Intelligent MCCs fundamentals

Why intelligent motor control centers? 

Intelligent MCCs are used to achieve: 

Today's MCC is streamlined and intelligent

An intelligent MCC can help reduce labor and installation material costs and shorten commissioning time. Equipment that can integrate with existing systems and support major network protocols and controllers makes installation and commissioning easier and faster. Additionally, factory configuration of the MCC to specific project parameters, including IP address, motor data, protection features, and other parameters can cut project timelines further. 

Through new information and remote monitoring and control functionalities, intelligent MCCs can help enhance personnel safety. Personnel can better access system performance data and status, while staying outside of the arc flash boundary to reduce the exposure to energized equipment. 

Smart MCCs can help support network reliability and security – by using proven architectures and network solutions, factory configuration and adherence to key industry standards.  Today, there are many types of industrial networks available, including:

• Ethernet/IP
• Modbus RTU/TCP
• Profibus 
• Profinet

New intelligence can help users reduce costs

New diagnostics enable: 

Network connected at its core

Intelligent MCCs are network connected. According to the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), network-enabled motor control centers incorporate devices with ports or sockets that are directly connected via networking cabling or wireless connections to a network, forming a node or set of nodes on that network. It is essential that the industrial communications networks are rugged, reliable, and capable of being interconnected to various platforms. 

In 2019, Industrial Ethernet became the fastest growing indusial network layer for the first time, overtaking growth in fieldbus installations. (Source: HMS)  The increasing application of IIoT devices, such as motor starters, will help fuel even more use of Industrial Ethernet, which provides a host of benefits compared to traditional communications means because it is practically infinitely scalable.

By using Industrial Ethernet: 

• IP-based services like file transfer (FTP), email (SMTP) and web browsers (HTTP) can coexist with Industrial Ethernet traffic 
• Mobile devices can integrate into the enterprise using the same IP services over WiFi or cellular connections 
• No special hardware or software is required to build an Ethernet device 
• Common Ethernet stacks allow multi-protocol support in even simple devices 

Physical layer 

With more industrial equipment using industrial Ethernet cable, the physical layer needs to address requirements for monitoring and control, without interfering with plant or installation cable. Basic requirements for cabling include: 

• 600 volt appliance wiring material (AWM) rated Category 5e cable 
• Shielded construction with metal foil 
• Metal hood on the connector for grounding purposes
• Maximum length of 100 meters
• Ability to convert to fiber to cover long distances (beyond 100M) and harsh environments 

Diverse intelligent control and protection devices 

The benefits you receive from an intelligent MCC depend upon the unique requirements of your application. With intelligent MCCs, there is an opportunity to personalize data collection and analysis, so you’re only collecting the system analytics that matter most to your operations.   

Smart components within the MCC provide additional benefits in control and protection that yield: 

• New ways to solve previously unsolved problems 
• Intelligence that can be tailored to meet unique applications 
• A host of programmable settings, yet easy to use

You can right-size the intelligence and communications you need in a smart MCC through the components you choose to incorporate. Whether you need to get the equipment up and running faster, reduce the likelihood of downtime, increase service life and/or a host of other objectives, you can select IIoT devices to match the exact goals you need to achieve. For example, you can connect:  

• Advanced motor protection devices that provide scalable motor protection and support process monitoring and/or control 

• Variable frequency drives and reduced voltage soft starters with extensive on-board I/O, communications and active energy controls

• Power meters that provide power monitoring for the whole lineup 

Visualized operation and maintenance data

Intelligent MCCs simplify connectivity to facility systems, enabling streamlined ways to control and monitor equipment and processes. There are new ways to show data-driven insights that enable maintenance and operations personnel to interact with the system remotely. By supporting a wide range of communication options, MCCs seamlessly integrate and expand upon the capabilities of distributed control, programmable logic controllers and SCADA systems.  

Distributed control systems (DCS), programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and/or safety systems can leverage the data coming from intelligent MCCs to display operational information, Typically, SCADA or DCS systems are not set up to facilitate the level of operational data essential for electrical equipment maintenance. Without intelligence and communications at the MCC, this operation data would require additional hardware to provide monitoring and control for maintenance and operations staff.  

Intelligent MCCs yield real-time information and access to graphical system data to impact equipment and system health and uptime, through targeted maintenance that’s just in time. From in-depth analytics software to simple information presented on a motor protection relay display and fully developed maintenance HMI terminals, intelligent MCCs bring a new level of equipment capabilities to see system information in real time. 

An intelligent MCC case study

New-found intelligence at the device level can discover problems that you didn’t realize you had. For example, a food and beverage processing facility experienced an unplanned downtime event. The facility leads checked the advanced motor protection devices they were using to see if they could understand the cause of the event without troubleshooting. The relays showed the technicians that the downtime event was caused by an undervoltage event, a utility power sag. As result, there was no need for further troubleshooting or exposing maintenance personnel to energized equipment to identify the problem. Instead, the facility staff were able to restart the system with confidence – saving time and enhancing personnel safety. 

Read more intelligent MCC application stories