Use and evaluation of smart MCC equipment [motor control]

Petrochemical plants are responding to the ever increasing pressures on manpower and economic constraints by increasingly using smart motor control centers (smart MCC) equipment especially for low voltage (LV) systems. This requires more complex motor starter and protection equipment. The complex protection equipment can be interconnected using communication networks and linked directly into the process control systems. Failure modes of such complex equipment are far less predictable than those of traditional devices. Also the interconnections bring the risk of inadvertent errors or failures causing undesired and widespread effects on multiple equipment. This paper outlines smart MCC equipment, their advantages and disadvantages and outlines testing requirements developed to ensure the required reliability, system hardware and software robustness and predictable failure modes.