T OF ENERGY

DEPARTMEN

U

E

NITED STAT S OFA ERICA

M

An Office of Industrial Technologies 

Bimonthly Publication Focusing on

Energy Efficiency Opportunities for Today

www.oit.doe.gov

www.motor.doe.gov

Formerly Turning Point • November/December 1999

Issue Focus: 

The Future of Industrial 

Energy Efficiency 

IN THIS ISSUE

Seven Companies on Their Way to 

Improved Plant Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Submit Your Proposal to Assess Energy 

Flow and Steam System Opportunities . . . . . 2

Partnering to Save Energy and Money 

in the Attractions Industry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Industrial Energy Efficiency in the 

New Millennium: A Perspective. . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Lights that Shine Forever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Root Cause Failure Analysis on 

AC Induction Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Letters to the Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Coming Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Through a competitive solicitation held

last May, the companies submitted proposals for cost-shared assessments that could

lead to substantial energy and cost savings,

improved productivity, reduced waste, and

enhanced global competitiveness.

OIT will share up to half the costs, or up

to $75,000, with each site to conduct the

assessments, which will evaluate energy

efficiency opportunities in areas such as:

■ Electric motor systems

■ Steam systems

■ Compressed air systems

■ Combined heat and power systems

■ Heat exchange networks

■ Process modifications

■ Adoption of emerging process 

technology 

Each site will gain national recognition

for their efforts, and will have access to

OIT’s emerging technologies tools and

resources. 

Comprehensive Approach the Key 

Just what made these proposals stand

out? OIT’s key requirement was that industrial sites take a comprehensive, plant-wide

approach to increasing energy efficiency

and reducing environmental emissions. Of

the 19 proposals considered, the awardees

successfully conveyed a plan to adopt

best-available and emerging technologies

using state-of the-art tools and information,

process engineering techniques, and best

practices for operational, plant support,

and process systems. 

“We were looking for sites that could

see the entire spectrum of opportunities

within the plant,” explains Paul Scheihing

of OIT. “What made these proposals stand

out is that they described a plant-wide

view in methodology and scope of activity,

whether it was improving efficiency of

plant processes or utilities.” 

Another important consideration for

selection was an expression of commitment

to build on previous energy efficiency initiatives and investments. In fact, a common

theme emerged among the winning proposals: energy efficiency is an integral part

of each company’s corporate philosophy

or they have an established track record of

energy efficiency. Each site’s commitment

to implementing plant-wide changes was

evident in the proposals by the: 

■ Significant involvement of plant 

personnel.

(continued on page 2)

Seven Companies on Their Way to Improved Plant Performance 

Alcoa and six other plants will receive costshared funding from OIT for plant-wide 

assessments. 

BE A MODEL PLANT

If you missed the first solicitation in May,

or if you would like to reapply for plantwide assessment funding, you have a new

opportunity. The second request for proposals will be announced in December

1999. To find out more, provide your

name, company, and address to Mitch

Olszewski by e-mail: zmo@ornl.gov, or fax

to (865) 576-0493 (e-mail is preferable).

Recently, DOE’s Office of Industrial Technologies (OIT) named these seven industrial companies to receive cost-shared funding for plant-wide, energy efficiency assessments that the

plants themselves are conducting: 

Alcoa of Lafayette, Indiana ■ AMCAST Industrial Corporation of Wapakoneta, Ohio ■

Boise Cascade of International Falls, Minnesota ■ Caraustar Industries of Baltimore, Maryland and Rittman, Ohio ■ Crucible Specialty Metals of Syracuse, New York ■ GeorgiaPacific Corporation of Palatka, Florida ■ Inland Packaging and Paper of Rome, Georgia
2 Energy Matters, November/December 1999

ENERGY MATTERS

(formerlyTurning Point) is 

published bimonthly by the U.S.

Department of Energy’s (DOE)

Office of Industrial Technologies. 

Information contained in the

newsletter can be reproduced

without permission provided due

acknowledgement is given (the

U.S. Department of Energy’s

Energy Matters newsletter) and a

copy of the publication is 

supplied to the editor.

■

EDITORIAL BOARD

Floyd Barwig, Iowa Energy 

Center, representing Compressed

Air Challenge

Rob Boteler, representing

National Electrical Manufacturers

Association

Lynda Butek, representing 

Electrical Apparatus Service 

Association

Don Casada, Oak Ridge National

Laboratory

Keith Davidson, Onsite Sycom

Energy

Glenn Hahn, Spirax Sarco

Fred Hart, U.S. DOE, Steam 

Challenge

Chris Hunter, Johnson & Johnson

Roy Jones, representing

Compressed Air and Gas Institute

John Machelor, Macro 

International

Rick Payton, Rockwell 

Automation/Reliance Electric

Bill Stafford, Technical 

Association of the Pulp and Paper

Industry

Howard Snyder, Weirton Steel

Chuck Whelan, DuPont

■

COMMENTS? 

