We all know that power distribution is a vital aspect of everyday life. Most importantly, Industrial, manufacturing, and commercial sectors need an uninterrupted supply of power. Power distribution systems that are used for these applications are extraordinarily complex.
For such applications, power is often distributed through switchgear, switchboards, transformers, and panel boards. The power that is distributed in industrial, manufacturing, and other commercial plants are used for a variety of purposes such as heating, cooling, lighting, and the application of several electrical and motor-driven equipment.
When motor-driven equipment or machinery is used, motor control centers or MCCs must be in place to ensure maximum efficiency and safety. To say in simple terms, a motor control center is used to control the functioning and operations of the motors in the plant. And, an MCC bucket is a vital part that houses the motor control center. Let’s start by understanding what a motor control center is and how it functions.
What is a Motor Control Center?
A motor control center is often referred to as MCC. A motor control system is an electrical apparatus designed to control the motor-driven equipment or machinery from a single central location.
It is a piece of equipment that is a combination of one or more sections that have a common power bus. This common point consists of all the motor control systems and units.
Motor control centers have been in use since 1950 and have been used for a variety of industrial and commercial applications.
Where is a motor control center installed in a plant? Frequently, a motor control center is installed in a separate air-conditioned room to ensure that it is protected from external environment conditions, corrosion, and damage. The motor control center will often be found close to the motor-driven machinery that it controls.
How A Motor Control Center Functions
The most simple and basic function of AC motor control is to turn the motor on and off. The motor control center uses a motor starter that has a contactor and overload relay to do so. The contacts on the contactor are closed to start the motor and are opened to close the motor.
Often, electromagnetic start and stop pushbuttons are used to carry out this task. What is the function of the overload relay? This element protects the motor by disconnecting the motor from the power supply, in case of an overload. Circuit breakers and fuses are also utilized while using basic motor control centers, as the overload relay does not protect short circuit instances.
What is an MCC Bucket?
MCC bucket can be termed as the building block of a motor control center. Why? That’s because MCC buckets are the metal enclosures that host the main control portion of the MCC. MCC buckets are an integral aspect of a power distribution system.
MCC buckets are enclosures that have a compact design and are partially opened. This enables the industrial personnel to install and remove the control part of the MCC quickly.
What is the MCC bucket size? Typically, MCC buckets are one or two square feet in area. However, depending on the specifications and the requirements of the plant, the size of this piece of equipment can differ and change greatly.
MCC buckets can be installed in a larger control room. This can aid in controlling a bigger number of motors for a specific piece of equipment. How is an MCC bucket powered? Various panel boards and switchgear equipment are installed in a spate cabinet, and they aid in the functioning and operation of the MCC bucket.
What Are The Advantages Of Using An MCC Bucket?
There are quite a lot of reasons why using an MCC bucket is beneficial for an industrial or a commercial plant. The most important of them are the following:
- MCC buckets have ease of installation. They are easy to install, and the control part of the motor control center can also be easily installed and removed from within an MCC bucket.
- An MCC bucket allows for the modernization of the components in a control center. This promotes the operational efficiency of a motor control center or MCC. For example, an MCC bucket allows the replacement of thermal overload relays in a motor control center with solid-state versions that help it to function with enhanced safety.
- MCC buckets can be easily replaced also. Spike Electric provides MCC buckets of the same physical size and design layout which will perfectly replace your old MCC bucket.
- MCC buckets eliminate the complexity of installing a motor control center. Now, with the help of an MCC bucket, a motor control center can be easily installed.
- A single MCC bucket hosts all the required control components in one enclosure. This will help the concerned industrial plant to function seamlessly and with better efficiency.
Applications Of A MCC Bucket
- Three-phase AC is the most common type of power that is used in manufacturing facilities. An MCC Bucket design is perfect for this type of power.
- MCC buckets also come with bus connections. Hence, connections to all the bus bars in the control center enclosure can be made hassle-free and with ease.
- Though meant for a single control motor, when an MCC bucket is placed among other buckets in a control center cabinet, it can work for an entire motor control system also.
- MCC Buckets have a lot of elements within them. Some of them are frequency drives, motor starters, circuit breakers, overload relays, disconnect switches, etc. Several other options can be integrated with an MCC bucket as well.
- Most MCC buckets have a single shut-off on the front side that works with the circuit breaker. What does that mean? If you have to shut off the power, you don’t have to open or close the enclosure.
Buy Premium Quality MCC Buckets from Spike Electric
Your motor control center needs an MCC bucket to function with increased ease and efficiency. We at Spike Electric have a wide collection of MCC buckets from the leading manufacturers in the country. Choose from a variety of brands and get the perfect MCC bucket for your facility.
We also provide a 1-year replacement warranty and real-time customer support and aid to address technical problems, if any.
Get the most durable and high-performing MCC bucket for yourself. Get in touch with us today!
Written by: Cole Attaway
Cole Attaway is the founder and CEO of Spike Electric Controls. Spike's mission is to improve the accessibility and delivery of industrial electrical gear for clients nationwide. Spike solutions result in reduced unplanned downtime, less overtime, and greater operational efficiencies.
