Preventing Supply Voltage Dips on Motor Start

When a large motor starts direct on-line, the heavy inrush current it draws can cause a noticeable dip in the supply voltage feeding that part of the site. Other equipment sharing the same circuit, particularly anything sensitive to voltage fluctuations, can be affected by that momentary drop, sometimes resetting or misbehaving as a result.

Integra from Suresense reduces this problem through its soft start function. Instead of drawing the full inrush current instantly, the motor ramps up gradually, which considerably reduces the size of the current spike hitting the supply. That smoother draw means less disturbance to the overall voltage stability of the electrical network the motor sits on.

This is particularly useful on sites running several large motors that start and stop through the day, where repeated voltage dips can become a persistent, low-level nuisance affecting other connected equipment. By smoothing out the starting current at the source, Int

egra reduces this disruption without requiring any changes to the site's electrical infrastructure or supply arrangement, alongside the energy savings it provides during normal running.

Sites experiencing recurring equipment faults or resets around the time large motors start are often unaware the cause is a voltage dip rather than a fault with the affected equipment itself.