Contact: 

Julia Oliver, DOE, at 

(510) 637-1952, or e-mail

julia.oliver@oak.doe.gov

Erika Ericksen, 

Energy Matters Editor, at 

(303) 275-3914, or e-mail 

erika_ericksen@nrel.gov

1617 Cole Blvd., MS 1713

Golden, CO 80401

Seven Companies on Their Way

continued from page 1

■ Highly competent teams performing the

assessments.

■ Interest in using advanced technologies

for process improvements.

Models to Follow

The assessments will take place over

the next 12 months, and once completed,

OIT will compile and publish profiles of

each assessment. OIT hopes these companies will serve as models to others, and

that their results, successes, and experiences will encourage other companies to

adopt and implement similar activities.

“OIT is excited about working with these

seven winning plant sites,” says Scheihing.

“For a few, if not all, of these sites we

expect to find a variety of emerging technology opportunities—we hope technologies resulting from the Industries of the

Future technology roadmaps.” 

ABOUT THE AWARDEES

The seven companies to receive cost-shared,

plant-wide assessments fall within the scope

of OIT’s Industries of the Future initiative,

which focuses on the country’s most energy

intensive industries. Working with OIT and

partnering with resource and equipment suppliers, engineering firms, and others, these

sites are moving toward a strategy to

increase their plant energy efficiency and

improve environmental performance.

Alcoa will assess the furnace operations,

maintenance, pumping systems, and plant

utilities of its extruded and drawn tube mill.

AMCAST Industrial Corporation has plans to

assess all energy systems and address pollution prevention and process improvements at

its aluminum metalcasting plant.

Boise Cascade will use Water Pinch technology to assess water usage throughout its pulp

and paper mill. The company will assess

energy cost and product quality issues.

Caraustar Industries plans to assess major

end uses of steam, motors, cogeneration,

and heat recovery in its paperboard production process.

Crucible Specialty Metals will look at all

plant energy use in its specialty bar steel

mill, from power and fuel costs to processes. 

Georgia-Pacific’s assessment of its pulp and

paper mill will include the use of Thermal and

Water Pinch technology analysis and Power

Process Review to examine process heat

usage, water usage, and power efficiency.

Inland Paperboard & Packaging will study

steam, electrical, and all fuel uses throughout its paperboard mill.

Submit Your Proposal to Assess Energy Flow and 

Steam System Opportunities 

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), in

support of DOE’s Office of Industrial Technologies (OIT) is seeking proposals from

qualified consultants and analysis firms to

undertake a new national energy assessment consisting of two tasks: an Industrial

Energy Flow Assessment and a Steam System Opportunities Assessment. Proposals

can be developed for either the Energy

Flow Assessment, the Steam Systems

Opportunities Assessment, or both tasks.

The Energy Flow Assessment will focus

on industries in Standard Industrial Codes

(SICs) 20-39, and will:

■ Identify and quantify the energy sources

and generation technologies that supply

heat and power to the U.S. process

industry. 

■ Identify and quantify, by major applications, how the U.S. process industry

uses energy.

The Steam System Opportunities Assessment will: 

■ Develop baseline information on the

U.S. process industry’s steam system

generation and use and opportunities

for improvement.

■ Identify current steam system design,

maintenance, and management practices by the U.S. process industry. 

■ Develop a methodology for continuous

assessments to influence improvements

of steam system operations. 

■ Educate and influence industry and

government decision-makers about

potential benefits from steam system

efficiency improvements.

OIT released the RFP on November 19, 

1999, and proposals will be due by March 1,

2000. For more information, contact Tony 

Wright, ORNL, by fax at (865) 574-2032 or

by e-mail: alw@ornl.gov.
Energy Matters, November/December 1999 3

Partnering to Save Energy and Money in the Attractions Industry

Last time you were strolling through a

theme park, such as Walt Disney World,

you probably didn’t stop and wonder 

what is behind the scenes helping systems

run. In case you’re wondering now, it’s

electric motor systems. The North Service

Area Chiller Plant, owned by the Reedy

Creek Improvement District (RCID), sends

 chilled water to Walt Disney World facilities 

and has over 20,000 HP worth of motors 

and over 16,000 tons of air conditioning

capacity. At the same time those motor systems were helping to ensure that everyone

enjoyed their family vacation, they were

also wasting valuable energy and money.

With help from the University of Florida

Energy Extension Service (FEES), RCID

improved operations and has saved energy

and money at their North Service Area

Chiller Plant. 

Using DOE’s MotorMaster+ (MM+) software as the primary analysis tool, FEES

evaluated more than 120 motors at the

plant, ranging from 25 to 700 HP, approximately 80 of which are open dripproof

(ODP) horizontal, and the remainder vertical hollowshaft (VHS). Applications

included all aspects of water pumping—

chilled, condenser, hot, and municipal

water—as well as air compressors and

cooling tower fans. FEES, an Allied Partner,

received funding for the in-depth study of

RCID’s electric motor systems through the

Florida Energy Office, a state agency that

funds various energy conservation efforts.

