLACE THE E XISTING WR M OTOR
current electrical contactors (see Fig. 3). These resistors are
In order to size an induction motor for an application, we first
called “secondary resistors” and are sized on secondary (rotor)
need to determine the capability of the existing WR motor by
amperes and the application’s torque requirements. In general,
using the following equation:
if the application operates below 50% speed for a high per-
centage of its operational cycle, it may be a good candidate for (HP )
modernizing to a VFD as a way to save energy. If the motor is Tq(ft·lbs) = × 5252 (1)
(N )
operated at reduced speeds for most of its duty cycle, relatively
more energy is being absorbed in the resistor banks for torque where
production. Depending on the application’s horsepower and HP WR motor’s nameplate horsepower;
duty cycle, the energy savings can be in the hundreds of N nameplate revolutions per minute as listed on the WR
kilowatthours. motor;
While the resistor banks are typically not prone to failure, the Tq rated (100%) torque of the WR motor in foot pounds.
contactors, which switch resistor banks in and out of service From (1), we can determine the (100%) full load torque
for speed control of the WR motor, are typically replaced or of the existing WR motor. For example, for a typical 100-hp
serviced on a yearly basis (or more frequently), depending on 1800-r/min WR motor, i.e.,
usage.
Generally speaking, what is to be accomplished by the sec- (100 hp)
291ft·lbs = × 5252. (2)
ondary resistor controller is shown in the aforementioned chart, (1800 r/min)
KOZLOWSKI: WOUND ROTOR TO INDUCTION MOTOR AND VFD CONVERSION CASE STUDY
Fig. 5. NEMA MG1 table indicating WR motor breakdown torques of various
horsepowers and revolutions per minute [1].
We use (2) above to calculate the motor’s 100% torque. The
next question to address is what breakdown torque do we use to
size the overload torque of the new motor?
One source is the National Electric Manufacturing Asso-
ciation (NEMA) standards for WR motors, which indicate
that the minimum breakdown torque produced be 225% for a
100-hp 1800-r/min machine (see Fig. 5). These are considered
minimum breakdown torque values and can be adjusted up on
a case-by-case basis to suit application requirements.
Some vintage WR motor crane applications have been de-
signed to produce the 250%–300% breakdown torque. The
curves below are from a 1930’s produced motor.
Referring to Fig. 6, the dotted horizontal line on top of the
crests of the speed torque curve(s) indicates motor maximum
peaks at 280% breakdown torque. Since the minimum as listed
by NEMA is 225% breakdown torque and the crane application
requires 280%, the quandary is what overload should we use for
the application, i.e., 225% or 280%? As previously indicated,
it is important to size the new motor’s overload requirements
while keeping the original application in mind. In this case, for
a crane application, a maximum of 280% overload is selected.
Other applications such as pulpers or refiners may require less.
Since the WR motor is estimated to supply a maximum of
280% per unit breakdown torque, the motor can then produce
2.80 ∗ 291 = 815 ft · lbs of torque to accelerate its load. Thus,
the ac VFD equivalent must be able to supply the same or more
torque over the same speed range.
Next, the new ac VFD horsepower is to be calculated from
the required (overload) torque. Note that, since this is a retrofit
situation and other connected equipment (gearboxes) may be
utilized, a motor with the same revolution per minute should be
selected, i.e.,
(2.8 × Tq ) × (N )
HPnew = (3)
5252
1223
Fig. 6. Crane hoist duty WR motor speed–torque curves [3].
where
HPnew raw horsepower required to produce the same
amount of torque as the existing WR motor;
N nameplate base revolutions per minute of the new
VFD motor; it is the same as the WR motor;
Tq previously calculated (100%) torque of the WR
motor in foot pounds.
The new calculated motor horsepower is 279 hp. This may
seem to present a problem because the new motor is 280%
larger than the original application. Most likely, the new induc-
tion motor will be smaller than the existing WR motor and can
fit into the existing motor’s centerline shaft height.
In this example, we are intending to replace the WR motor
and resistor bank with a new motor and VFD, we can size
the motor and drive to accommodate a 200% overload for
60 s in order to accelerate its load. The new nameplate(s) of
the ac system will have to indicate it is sized for 200% overload
for 60 s. The VFD is also required to be sized for the 200%
overload.
The next step is dividing the new calculated motor horse-
power by the overload rating (which is 200% or 2 per unit)
HPnew
HPfinal = (4)
OL
where
HPnew raw horsepower calculated to produce the same
amount of torque as the existing WR motor;
HPfinal 200% overload rating of the new motor in horse-
power;
OL overload rating in per unit, which is 2.
The new horsepower is calculated as 280/2 = 140 hp.
Rounding up to the next standard horsepower and selecting a
150-hp motor, the nameplate revolutions per minute will remain
the same.
The end result is an application that will be 150 hp at 200%
overload. Comparing system torques, the WR motor system is
1224 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS, VOL. 49, NO. 3, MAY/JUNE 2013
Fig. 7. Specification for new variable-speed motor.
estimated to produce a maximum of 815 ft · lbs; the new system
can produce a maximum of 875 ft · lbs.
A typical specification for the new motor is shown in Fig. 7.
Retrofitting WR motor-based control systems to a VFD-
based system can provide precise speed and torque control and
can also eliminate a list of potential issues:
• susceptibility of slip ring brushes to contamination;
• slip ring brush maintenance;
• slip ring brush rigging burning and melting;
• resistor contactor bank pitting and maintenance;
• energy losses in the resistor bank during low-speed
operation.
In addition, newer active front-end VFD systems can regulate
power factor close to unity, and regenerated energy can be used
by other drives connected to the common power distribution
network, thus providing energy savings, power factor improve-
ment, and better speed control.
V. C ASE S TUDY
A North American-based paper company was investigating
replacing seven WR motors on a 1977 vintage woodyard portal
crane. Fig. 9 contains the motor list that was provided to analyze
and provide new induction motor recommendations. As with
most WR motor applications, no speed torque curves existed
for the motors.
For this analysis, an overload torque capability of 275% was
selected for the determination of motor horsepower recommen-
dations for the hoist, trolley, and gantry motions of the crane.
The hoist motion of the crane lifts the logs by the use of a
Fig. 8. Woodyard portal crane, which was modernized with new VFD duty
motors.
Fig. 9. WR motor data provided by the paper mill for new motor selection.
grapple (shown in Fig. 8) from the transport truck and lowers
them in a temporary storage area or directly into a debarking
drum. The trolley is an in-the-air platform that provides lateral
positioning of the grapple and traverses on crane superstructure
mounted rails. The trolley motion uses two motors. The hoist
drum, hoist motor, operator’s cabin, and trolley motors are
all located on the trolley (see Fig. 9). The gantry motion is
comprised of four motors and moves the complete crane on
ground mounted rails.
The methodology for calculating the new motor horsepower
previously outlined was utilized for the analysis. During the
analysis process, questions were asked of the paper company’s
engineer about the performance of the existing WR motor-
based system. The mill engineer indicated the existing perfor-
mance of all motions was good, and the crane still operated
to existing specification parameters. This is a crucial aspect to
review because there are variations in the weight of the wood
being lifted in the hoist motion; sometimes heavier lifts with
higher quantities of smaller diameter logs could occur or the
wood could be heavier due to ice cover or higher moisture
content. In addition, were there modifications performed to
the grapple that increased its weight? The other motions are
important as well; how have they performed with typical wind
loading?
KOZLOWSKI: WOUND ROTOR TO INDUCTION MOTOR AND VFD CONVERSION CASE STUDY 1225

