GP 12-20

Motors

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Copyright © 2014. BP p.l.c. All rights reserved.

Applicability: All BP
Issue date: 18 August 2014
Issuing authority: Group Head of Engineering
Content Owner: VP Engineering Standards and Practices
(StandardslineS@bp.com )
Unique identifier:
Legacy identifier GP 12-20

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GP 12-20
Motors

Table of Contents
...................................................................................................................................................................... Page
Foreword ............................................................................................................................................................ 3
1 Scope and exclusions................................................................................................................................ 4
2 Normative references .............................................................................................................................. 4
3 Terms and definitions............................................................................................................................... 5
4 Symbols and abbreviations ...................................................................................................................... 5
5 Order of precedence ................................................................................................................................ 5
6 Design and installation ............................................................................................................................. 5
6.1 General......................................................................................................................................... 5
6.2 Service conditions ........................................................................................................................ 6
6.3 Bearings ....................................................................................................................................... 6
6.4 Noise level .................................................................................................................................... 6
6.5 Motor earthing (grounding) ......................................................................................................... 6
6.6 Motor protection ......................................................................................................................... 7
6.7 Motor control............................................................................................................................... 7
6.8 Air to water heat exchangers ....................................................................................................... 7
6.9 Induction motors ......................................................................................................................... 7
6.10 Synchronous motors .................................................................................................................... 9
6.11 DC motors ..................................................................................................................................10
6.12 Motors used with adjustable speed drives (ASD) ......................................................................10
7 Motors for use in hazardous locations...................................................................................................10
8 Testing ....................................................................................................................................................12
Supporting references ......................................................................................................................................13

List of Tables

Table 1 - Selection of rolling element bearings .................................................................................................. 6

Table 2 - Motor selection - IEC practice areas .................................................................................................... 7
Table 3 - Motor selection - ANSI/NEMA practice areas ..................................................................................... 8
Table 4 - Motor starts per year........................................................................................................................... 9

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GP 12-20
Motors

Foreword

This is a revised issue of Engineering Technical Practice (ETP) GP 12-20. This GP incorporates the
following changes:

• Updated service conditions.

• Updated bearing requirements.
• Updated noise requirements.
• Updated starting requirements.
• Updated requirements for motors in hazardous areas.
• Updated test requirements.
Due to extensive changes, revisions are not identified by a bar in the left margin, as is normal
practice.

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Motors

1 Scope and exclusions

This GP provides requirements, recommendations, and permissions for engineering design,

installation, operation, inspection and testing of electric motors.

2 Normative references

The following documents are referenced in one or more requirements in this document. For dated
references, only the version cited applies. For undated references, the latest version of the
referenced document (including any amendments) applies.

BP
DS 12-201 Low Voltage Induction Motors (IEC).
DS 12-202 Totally Enclosed Fan Cooled Squirrel Cage Induction Motors up-to 500
HP (IEEE 841).
DS 12-203 High Voltage Induction Motors (IEC).
DS 12-204 High Voltage Induction Motors (API 541).
DS 12-205 Synchronous Motors (IEC).
DS 12-206 Synchronous Motors (API 546).
GIS 12-201 Low Voltage Induction Motors (IEC).
GIS 12-202 Specification for Totally Enclosed Fan Cooled Squirrel Cage Induction
Motors up-to 500 HP (IEEE 841).
GIS 12-203 High Voltage Induction Motors (IEC).
GIS 12-204 Medium Voltage Induction Motors (API 541).
GIS 12-205 Synchronous Motors (IEC).
GIS 12-206 Synchronous Motors (API 546).
GP 12-03 Power System Protection and Control.
GP 12-10 Switchgear and Controlgear.
GP 12-25 Earthing/Grounding.
GP 12-50 Adjustable Speed AC Drives.
GP 12-60 Hazardous Area Electrical Installations.
GP 32-50 Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment (ANSI).
GP 32-51 In Service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment (IEC).