Using data from MM+, FEES identified 

where motor system upgrades

would help reduce energy

usage. “One of their chilled

water loops, for example, used

five 150-HP motors to drive

the facility pumps. The five

pumps, as a system, operate

continuously, with any single

motor running from 4000 to

5000 hours per year,” says

Wendell Porter of FEES. “These

motors are over 25 years old,

and I know each has been

rewound at least once. Our

first step was to replace four of the five

motors, leaving an old one in place for

measurement purposes.” For 4 months,

FEES monitored an old and a new motor.

The results showed a 7 percent improvement (from 88 percent to 95 percent) in

motor efficiency.

Paul Allen, Chief Energy Management

Engineer for Reedy Creek Energy Services,

explains “the MotorMaster program and

analysis tools have enabled us to quantify

the savings and justify the purchase of

more energy-efficient motors.”

Phase I of the RCID motor efficiency

study resulted in the replacement of the

following seven motors at the chiller plant

and one motor at the Magic Kingdom,

totaling 1425 HP:

■ Four of the five existing 150-HP chiller

pumps.

■ Two 250-HP condenser water pump

motors.

■ One 125-HP cooling tower fan. A

variable-speed drive (VSD) was also

added to this new motor.

■ One of three 200-HP motors of Magic 

Kingdom’s vacuum waste collection 

system.

Porter calculates energy savings for all 

motors except the cooling tower fan motor 

exceed 300,000 kWh/year and demand 

has been reduced by about 60 kW. The 

cooling tower fan motor and VSD allow 

better chiller control. Preliminary data show 

compressor demand might be reduced as 

much as 100 kW.

Under Phase II, FEES personnel are using 

MM+ to survey and create a database of nearly 

150 motors, totaling more than 20,000 HP. 

These include pump motors for potable water 

wells, motors at Disney’s Contemporary Resort 

 chilled water plant, and motors in the EPCOT 

Central Energy Plant.

“FEES has been great in helping us put

together a motor management program,”

acknowledges Paul Allen. “We’re planning a

multi-year effort to phase-in energy-efficient

electric motors. A capital spending plan has

just been approved for this purpose.”

You don’t have to serve the Magic Kingdom to reap these benefits; other facilities 

can save money and improve productivity 

by looking at their motor systems. “...More 

money is wasted by inefficient motors than 

by anything else you can think of,” Porter 

concedes. “Motors aren’t flashy, they just 

sit in the corner and hum. People need to 

know how much energy and money they 

can save just by changing out motors. 

And of course, by looking at overall 

systems you can often help them discover 

additional economies.”

Motor system upgrades reduce energy usage at RCID’s chiller plant.

With the help of MotorMaster+, FEES evaluated more than 

120 motors to identify savings opportunities.
4 Energy Matters, November/December 1999

Industrial Energy Efficiency in the New Millennium: A Perspective

We invited responses from Energy Matters’ Editorial Board members—because

they represent the broad industrial spectrum

we serve—and from an OIT Program Manager and other industry experts. Here is who

they are and the changes they foresee within

the sphere of industrial energy efficiency.

Floyd Barwig, Iowa Energy Center

Industrial energy efficiency markets will

be significantly affected by utility industry

restructuring. A range of new products and

services will proliferate, allowing industries

to rethink how they procure energy, energy

using equipment, and energy-related operations and maintenance services.

Distributed generation (fuel cells,

microturbines, etc.) and distributed energy

storage (superconducting magnetic electric

storage, flywheels, chemical storage, etc.)

are the technologies to watch.

Rob Boteler, US Electrical Motors

The future of global energy conservation

must move forward by addressing the age

and efficiency of the installed base of equipment in today’s buildings and factories.

Industries must begin replacing engines,

motors, transformers, gears, and drives from

10, 20, or 30 years ago with new technologies rather than repairing and continuing to

operate older, low-efficiency technologies. 

Lynda Butek, representing the Electrical

Apparatus Service Association

Regulations will focus on systems rather

than components, and all products will be

required to meet efficiency levels. Integration of systems components will maximize

efficiency. Industry as much as government

will drive efficiency improvements. We’ll

see smaller incremental efficiency gains with

motors and a greater emphasis on improved

efficiency of downstream equipment.

Adjustable speed drives (ASDs) will be

more widely used in production equipment

as they become cheaper, smaller, and more

sophisticated. Computer controlled ASDs

will optimize processes and minimize

energy consumption, not just on individual

machines, but plant-wide. Computers will

also measure and correlate production output to energy consumption. Smart motors

will predict their own failures, which could

eliminate downtime. 

Don Casada, Oak Ridge National 

Laboratory 

Need energy redactions?

Forget the sophistic.

Most important actions

Are commonly simplistic.

