Impact of Number of Poles on the Steady-State Performance of Induction Motors

A simplified analysis of influence of pole pairs on the steady-state behavior of induction motors is presented. The analysis makes simplifying assumptions to express relationship between key steady-state performance parameters of 2-pole reference motor compared to its multiple pole counterparts. The analysis is performed using considerations of fixed geometrical dimensions on one hand and fixed output power on the other hand. Available manufacturer catalogue data of medium voltage induction machines from one manufacturer is used to evaluate the soundness of the analysis. Also test and catalogue data analyses of commercially manufactured low voltage machines from different manufacturers are evaluated to determine extent to which they conform to the theoretical considerations of the analyses. The preliminary findings indicate more agreement with the medium voltage motors than the low voltage motors.