American National Standards Institute (ANSI)

ANSI/NEMA MG 1 Motors and Generators.

International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)

IEC 60034-1 Rotating electrical machines - Part 1: Rating and performance.
IEC 60034-6 Rotating electrical machines - Part 6: Methods of cooling (IC Code).
IEC 60079-15 Explosive atmospheres - Part 15: Equipment protection by type of
protection “n”.

International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

ISO 1680 Acoustics - Test code for the measurement of airborne noise emitted by
rotating electrical machinery.

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GP 12-20
Motors

3 Terms and definitions

Low Voltage
Voltage not exceeding 1 kV.

Medium Voltage
Voltage exceeding 1 kV but not exceeding 169 kV (ANSI/IEEE practice).

High Voltage
Voltage exceeding 1 kV but not exceeding 52 kV (IEC practice).

Critical
Motors that have a high impact on availability of safety systems or production systems.

4 Symbols and abbreviations

For the purpose of this GP, the following symbols and abbreviations apply:

AC Alternating current.

ASD Adjustable speed drive.

DC Direct current.

DOL Direct on line.

LV Low voltage.

MCSA Motor current signature analysis.

NRTL Nationally recognised testing laboratory.

TEFC Totally enclosed fan cooled.

5 Order of precedence

a. In the event of a conflict between this GP and a relevant law or regulation, the relevant
law or regulation shall be followed.
b. Requirements in this GP that are more stringent than a relevant law or regulation shall be
followed, provided that these requirements achieve compliance with the law or
regulation.

6 Design and installation

6.1 General
a. Motor selection shall evaluate the following:
1. Requirements of driven equipment.
2. Characteristics of supply voltage available follow:
a) Single phase or three phase.
b) High voltage (HV) or medium voltage (MV) or low voltage (LV).

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GP 12-20
Motors

c) Fault level.
3. Installation environment.
b. Motors shall be specified with one of the following:
1. Class F insulation and Class B temperature rise.
2. Class H insulation and Class F temperature rise.
c. Motor frames and bearing end shields shall be constructed of ferrous metals.
d. Removing and replacing low point drain hole plugs shall not be impeded by the position in
which the motor is mounted.

6.2 Service conditions

a. Motors shall be designed for service conditions in conformance to the product specific
Group Instruction for Supply (GIS).
b. Special conditions shall be shown on the associated motor data sheets.

6.3 Bearings
a. Rolling element bearings (ball or roller type) should be used as detailed in Table 1.

Table 1- Selection of rolling element bearings

Motor Poles Rating

2 Up to 370 kW (500 hp)
4 pole and slower Up to 550 kW (750 hp)

b. Motors rated above the values in Table 1 should use sleeve bearings (i.e., journal
bearings).
c. L10 life of roller element bearings for horizontal motors shall be not less than 100 000 h
with continuous operation at rated conditions or 50 000 h at maximum radial and axial
loads.
d. L10 life of rolling element thrust bearings for vertical motors shall be at least 5 000 h for
continuous operation with an up or down thrust of 200% of any service condition.

6.4 Noise level

a. Sound pressure level measured in dB(A) shall be calculated at 1 m from motor surface in
conformance to ISO 1680 or 3 ft from motor surface in conformance to
ANSI/NEMA MG 1.
b. LV motors shall be supplied with bi-directional fans, if available from supplier.

6.5 Motor earthing (grounding)

a. Motor earthing (grounding) shall conform to GP 12-25.
b. Motors shall have earthing (grounding) bolts external to terminal box, tapped into frame,
complete with locknuts and washers.
c. Precautionary measures shall be taken to ensure that no sparking occurs between
adjacent parts of a motor, particularly those located in classified or hazardous areas.

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Motors

6.6 Motor protection

a. Protection for motors shall be designed and installed in conformance to GP 12-03 and
GP 12-10.
b. Motors rated 6 kV and above in critical applications shall use a monitoring system to
detect partial discharge in stator windings.
1. Partial discharge monitoring system shall not contravene the motor hazardous area
certification.
2. If capacitive couplers are used for partial discharge monitoring, the couplers shall
be the last device before the leads enter the stator.