New technologies? I’ve no picks;

Some may help a mite,

But keep focus on these basics,

If you would win the fight:

Slip by Friction’s hellish entropryse,

Cut that liar, Superfluity.

Who most welcomes their demise?

Our old pal, Efficiency.

But who’ll devise the battle plan,

And what is it they’ll do?

You alone can answer, friend;

For the leader is good old you.

(See Don’s related article on page 5.) 

Keith Davidson, Onsite Sycom Energy

The coming millennium will value natural resources at a premium and will

“incentivize” environmental stewardship.

The industrial sector will move sharply

toward waste minimization, process optimization and efficient energy use. Combined Heat and Power (CHP) will become

a “no-brainer” for industrial plants with a

heat load. With advances to CHP technologies, controls, and grid communication software, CHP will provide economic,

environmental, and reliability benefits to

industrial users, society, and the distribution grid as a whole.

Chris Hunter, Johnson & Johnson, 

Worldwide Engineering Services

The way people live and do business

will change radically as we begin to harness

the power of the Internet Age in the next

two decades. The most significant technological breakthrough in industrial energy

efficiency will come through new, faster,

paper-thin microchips that can be embedded anywhere. Every piece of equipment,

every motor, even every light bulb will not

only be “smart”, but will have an IP address.

This will create within each facility a digital nervous system that will foster a level of

understanding and control of energy consumption few to date have ever dreamed of. 

Peter Garforth, Owens Corning

Market liberalization is forcing utilities

to extend their offerings to include tailored

energy services packages for industrial customers. We will see a blurring of these

interests, with multidisciplinary service

companies investing in customers’ energy

assets, upgrading them, and being paid

from the productivity they create. Industrial

customers will increasingly outsource

energy management to reduce overall

energy costs in their production processes.

No single technology will be the

“game-changer.” The real change will be

tailoring solutions to give industrial customers maximum productivity using all

available technology. Information technology will link supply and demand systems;

distributed generation will find increased

application; and innovative manufacturing

processes will reduce energy waste.

Rick Payton, Rockwell Automation/

Reliance Electric

Products and processes will benefit significantly from the digital age. Information

on both the operation of energy-converting

products and the processes they are a part

of will enable energy consumers to tune 

(continued on page 5)

Think back a few years to when The Year 2000 seemed too remote to consider, except,

of course, that it made an intriguing setting for science fiction drama. These days, as we

hurry toward the new century—and a new millennium, besides—it seems everyone everywhere dares to imagine the possibilities of the new era. We now realize the same future

that once seemed “way out there,” is nearly here, and we wonder what it will be like. 

Since its beginning, DOE’s Office of Industrial Technologies has focused on what the

future will be like for industry. The question has always been, “How will industry become

more efficient, more productive, and more competitive?” Today, on the verge of the 21st

century, the time is right for an exchange of ideas about the future of industrial energy efficiency. In that spirit, Energy Matters posed this question on the topic to our own panel of

industry experts:

How do you see industrial energy efficiency markets, services and technology 

products changing in the next 20 years, and what technological breakthrough do

you think will have the most significant impact on industrial energy efficiency? 
Energy Matters, November/December 1999 5

continued from page 4

and purchase components to minimize

energy consumption while maximizing

process production. In fact, some day these

products might even tune themselves.

In addition, materials technology will

continue to develop. New developments

over the next 20 years will have the same

impact on industry as 100 years worth of

past developments, thanks to information

and tools now and soon to be available.

Paul Scheihing, DOE Office of Industrial

Technologies

Industrial customers will increasingly

demand system-based solutions from their

suppliers to maximize their limited capital

resources. Innovative supplier/customer

partnerships that seek plant-wide productivity opportunities using life-cycle costing

principles will become commonplace. This 

new emphasis will more strongly link the

benefits derived from total asset management, energy efficiency, and maintenance

best practices, while helping corporations

improve energy efficiency and reduce

greenhouse gas emissions.

Howard Snyder, Weirton Steel 

I see Utilities Automation as being an

integral part of industrial plants in the

future. This entails complete computer

control of power houses, boiler houses, gas

blending stations, and water pump houses.

Currently, decision making on how to

operate these facilities is done manually by

established procedures and guidelines.

With modern instrumentation and control loops, the decisions can be based on

precise, calculated equations with feedback

to fine tune for continuous maximized 

efficiencies.

Editor’s Note. So when does the 3rd millennium actually begin? Some say 2000,

some say 2001. We recognize there is

some debate over this technicality. Energy

Matters might be a little early in ringing in

the new millennium, but as we see it, it is

never too early to be thinking about the

future of energy efficiency. 

TAKE PART IN OUR FUTURIST FORUM

Now that you’ve heard from others with a

stake in the future of industrial energy efficiency, let us know what you think. Consider the two-part question presented on

page 4 and submit your ideas (in 75 words

or less) to the Energy Matters Extra Futurist

Forum www.motor.doe.gov/emextra. Or

mail or fax your ideas as a Letter to the

Editor (see page 7 for contact information). 

