Why induction motor is widely used in industry?

Answer:

There are multiple reasons for giving preference to induction motor in many applications in industry. Few of these reasons are been discussed below:

  1. Induction motor usually does not have brushes or slip rings, so maintenance requirement is not that frequent as compared to DC or synchronous motor. An induction motor can also work well in a dusty environment, where other motors will require frequent cleaning for proper operation.
  2. As compared to a synchronous motor, an Induction motor is self-starting, unlike synchronous motor. In the synchronous motor, the rotor has to be rotated through some separate means or DC motor until it reaches synchronous speed. This self-starting makes induction motor simple to use and preferable choice of our synchronous motor.
  3. Due to less complexity of the induction motor, it is relatively less costly as compared to the synchronous motor.
  4. Many industrial applications demand different speed requirements for different loads. Induction motors are available in different speed and torque ratings, and the speed of induction motor can also be controlled very easily. On the other hand, the speed of the synchronous motor cannot be changed, and it always rotates at synchronous speed. This makes induction motor a preferable choice of our synchronous motor.
  5. Carbon brushes and slip rings are sources of error and noise due to spark and other friction effects. Therefore, resulting in a drop in efficiency of DC or synchronous motors. Sparks can also be dangerous in industries where there is a chance of fire eruption. On the other hand, induction motor efficiency does not drop due to carbon brushes or slip rings because of no utilization of them.
  6. Unlike DC motors, induction motors are robust i.e. their mechanical construction is stronger, which enables them to be used in a tough industrial environment that other motors cannot withstand.

In short, its robustness, speed control, load handling, low cost, low maintenance requirement makes it a wide choice in the industry.

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