6.7 Motor control

Control for motors shall be designed and installed in conformance to GP 12-10 and GP 12-50.

6.8 Air to water heat exchangers

a. Critical motors should use a 2 x 50% design in preference to a single 100% design for heat
exchangers.
b. If direct seawater is the cooling medium, the heat exchanger shall use a double tube
(tube in tube) arrangement.
c. Heat exchangers should have 20% spare tubes.

6.9 Induction motors

6.9.1 General
a. Induction motors should be cage type and started DOL.
b. Motors shall be designed for continuous running duty (IEC 60034-1 type S1) and load
characteristics and operational duty of driven equipment.
c. Applications shall not specify motors requiring a prolonged overload capacity or
operation above 1,0 service factor.
d. Motors shall be specified for the full load requirement of the application.
e. Minimum and/or maximum power ratings of electric motors in relation to system
voltages should be selected as detailed in Table 2 and Table 3 for IEC and ANSI/NEMA
practice, respectively.

Table 2 - Motor selection - IEC practice areas

Output rating (kW) Rated voltage UN(V) No. of phases

<0,18 230 1 or 3
0,18, <160 400 3
160, 500 (Note) 690 3
160, <1 000 3 300 3
1 000 >3 300 3
Note:
Upper and lower limits can be project specific. Ratings as low as
7,5 kW have been used at 690 V previously. Upper limit can be
determined by size of contactor available.

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Motors

Table 3 - Motor selection - ANSI/NEMA practice areas

Output rating (hp) Rated voltage (V) No. of phases

<1/3 115/230 1 or 3
1/3, <1 220/230/460 3
1, <250 460 3
250 - 2 000 2 300 3
250 - 5 000 4 000 3
1 000 - 12 000 6 600 3
3 500 13 200 3

f. Special motors such as submersible type shall be subject to approval by Company

responsible engineer.

6.9.2 Low voltage induction motors

a. LV shall be voltages not exceeding 1 kV.
b. Design, materials and construction of three phase LV induction motors shall be specified
in conformance to GIS 12-201 or GIS 12-202 and associated data sheet DS 12-201 or
DS 12-202, respectively.
c. Soft start techniques may be considered for large (greater than150 kW [200 hp]) LV
motors. This technique can mitigate large voltage drops and avoid selecting a higher
voltage motor.
d. LV single phase motors shall
1. Be totally enclosed non ventilated (NEMA MG 1 or IEC 60034-6 classification
IC 410).
2. Have the following degree of protection:
a) IP55 for onshore installations.
b) IP56 for offshore locations.
e. LV motors shall be able to be reconnected to supply at any time after disconnection
without detrimental effect on the machine.

6.9.3 High or medium voltage induction motors

a. High or medium voltage shall be voltages exceeding 1 kV.
b. Design, materials, and construction of high voltage induction motors shall be specified in
conformance to GIS 12-203 or GIS 12-204 and associated data sheet DS 12-203 or
DS 12-204, respectively.
c. Continuous operation rated motors should be able to meet specified duty for 26 000 h
(3 yr) without being stopped for maintenance.
d. Supplier shall specify maximum guaranteed continuous operating period applicable to self
contained bearing lubrication, if period is less than 26 000 h.
e. If automatic re-acceleration or load transfer systems are used, the motor design shall be
compatible with the proposed reconnection time with regard to the ability of the shaft
and coupling system to withstand the high transient torques produced if the supply is out
of phase with the residual voltage at the motor terminals, when the motor is
reconnected.

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GP 12-20
Motors

f. Motor starting current shall be agreed between the supplier and BP.
g. Motors (including associated unit or captive transformer) for use in IEC practice areas are
specified to be suitable, in terms of number of DOL starts per year, as detailed in Table 4.