Fig. 10. Comparison of pre- and postmotor horsepower.

Fig. 12. Hoist WR motor being removed during the modernization outage.

Fig. 11. Comparison of pre- and postmotor weights and shaft heights.

During the proposal stage, the mill engineer provided general

arrangement drawings of the existing WR motors; thus, a cen-
terline shaft height and weight comparison could be performed
to compare the incumbent and proposed solutions (see Fig. 10).
In all cases, the proposed induction machines weighed less
(less stress on the crane frame), and the centerline shaft height
was less or equal to the existing WR motor, thus simplifying the
installation since no extensive base modifications were required
to fit the new motors into place (see Fig. 11).
The hoist motion was calculated to be a 263-hp motor at
200% overload, but due to project budget restraints, the mill
project engineer decided to round down to 250 hp instead of
rounding up to a higher horsepower motor for the application.
Fig. 13. Drive system one-line diagram.

VI. S ITE DATA A. Drive System Configuration

The mill performed the conversion from WR motor control to
a regenerative VFD-based control system with an active front-
end common bus unit during the third quarter of calendar year
2009 (see Fig. 12).
The new variable frequency duty motors were quoted to a
drive system vendor as part of the portal crane drive system
modernization project. The hoist and gantry motors were se-
lected by the mill to be of totally enclosed fan-cooled (TEFC)
cast iron construction with IEEE 841 [4] features. The trolley
motion motors were selected to be TEFC-laminated frame con-
struction in order to keep the trolley weight down as much as
possible, since the trolley motion has to start and stop with more
rapidity than either hoist or gantry motions. Laminated frame
motors can be 15%–20% lighter than comparable cast iron
construction motors and can also radiate heat more efficiently
since the motor frame is active material.
The drive system consisted of a dedicated regenerative drive
for each motion, as each motion can be potentially in use at
the same time, either consuming or regenerating energy. The
trolley and gantry drives powered multiple motors; thus, these
respective VFDs output current is the sum of individual motor
currents (see Fig. 13).
B. Performance Measurement
After the project was complete, the mill’s woodyard manager
permitted the author access to the drive system site engineer,
who provided the portal crane’s “postmodernization” VFD
current feedback parameters. The engineer provided individual
drive current feedback samples taken at 10-ms intervals, which
he felt would provide a good resolution for observation of
the performance of the drives during complete crane motion
1226 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS, VOL. 49, NO. 3, MAY/JUNE 2013

Fig. 17. Plot of total trolley drive current feedback relative to the sum of the
motor’s nameplate (continuous) ampere rating.
Fig. 14. Plot of hoist drive current feedback relative to the motor’s nameplate
(continuous) ampere rating.

