Soft start enhances motor start performance in many ways including:
1. Smooth acceleration without the torque transients associated with electro-mechanical reduced voltage starters.
2. Voltage or current is applied gradually, without the voltage and current transients associated with electro-mechanical reduced voltage starters.
3. Lower start currents and/or shorter start times because constant current control gives higher torque as motor speed increases.
4. Easy adjustment of start performance to suit the specific motor and load.
5. Precise control over the current limit.
6. Consistent performance even with frequent starts.
7. Reliable performance even if load characteristics vary between starts (eg loaded or unloaded starts).
In addition to superior starting performance, soft starters also provide a range of features not available from other reduced voltage starters. This features include areas such as:
1. Soft stop (which helps eliminate water hammer)
2. Braking
3. Motor and system protection
4. Metering and monitoring
5. Operating history and event logs
6. Communication network integration
The extra features built into soft starters can reduce the overall installed cost of the equipment and reduce the long-term maintenance requirement.
Sammy