BLDC Motor or Brushless DC Motor is a trending discussion topic among consumers. Many prefer to buy appliances with a BLDC motor but do not what it is and how it works.
In this article, we will learn about What Is BLDC Motor Washing Machine and how it can save power for your washing machine.
BLDC motors are not only used in washing machines but in any appliance that needs a motor to operate, for example, A fan or a refrigerator
Before we learn about a BLDC motor, we should know about what is a motor and how it works.
What Is A Motor?
A motor is a machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor’s magnetic field and electric current in a wire winding to generate force in the form of torque applied on the motor’s shaft.
Types Of Motor
There are two types of motors based on the types of current they use.
- AC Motor
- DC Motor
DC Motors are further divided into the following types. Please note that the current that we get from the line is AC power. For any DC motor to operate, first it needs to convert the AC power to DC power.
- Brushed DC Motor
- Brushless DC Motor ( BLDC)
- Stepper Motor
AC Motors is further divided into the following types.
- Induction Motor
- Synchronous Motor
What Is A Brushed DC Motor?
A brushed DC motor uses a DC power source and electric brushes for contact. The rotor is a cylinder with coils wound around it. The stators are fixed permanent magnets.
Power to the coils is supplied through fixed conductive brushes that make contact with a rotating commutator. When the power is supplied to the coils, it creates a magnetic field causing the coils to rotate. The rotation happens as the like-pole is pushed away towards the unlike-pole in a magnetic field.
The speed of the motor can be varied by changing the voltage and frequency of the input current. As the brushes contact with the commutator constantly, they generate a lot of heat and sound and these parts are prone to wear easily.
What Is A Brushless DC Motor (BLDC)?
In a Brushless DC motor, there is no brush and no commutator. The rotor is a fixed magnet and the stator is a series of electromagnets with coils wound around it.
The question is, how do BLDC motors get the power as there is no brush and the coils do not rotate?
In BLDC motors, the power is supplied to the coils that are wounded around the stator and the magnetic field that these coils generate rotates the rotor.
To control the speed of the rotor, you need to control the voltage and the frequency of the current that is passing through the coils around the stator.
As there is no brush and no commutator, there is no friction and that is why BLDC motors are more silent and generate very little heat.
What Is Inverter In BLDC Motor?
BLDC motors are also called Inverter motors and are widely used in refrigerators, washing machines, fans, and other similar appliances.
But the question is, what is an inverter in BLDC motors, and why it is required?
If you look carefully, in a Brushed DC motor, you supply current to the two terminals of the brush and you are done.
In the case of a Brushless DC motor, there is no brush, no commutator, and not even a rotating rotor. You need to play with the current that is supplied to the coils around the stator.
To supply power to each coil precisely and to control the polarity of the current, you need an Electronic Speed Controller (ECM) which is often called an Inverter.
An inverter can track the motor’s real-time position and speed using one of the two methods. The first is using external sensors attached to the motor The second is by taking voltage measurements from the motor.
An inventor can do the following job by controlling the flow of current.
- Over Temperature Protection
- Over Current Protection
- Over Voltage Protection
- Desynchronization Protection
What Is BLDC Motor Washing Machine?
BLDC motors are used everywhere where you need to convert electrical energy to rotational energy. In the case of washing machines, the drum rotates due to the rotational force generated by motors. That motor can be a normal induction motor that generates a lot of heat and sound or use a brushless DC motor that does not make a lot of noise and power loss is minimal too.
The beauty of BLDC motors in washing machines is that, they can control the speed based on the wash load. More wash load means more speed and more power and vice versa. In the case of traditional motors, it runs either at full speed or at no speed. It can not optimize the speed based on the wash load.
BLDC motors are used mostly in direct-drive washing machines where the motor is mounted directly under the drum. Since there is no belt to transfer the power, there is almost no power loss.
Here are some of the key features of BLDC washing machines
- BLDC motors can save up to 40% of power in a washing machine
- BLDC motor washing machines are very silent as there is no friction
- These motors do not get heated much as the inverter controls the heat by varying the current flow
- There is almost no vibration as there are fewer moving parts
- The inverter can control the speed of the motor based on the wash load. In turn, you will only use that much amount of power that you need to wash that particular load
- Washing machines with BLDC motors are more durable and energy-efficient
Disadvantages Of BLDC Washing Machines
BLDC motor washing machines are complex in design. You will need to shell out a good amount to buy such a washing machine. So investment could be a problem for many.
The overall drive mechanism of BLDC motor-based washing machines contains different sensors, actuators, PCBs, and many other electronic components. These parts are very expensive. If any of the parts fail, you need to spend a lot to repair them.
Conclusion: BLDC Motor Washing Machine
Even 20K INR washing machines come with a BLDC motor. So BLDC motor is the future. Although the BLDC motor is very complex in design it can save up to 40% of power. When the whole world is coming up with new energy norms, BLDC motors will be used everywhere where we are now using traditional motors.