Fig. 15. Histogram of the drive ampere feedback at 20-A intervals relative to Fig. 18. Histogram of the drive ampere feedback at 15-A intervals relative to
the motor’s continuous rating. the motor’s continuous rating.

Fig. 19. One of the two-trolley motion motors’ postmodernization.

Fig. 16. Hoist motion motor postmodernization.

(hoisting, gantry, and trolley) cycles and provide manageable

data files from which to analyze the results.
The current feedback for each motion was provided in the
comma-separated variable format. The extent of MS Excel
analysis amounted to 65 500 rows of time-stamped data, which
equate to approximately 11 min of operation. A histogram was
produced for all 65 500 samples, but the MS Excel plot utility
is limited to 32 000 samples or a little over 5 min.
1) Hoist Motion: (See Figs. 14–16.)
2) Trolley Motion: (See Figs. 17–19.) Fig. 20. Plot of the total gantry-drive current feedback relative to the sum of
3) Gantry Motion: (See Figs. 20–22.) the motor’s nameplate (continuous) ampere rating.
KOZLOWSKI: WOUND ROTOR TO INDUCTION MOTOR AND VFD CONVERSION CASE STUDY
Fig. 21. Histogram of the drive current feedback at 50-A intervals relative to
the motor’s continuous rating.
Fig. 22. One of the four gantry motion motors postretrofit.
VII. C ONCLUSION
From the data analyzed, the method used to size variable
frequency induction motors from existing WR motors with
limited data has merit. The histograms and charts indicate the
ampere draw for the hoist, trolley, and gantry motors was less
than the motor continuous rating. There are large variances in
the loads that are hoisted and wind gusts that affect loading
of the trolley and gantry motions. The data collected may not
be indicative of all operating conditions during other environ-
mental conditions, and these are applicable only to this site
location. Other applications would have to be analyzed on a
case-by-case basis.
1227
In its entirety, this retrofit was a resounding success. The
modernization has provided the following benefits by eliminat-
ing the following maintenance items.
• Brush maintenance: Changing out slip ring brushes on all
motors used to take a minimum of 6 h to perform. This
maintenance was performed every 2 months.
• Slip ring cleaning: The gantry WR motor slip rings needed
to be cleaned and polished every 2 months.
• Carbon buildup: Since the original motor’s slip ring as-
semblies were enclosed, carbon dust used to accumulate
inside the slip ring enclosures. Maintenance used to check
these monthly and blow out carbon dust buildup with high-
pressure air.
• Contactor maintenance: The hoist resistor bank contactors
required maintenance on a monthly basis due to a recur-
ring pitting of electrical contact surfaces.
• Brake maintenance: All crane motions utilize holding
brakes. These brakes are used to ensure each motion is se-
curely stopped when it is required to be stopped. With the
old control system, the brakes were engaged when the mo-
tion was not completely stopped, thus causing premature
brake wear. With the new control system, each motion can
be brought to a complete stop by its regenerative drive, and
the holding brake can be activated when the motion is at
zero speed, thus eliminating premature holding brake wear.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The author would like to thank the assistance of the pa-
per mill’s woodyard production team leader, crew, and elec-
trical engineer for their permission to acquire site data and
B. Tremblay, the Senior Field Support Engineer of Rockwell
Automation, for supplying drive feedback parameters for anal-
ysis and modernization pictures used in this paper.
R EFERENCES
[1] NEMA Standards Publication, Motors and Generators, MG1-1993 Rev 3,
1993, Part 12, p. 14.
[2] Crane Drives Manual—AC Cranes, General Electric, Fairfield, CT, USA,
Nov. 23, 1959, Section 2A, p. 5.
[3] A-70312 Torque Speed Curves for a GE 30 HP Crane Duty Motor
HR-444-B, 04-20-1933, General Electric, Fairfield, CT, USA.
[4] IEEE Standard for Petroleum and Chemical Industry-Premium-Efficiency,
Severe-Duty, Totally Enclosed Fan-Cooled (TEFC) Squirrel Cage Induc-
tion Motors-Up to and Including 370 kW (500 hp), IEEE Std. 841-2009,
2009, p. 5, Section 4.5.
Mike Kozlowski (SM’05) received B.S. degrees in mining and electrical
engineering from West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA.
He is a Drive System Consulting Engineer with ABB Process Automation
Pulp and Paper, Greenville, SC, USA.