We will publish some of your ideas in 

future issues of Energy Matters.

Lights that Shine Forever

By Don Casada, Oak Ridge National 

Laboratory

Choosing the Champions of Energy

After I agreed to Energy Matters’ request to

write a retrospective/prospective article

consistent with the end of the millennium

theme, I journeyed back in time, considering important historical figures and contributions in the energy technology arena.

Giants like Newton, Faraday, Maxwell,

Carnot, Joule, Thomson, Tesla, Bernoulli,

Watt, Otto, Diesel, Carrier, Edison, and

Fermi came to mind, along with the fundamental understandings, discoveries, and

technologies they enabled.

I started narrowing selections with a

focus on periods of time. What I found

really surprised me, and changed my entire

thought process. 

As I tabulated people and events by 

50-year periods, starting with Isaac Newton, my primary challenge was making a

top selection in each period—there were so

many to choose from. But when I got to the

last half of the 20th century, my dilemma

was reversed—I couldn’t pick one at all. 

So I wandered the Web in wont of wisdom, not limiting myself to energy areas—

rather just looking at important historical

figures and events. I serendipitously

tripped (a common means of scientific and

technological advances) across a couple of 

well-known, mid-millennial figures that I’d

never associated with energy technology.

After a little reflection, I was convinced

that these men and their contributions,

viewed properly, were not only illustrative

of the most important historical technological developments, but, if we’ve a lick of

sense and will heed their advice, point the

way to a better future.

My first pick is Johannes Gutenberg, the

inventor of the printing press. The Gutenberg press was a dominant factor in both

the timing and location of industrial energy

technology development. Previously,

printed material was prohibitively expensive for all but the extremely wealthy who

could afford to pay for manual transcriptions. That changed within a generation.

The printing press dramatically changed

societal and political structures, but let’s

focus on its technology implications. Broad

exchange and critique is always important

in validating or rejecting new ideas. Isaac

Newton may have been just as inspired

without the printing press. But there is no

doubt that the extent and speed of his

impact on others would have been dramatically reduced to a linear slope of advancement instead of the actual geometric growth.

Gutenberg’s press is the epitome of

enabling technology. It represents the classical physics of Newton and Maxwell, 

Tesla’s motor, and Otto’s engine.

Now let’s stir the pot a bit. The second

person is Martin Luther. 

WHAT?!

Now I realize you may think I’m way

out in left field, but I’m really just playing

my position.

Martin Luther took quite ancient information and looked at it in a new light.

Unsettled by what he saw, he searched further. And after much internal struggling, he

came to his eureka.1 He saw that both the

authority and responsibility to make things

right were in the hands of the individual, not

an institutional structure. More importantly,

he acted on his new understanding, even at

the risk of his life, when he brought his new

way of thinking to management’s door. 

Luther represents the person who is

willing to not only come around to a new

way of thinking, but to believe in it

strongly enough to act upon it. He helps us

see that if we would find “true treasures”

(from his famous 95 theses), we needn’t

indulge our ego-driven inclination to

sophisticated solutions, but rather choose

the humble, the simple, the common.

Energy of Less Esteem

But what about the future? Take a look

at the question posed on page 4 of Energy 

(continued on page 7)
6 Energy Matters, November/December 1999

Root Cause Failure Analysis On AC Induction Motors

By John M. Machelor,

Motor/Drives Systems 

Specialist in support of 

DOE’s Industries of the Future, MACRO

International Inc.

This is the sixth and

final article by Mr.

Machelor on the

subject of Root

Cause Failure Analysis. This article 

concludes the discussion of motor

bearing failures. Refer to previous Energy

Matters’ articles authored by Mr. Machelor

for more information on root cause failure

analysis.

Bearing Enclosures

Just as motor enclosures vary from open to

totally enclosed, so too bearings are available from open to sealed. Open bearings

have no shields or seals between the inner

and outer races, so the inner components

of the bearing (rotating elements, retainers,

grease) are exposed to outside elements. As

a result, motors with open bearings are

best maintained in a plant with a routine

preventive maintenance program. The

open bearing must be periodically

lubricated with the correct amount and

type of grease. In addition, the open bearing is very susceptible to contamination

and moisture. Even with a preventive

maintenance program in place, mistakes

can occur in servicing open bearings with

the result being premature bearing failures.

Common mistakes include:

■ Under (or no) greasing resulting in 

friction between the rotating elements/

retainer/races causing excessive heating

and metal wear.

■ Over greasing also resulting in 

excessive heating of the bearing plus

contamination of the motor’s windings

with grease overspill.

■ Use of the wrong grease can result in

rapid degradation of the grease and

subsequent bearing failure. Greases are

specially formulated to be used in 

certain types of bearings and under 

certain application conditions taking

into account parameters like speed,

load, environment, etc. 