Table 4 - Motor starts per year

Duty Maximum starts per Typical equipment

year
Normal 1 000 Pumps, compressors,
fans
Heavy 3 000 Conveyor systems, drain
pumps
Extra Heavy 20 000 Hoisting equipment,
cranes

h. 1 000 lifetime full voltage starts shall be specified for motors that run nearly continuously.
i. 5 000 lifetime full voltage starts shall be specified for other motors unless known that
starts required will be in excess of this number, in which case the higher number shall be
specified.

6.10 Synchronous motors

a. Design, materials, and construction of synchronous motors shall be specified in
conformance to GIS 12-205 or GIS 12-206 and associated data sheet DS 12-205 or
DS 12-206, respectively, or equivalent.
b. Synchronous motors should not be used below 1,5 MW (2 000 hp).
c. The following shall be evaluated before purchasing a synchronous motor:
1. Synchronous motors have higher capital and maintenance cost than induction
motors.
2. Synchronous motors are more complex in construction and have more complicated
controls than induction motors.
3. Synchronous motors are generally more efficient than induction motors of equal
output power rating and can usually be cost effective if a very large motor output
power rating is required or a large output power rating and low speed is required.
4. Induction motors have a lagging power factor compared to synchronous motors
and progressively worse at lower rated speeds and lighter loads. Standard power
factors for synchronous motors are 1,0 (unity) and 0,8 leading.
5. Fully loaded synchronous motors can provide reactive power for power factor
improvement to their electrical supply system. A synchronous motor acting as a
reactive compensator can also serve as a voltage regulator to improve system
voltage profile and stability.
6. Starting current of a synchronous motor is typically 400% to 550% of rated current,
while that of an induction motor is typically 550% to 650% (can be over 700% for
efficient motors) for same starting torque.
7. Large power ASD employing load commutated inverters (LCI) represent a cost
effective arrangement if speed turndown is a feature of the process and DOL is
difficult.

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Motors

6.11 DC motors
a. DC motors shall only be used in special applications or if required speed versus torque
characteristic can only be provided by a DC motor.
b. DC motors including control equipment shall be specified by driven equipment supplier to
fulfil the duty required.

6.12 Motors used with adjustable speed drives (ASD)

a. Stator and rotor temperature rise due to harmonic currents in ASD driven motors shall be
evaluated for motor applications in hazardous locations.
b. The displaced neutral effect of some drive topologies leads to the shaft being at an
elevated voltage to earth (ground). The possibility of electric discharge across the
bearings and consequent ignition of flammable mixture shall be evaluated.
c. Torsional study shall be performed for ASD driven motors to assess the torsional
oscillations caused by harmonics.
d. Surge capacitors should not be installed if an ASD is used.
e. ASD driven motors shall be
1. Rated for inverter duty.
2. Performance tested with the type of ASD purchased for the application.
f. ASD system installations in hazardous locations shall conform to GP 12-60.
g. Testing shall establish that the ASD driven motors are suitable for the hazardous locations
if operated on ASD supplied power for the following:
1. Over the full frequency range listed.
2. Up to the service factor listed.
3. Over the temperature range applicable.
h. In regions requiring NRTL approval of ASD driven motor testing
1. NRTL shall witness at least one successful test of the motor and ASD heat run
testing.
2. NRTL mark on the motors shall reference a full NRTL report that shall specifically
list the serial numbers of the motors that are approved for use in the hazardous
locations.

7 Motors for use in hazardous locations

a. Standards
1. Motors for use in hazardous locations shall conform to standards applicable to the
region of installation.
2. For motors installed in North America to API standards with protection concepts in
conformance to IEC 60079 standards, the following clauses 7a. through 7j. shall
apply.
3. Motors shall be certified by recognised national certifying authority if required by
local regulations or Company.

