Practical Electric Motor Selection and Control
Fee: $1,565 / Online / Apr 7 - 8, 2027 / Course Code: 17-0412-ONL27
OVERVIEW
Please note, This instructor-led course has specific dates and times:
This course is held online over 2 days on the following schedule (All times in Eastern Time Zone): 10 am to 6 pm Eastern (Will include the usual breaks)
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Differentiate between major DC and AC motor types based on construction, operating principles, and performance characteristics
- Evaluate motor performance characteristics to support informed selection decisions for specific applications
- Apply structured criteria to select electric motors based on load requirements, operating conditions, and system constraints
- Analyze fundamental electrical and electromagnetic relationships that govern motor behaviour and performance
- Assess motor control strategies, including the application of variable frequency drives, to optimize operation
Description
Electric motors are fundamental to industrial and commercial systems, yet selecting and operating them effectively requires more than a basic understanding of their function. Engineers frequently encounter challenges when matching motor types to load requirements, evaluating performance under varying conditions, or integrating control strategies that ensure efficiency, reliability, and long-term equipment performance. Poor selection or misapplication can lead to increased energy consumption, premature failure, and operational risk.
This course addresses these challenges by providing a structured and practical understanding of electric motors, with a strong emphasis on motor applications. It covers the operating principles, construction, and performance characteristics of both DC and AC motors, along with key electrical fundamentals required to interpret their behaviour in real-world systems.
Through a combination of foundational theory and application-focused analysis, the course equips you with the tools to confidently select appropriate motor types, evaluate their suitability for specific applications, and apply control methods such as variable frequency drives to improve system performance.
Who This Course Is For
This course is designed for:
- Engineers and engineering technologists involved in equipment design, specification, or system integration
- Technical professionals working with motor-driven systems in industrial or manufacturing environments
- Maintenance personnel and technicians responsible for motor performance, troubleshooting, and reliability
- Professionals in power generation, processing, or utilities requiring practical understanding of electric motors
- Early- to senior-career practitioners seeking to strengthen applied knowledge of motor selection and control
SYLLABUS
Day I
Brief Overview of AC & DC Electricity
- Voltage, current and power relationships in DC electricity
- Voltage, current and power relationships in AC electricity
Overview & General Categorization of all Rotational Motors
- Various types of DC motors
- Various types of AC motors
- Introduction of linear (non-rotational) motors
Fundamentals of Operation of DC Machines
- Magnetic field, number of poles, torque, speed and power relationships
- Lorentz force, the fundamental principle of motor operation
- Faraday’s law, the fundamental principle to generator action
- Electromotive Force (EMF) and Back Electromotive Force (BEMF)
Physical Structure of DC Machines
- Field, field winding and ways of providing the filed
- Armature and armature winding
- Voltage, current and torque in a DC motor
DC Motors Categories and their Characteristics
- Permanent magnet motor and its characteristics
- Separately excited motor and its characteristics
- Shunt-wound motor and its characteristics
- Series-wound motor and its characteristics
Other Types of DC Motors
- Compound wound motors
- Brushless DC motor
- DC motor control
- DC motor selection
Day II
AC Machines Main Categories
- Single-phase, Three-phase, Synchronous, Asynchronous (Induction)
Fundamental Operation of AC Machines
- Rotating magnetic field in 3-phase systems
- Relationships for speed, frequency and number of poles
- Synchronous speed
Synchronous Motors
- principle of operation
- Synchronous motor, and characteristics
- Single-phase version/equivalent
Induction Motors, Principle of Operation and Categories
- Wound Rotor Induction Motor, the principle of operation
- Advantages and drawbacks
- Characteristic curve, applications
- Squirrel-cage motor, characteristic curve, NEMA classification
Single-phase Induction Motors
- Split-phase motor, capacitor-start, capacitor-run, Shaded-pole motor
- Universal motor
Speed Control of AC Motors
INSTRUCTOR
University of Waterloo
,
Dr. El-Hag received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Waterloo, Canada, in 2003.
He began his career with Saudi Transformer Co., where he worked as a Quality Control Engineer from 1993 to 1999. During this period, he was responsible for transformer testing in accordance with IEC 60076 standards and the implementation and maintenance of ISO 9001 quality management systems, providing him with extensive hands-on experience in power equipment manufacturing, testing, and quality assurance.
Following the completion of his doctoral studies, Dr. El-Hag held postdoctoral research appointments at the University of Waterloo and the University of Toronto from 2004 to 2006. He then joined the American University of Sharjah, where he served as Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Full Professor between 2006 and 2018. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo.
In addition to his academic career, Dr. El-Hag has provided technical consulting and research support to several organizations in North America, including METSCO and G&W Electric, with projects involving power equipment diagnostics, insulation systems, condition assessment, and high-voltage engineering.
Dr. El-Hag has extensive teaching experience spanning undergraduate, graduate, professional, and industrial education. He has taught numerous courses in electrical power engineering, including Energy Conversion, Electric Power Systems, Electric Power Distribution, High Voltage Engineering, and Power System Transients. He has also delivered specialized professional development and industry short courses for practicing engineers, focusing on practical applications and current technologies in power systems and high-voltage engineering.
Dr. El-Hag is a Senior Member of IEEE and serves as an Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation. He is an active member of the IEEE Outdoor Insulation Committee and has contributed to the development of several IEEE standards, including IEEE Std 1523 (Guide for the Application, Maintenance, and Evaluation of Room Temperature Vulcanizing (RTV) Silicone Rubber Coatings for Outdoor Insulation Applications) and IEEE Std 2652-2021 (IEEE Guide for DC Inclined Plane Tracking and Erosion Test for Outdoor Insulation Applications). He is also a registered Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) in the Province of Ontario, Canada.
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