■ Mixing incompatible greases can create

a lethal (to the bearing) mixture that can

quickly corrode/contaminate the bearing. In some cases, the grease mixture

disintegrates into a liquid, which drains

out of the bearing leaving it with essentially no lubricant.

Shielded bearings are somewhat better

than fully open bearings. They are available with one shield (single-shielded), usually positioned on the side of the bearing

facing the inside of the bearing housing.

The double-shielded bearing has shields

on both sides of the bearing. Shielded

bearings offer somewhat more protection

against outside elements, like contamination and moisture, than do open bearings,

but in general, they suffer from the same

limitations.

Sealed bearings are the best choice of

the three enclosure types. They are sealed

on both sides to keep out contamination

and moisture, and they are lubricated for

life, thus having none of the problems

associated with regreasing. Thus, these

bearings are virtually maintenance free!

Sealed bearings are more costly, but considering the potential reliability problems

avoided by their use, they are well worth

the investment. Payback times are typically

measured in days or weeks, not months or

years. The combination of sealed bearings

and quality shaft seals on a severe duty

motor is hard to beat.

Bearing Considerations During 

Motor Repair

Whenever a motor is sent out for 

cleaning or repair, the bearings are almost

always replaced. During bearing replacement, several common mistakes can occur:

■ New bearings are sometimes removed

from their shipping containers and left

on the repair bench for an extended

time before being installed in the motor.

During this time, the bearing can accumulate contaminants (metal chips, dirt,

moisture, chemicals). Open bearings

are most susceptible to this situation,

but it is poor repair practice for any

bearing. If it is not possible to install a

new bearing quickly, then leave it in its

container or cover it.

■ Sometimes old bearings are removed

from, or new bearings are installed on, 

the motor shaft by pulling axially on the

outer race of the bearing. This procedure is a sure-fire way to damage new

bearings. Pulling a bearing onto a shaft

by the outer race puts tremendous axial

stress on the contact areas of the outer

race, rolling elements, and inner race.

Such an installed bearing will usually

fail within a matter of days. Always

install new bearings per the manufacturer’s specifications, and only apply

controlled heat to a bearing as a last

resort.

■ New bearings come with tolerances,

which define the acceptable interference fit allowed between the outer race

and bearing housing and between the

inner race and shaft diameter. These 

tolerances must be met! Too tight a fit

and the bearing can become stressed

and deformed. Too loose a fit and the

bearing can spin, either the inner race

on the shaft or the outer race in the

bearing housing. Either condition will

lead to catastrophic bearing failure.

Bearing Misapplications

The two most common mechanical

designs of the standard AC induction motor

are the TS shaft and the T shaft. 

■ The TS design is for coupled service

where the main mechanical load is

applied parallel (axially) to the motor

shaft. Typical loads of this type include

pumps and fans. The rear (drive-end)

bearing is typically a ball bearing.

While the ball bearing can handle some

perpendicular (radial) loading, its radial

load capacity should not be exceeded.

In my experience, I have seen numerous rear ball bearing failures where a TS

design was being used on a heavy

radial load application in error.

■ The T design is for service where the

main mechanical load is applied perpendicularly (radially) to the motor

shaft. A typical load of this type is a

belted application with the belt running

off of a shaft-mounted pulley. T designs

use rear ball bearings in smaller HP

ratings and rear roller bearings in larger 

(continued on page 7)
Energy Matters, November/December 1999 7

Letters to the Editor

Energy Matters welcomes

your typewritten letters and

e-mails. Please include your

full name, address, association, and phone

number, and limit comments to 200 words.

Address correspondence to:

Michelle Mallory, Letters to the Editor

NREL, MS 1713

1617 Cole Blvd.

Golden, CO 80401 

e-mail: michelle_sosa-mallory@nrel.gov

We publish letters of interest to our

readers on related technical topics, comments, or criticisms/corrections of a technical nature. Preference is given to letters

relating to articles that appeared in the previous two issues. Letters may be edited for

clarity, length, and style.

To the Editor:

I just received my copy of the September/October Energy Matters and was

delighted to read Don Casada’s article on

pumping systems. I am a process engineer

from Y-12 Development and have been

working for Enriched Uranium Operations

(EUO) for several years. In EUO, I see a lot

of opportunities to apply what you are

writing about. 

I would very much like to see the first

two articles in this pumping systems series.

Are they available online? 

Mick Calfee

Lockheed Martin Energy Systems Y-12 Plant

Oak Ridge, TN 

Editor’s Response:

Mr. Calfee and another reader inquired

about obtaining the first two articles in

Don Casada’s series on pumping systems.

These appeared in the May and July 1999

issues of Energy Matters, and yes, they are

available online. Find all of Don’s (and

John Machelor’s) articles in Energy Matters

Extra at www.motor.doe.gov/emextra. To

see back issues of the entire newsletter

online, go to www.motor.doe.gov, or call

the OIT Clearinghouse at 800-862-2086

for copies. 

continued from page 6

HP ratings where the radial loads

exceed the capacity of ball bearings.

