Design and implementation of IoT-based soft starter for induction motor

Abstract

The practical application of the induction motor is an essential part of electrical engineering. A direct connection of the motors to the mains voltage negatively affects both the motor itself and the mains system as a whole due to high starting current values, as a result, more accidents and shortening the drive system service life. This article discusses the development of designing and implementing of soft starter single-phase IM to reduce the inrush current using the firing angle reduction technique with remote monitoring and control using the ESP32 (node MCU) and Arduino Due microcontrollers. The integration of IoT-based tools software such as VS Code, enables the remote monitoring and control of motor features. Testing shows that the system effectively facilitates remote motor control, providing a flexible and accessible learning environment with minimum starting current, solving the inrush current problem facing IMs. The proposed soft starter gives three cases of firing angle reduction that show a percentage reduction in starting current for these cases (case I, case II, and case III) are 51%, 54% and 64%, respectively. Case III has a maximum starting current is 2.2 A compared to 6.2 A for direct connecting of IM to the power supply (DOL).