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Motors

4. Applicable recommendations and/or advisories from national safety bodies for

installation and use of electric motors in hazardous areas shall be followed.
5. New safety notices from regulatory authorities that require immediate, future, or
retrospective application shall be enacted.
b. Motors in hazardous locations shall be installed in conformance to GP 12-60.
c. Electric motors shall be located in least hazardous location and type of protection for
hazardous area classification.
d. Motor anti-condensation heaters shall conform to the motor hazardous area certification
including the function of heater interlocks.
e. Hottest surface temperature of a motor part operating in a hazardous location shall not
exceed the maximum temperature of the temperature class (T class) for the installation.
f. Protection relays for type Ex e motors shall remove supply from motor within motor tE
time.
g. High or medium voltage motor installations in hazardous locations shall be designed to
prevent or mitigate effects of incendive sparking caused by the following:
1. Circulating currents caused by stray magnetic fields in non active parts of unit
construction motors, such as frame and enclosure panels, producing sparking at
joints between those parts, if reliable electrical connection does not exist.
2. Discharge activity on windings during starting, exacerbated by contamination from
salt laden atmospheres.
3. Discharge activity in air gap between rotor and stator related to rotor current
density during starting.
h. High or medium voltage motor installations in hazardous locations with type Ex p, Ex e, or
Ex n protection shall incorporate measures to remove potential of gas ingress from
common systems by separation of compressor seal oil and motor lube oil systems for gas
compressor drives.
i. High or medium voltage motor installations in hazardous locations with type Ex e
protection shall be installed with facilities to purge motor with inert gas or clean air
following release of flammable gas or vapour that can have entered the motor enclosure.
Purge system pressure shall not exceed the motor internal pressure design rating.
j. High or medium voltage motor installations in hazardous locations with type Ex n
protection shall have a risk assessment for air gap sparking performed by the supplier in
conformance to IEC 60079-15 for all duty types.
1. If the risk assessment indicates no air gap sparking, no further action is required.
2. If the risk assessment indicates air gap sparking is possible, a type test in
conformance to IEC 60079-15 should be performed.
3. If the type test in 7j.2 is not performed, or indicates that air gap sparking is
possible, the motor shall be installed with facilities to purge motor with inert gas or
clean air following release of flammable gas or vapour that can have entered the
motor enclosure.
4. Purge system pressure shall not exceed the motor internal pressure design rating.

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Motors

8 Testing

a. Factory acceptance testing shall be in conformance to associated GIS and data sheet or
equivalent.
b. Motor installation inspection and testing shall conform to GP 32-50 or GP 32-51, as
applicable.
c. Factory acceptance testing of critical and large high (medium) voltage motors should use
MCSA.
d. MCSA should provide data for motor operated at rated speed and the following:
1. Full load (rated kW).
2. Operational load.
e. MCSA data should be obtained under controlled initial conditions to obtain accurate
“signatures” that can aid later evaluations.
f. Motor current should be continuously monitored or periodically measured and compared
against MCSA data to gauge health of motor.
g. Motor current comparisons against the “signature” should be documented and retained
for establishing trends and future analysis.
h. Facilities should be provided for on-line MCSA testing for critical and large high (medium)
voltage motors at their installed location.
i. Factory acceptance testing shall include a baseline partial discharge test for motors
equipped with partial discharge monitoring.

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Motors

Supporting references

BP
[1] GP 12-01, Power System Design.

[2] GP 15-01, Noise Control.

American National Standards Institute (ANSI) / American Petroleum Institute (API)

[3] ANSI/API Std 541, Form-wound Squirrel-Cage Induction Motors - 500 Horsepower and Larger.

American Petroleum Institute (API)

[4] API Std 546, Brushless Synchronous Machines - 500kVA and Larger.

Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE)

[5] IEEE Std 841, IEEE Standard for Petroleum and Chemical Industry - Premium-Efficiency, Severe-Duty, Totally
Enclosed Fan-Cooled (TEFC) Squirrel Cage Induction Motors - Up to and Including 370 kW (500 hp).

International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

[6] ISO 281, Rolling bearings - Dynamic load rating and rating life.

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