The ball-bearing T design can be used

with a radial or an axial type of load.

Problems occur where the roller-bearing T design is used with an axial load

because roller bearings are designed to

run with at least some radial load.

When the load is strictly axial, the roller

bearing is subject to noise, overheating,

and premature failure.

Each of the abnormal conditions discussed in this article can lead to premature

or catastrophic bearing failure. When two

or more exist at the same time, the bearing

will only fail that much sooner. 

Readers are welcome to send questions,

comments, or suggestions to John Machelor

by phone (540) 639-4271; fax (540) 

639-4272; or e-mail: jmachelo@macroint.

com or macrojmm@aol.com.

Lights that Shine Forever

continued from page 5

Matters. Doesn’t it imply the want of the silver bullet, the knight in shining armor, or an

energy champion? I couldn’t think of either

a hero or a major industrial energy breakthrough in the last 50 years, so how could I

project one in the future? Well, I can’t, but

Gutenberg and Luther already did.

Consider our present circumstance: our

principal energy components, such as

motors, pumps, and turbines have been on

an efficiency plateau for years. In the big

picture, there have been relatively minor

improvements. And when we find 100-HP

electric motor efficiencies, for example,

approaching 96%, it is clear that future

improvements will be modest. Yet amazing

resources, human energy, and attention

continue to be invested in search of almost

infinitesimal improvements of individual

components. 

But the opportunity to improve energy

efficiency at the system level is as great as

it has ever been in many applications, and

is easily an order of magnitude greater than

that of any individual component. Artificial

losses, leaks, mismatched and oversized

equipment are examples of system-level 

opportunities. Why aren’t we pursuing them? 

One answer is because there’s no glory

in it. There’s no magic, just simple truth.

There’s no requirement for intellectual

insight, just common sense. Innovations

aren’t in order, just the application of centuries-old knowledge. In short, these

opportunities aren’t high and mighty; they

are meek and lowly. 

How can we change things? 

Guided by Gutenberg, we improve the

transfer of information to and among the

masses:

1) Ensure operators are grounded in fundamentals so that they don’t operate systems using incantations passed down

through generations; rather they understand what they are doing, and why.

2) Take advantage of new communication

methods, like digital computers, to provide operators continuously updated

measures of overall system efficiency

and operating costs so they can make

informed decisions.

3) Actively solicit operator advice when

designing new systems or modifying

existing ones.

Listening to Luther, we look at things in

a new light:

1) Acknowledge that the simple things are

“true treasures,” and treat them as such. 

2) Eliminate indulgences. Turn equipment

off that doesn’t need to be running. If a

system runs fine at 60 psig, don’t run it

at 80 psig. 

3) Empower the individuals who keep

things running—operators, mechanics,

electricians, et al. Encourage the folks

who see old things in new ways and

then act on their new insights to

improve operations. And be sure to

reward them more than the hired guns

who recommend without risk. 

1 I know, wrong guy, wrong millennium, but we’re talking discovery here, so excuse my literary license.

PLAY THE ENERGY CHAMPION

NAME GAME

Can you name a few of the energy champions of last millennium? How about 25

of them? Check out Energy Matters Extra

at www.motor.doe.gov/emextra to search

for the names of your favorite historical

figures hidden within “a little ditty” by

Don Casada. Hint: read betwixt and

between the lines. Guess all or most, and

your name could appear in an upcoming

issue of Energy Matters. 
Coming Events 

INFORMATION

CLEARINGHOUSE

Do you have questions about 

using energy-efficient process

and utility systems in your industrial

facility? Call the OIT Clearinghouse for

answers, Monday through Friday 9:00 

a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (EST).

Fax: (360) 586-8303, or access our

homepage at www.motor.doe.gov

HOTLINE: (800) 862-2086

DOE Regional Support Office 

Representatives

■ Tim Eastling, Atlanta, GA, 

(404) 347-7141

■ Lili Griffin, Boston, MA, 

(617) 565-9714

■ Julie Nochumsom, Chicago, IL, 

(312) 886-8579

■ Gibson Asuquo, Denver, CO, 

(303) 275-4841

■ Julia Oliver, Seattle, WA, 

(510) 637-1952

■ Maryanne Daniel, Philadelphia, PA, 

(215) 656-6964

This document was produced for the Office 

of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at

the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) by the

National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a DOE

national laboratory.

DOE/GO-10099-930 • November/December 1999

T OF ENERGY

DEPARTMEN

U

E

NITED STAT S OFA ERICA

M

Printed with a renewable-source ink on paper

containing at least 50% wastepaper, including

20% postconsumer waste

UNDERSTANDING PUMP SYSTEMS/PSAT WORKSHOPS

The following session presents the fundamentals of optimizing industrial and municipal

pump systems. The workshops will present case studies and will focus on Pump System

Assessment Tool (PSAT).

■ December 14 in Tempe, AZ

■ January 26 in Eugene, OR

■ January 27 in Novi, MI

■ January 27 in Vancouver, WA

Call Anna Maksimova at (360) 754-1097, ext.100 for more information.

ADJUSTABLE SPEED DRIVE APPLICATION WORKSHOPS

These workshops address the fundamentals of ASDs and demonstrate the ASDMaster 

software.

■ January 27 in Eugene, OR

Call Anna Maksimova at (360) 754-1097, ext.100 for more information.

IMPROVED FACILITY PERFORMANCE THROUGH ENHANCED STEAM SYSTEMS

■ January through June 2000 (cities/dates TBD) in WI

Call Steve Nelson or Doug Presny at (608) 238-4601 for more information. 

U.S. Department of Energy

EE-20, 5G-067

1000 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20585

Bulk Rate

U.S. Postage

PAID

Permit No. 258

Golden, Colorado
OIT’s Information Clearinghouse offers many resources that can help your company begin to improve the efficiency of its energy systems,

increase productivity, and boost the bottom line. Here’s a list of some of the items available, absolutely free. Order yours today. 

Motor Systems—helps industry increase productivity and reliability through energy-efficient motor-driven systems.

Fact Sheets (limit of 5 of each fact sheet per order) 

Case Studies (limit of 5 of each case study per order) 

Reports (limit of one of each report per order) 

Steam Systems—helps industry enhance productivity and reduce emissions through better steam system management.

Case Studies (limit of 5 of each case study per order) 

To order, simply check your selection(s) above, complete the form, and fax to (360) 586-8303. 

First Name: Last Name:

Title: (Select one)

Organization:

Mailing Address:

City: State: Zip: Country

Day Phone: Fax: E-mail:

Type of Organization: (Select one)

Type of Industry: (Select one)

■ Agriculture

■ Aluminum

■ Chemicals & Allied Products

Number of Persons Employed at Your Location:

To learn more about the resources and services available through the OIT Clearinghouse, call (800) 862-2086.

Stock Up and Save Energy and Money

■ Determining Electric Motor Load and Efficiency . . . . . . Qty____

■ Reducing Power Factor Cost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Qty____

■ Replacing an Oversized and Underloaded Electric 

Motor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Qty____

■ Buying an Energy-Efficient Electric Motor . . . . . . . . . . . Qty____

■ Frequently Asked Questions on The Impacts of the 

Energy Policy Act of 1992 on Industrial End Users of 

Electric Motor-Driven Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Qty____

■ Optimizing Your Motor-Driven System . . . . . . . . . . . . . Qty____

■ HorsePower Bulletin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Qty____

■ Stroh Brewery Company (Brewing Industry) . . . . . . . . . Qty____

■ Lockheed Martin Armament Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Qty____

■ Alumax (Aluminum Industry) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Qty____

■ Peabody Holding Company (Coal Mining Industry) . . . Qty____

■ Greenville Tube Company (Steel Industry) . . . . . . . . . . Qty____

■ Bethlehem Steel Corporation (Steel Industry) . . . . . . . . Qty____

■ Oxy USA (Petroleum Industry) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Qty____

■ Louisiana Pacific Corporation (Forest Products Industry) Qty____

■ Nisshinbo California, Inc. (Textiles Industry) . . . . . . . . . Qty____

■ City of Long Beach, CA (Refuse Systems) . . . . . . . . . . . Qty____

■ Town of Trumbull, CT (Wastewater) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Qty____

■ City of Milford, CT (Wastewater). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Qty____

■ Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing (3M) 

(Diversified Products Manufacturing) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Qty____

■ The Motor Challenge Sourcebook

■ Energy-Efficient Electric Motor Selection Handbook

■ U.S. Industrial Motor Systems Market Opportunity 

Assessment: Full Report

■ Plant Manager

■ Maintenance Manager

■ Purchasing Manager

■ Plant Engineer

■ Chief Electrician

■ President/CEO

■ General Manager

■ Salesperson/Technical

Salesperson/Sales Manager

■ Consultant/Engineer

■ Research Associate

■ Other_____________________

■ Food Processing

■ Forest Products

■ Glass

■ Metal Industries

■ Mining

■ Refining

■ Steel

■ Textiles

■ Water/Wastewater

■ Other

__________________

__________________

■ A purchaser of industrial energy-consuming equipment or

energy at an industrial facility;

■ A manufacturer of industrial equipment;

■ A dealer or distributor of industrial equipment; or,

■ A provider of technical services to end-users and manufacturers—

for example: a consulting engineer, utility or government energy

efficiency program, industrial designer, maintenance service

company.

■ Bethlehem Steel Corporation (Steel Industry) . . . . . . . . Qty____ ■ Georgia-Pacific (Forest Products Industry). . . . . . . . . . . Qty____