Using a 60Hz motor in 50Hz duty. 1) It will turn 20% slower. 2) Cooling will drop dramatically.

2) The load's horsepower requirements will drop, possibly dramatically. 4) V/f will increase possibly causing an overexcitation of the motor windings and an increase in current draw (see below). Make sure the load will still do what is required of it when running slower. For instance, a fan load would now move less air, a pump will pump less fluid etc. Still enough? The motor cooling will reduce dramatically. Is it enough to matter? This depends on how the load has decreased. If the hp requirement dropped because the load has decreased the current will drop and less heat will be released internally. You would want to take temperature measurements until the motor reaches a steady state temperature running in its new frequency application. The motor's hp will drop because hp is a function of speed x torque. The motor's torque doesn't change but its speed has dropped so it is now a lower hp motor. If you change pulley sizes to return the load to its original speed your motor will likely be undersized, possibly seriously. Example: A 10 hp motor is now an 8 hp. The most serious issue is the V/f issue. The V/f will increase. Likely enough to cause a large increase in the motor's current. This coupled with the reduced cooling may cause rapid overheating. However the V/f problem can be fully mitigated! You reduce the voltage to the motor by the amount required to return the V/f back to its original value. This removes the hazard of excess current from an increased V/f. Example: A 60Hz 460Vac motor is going into 50Hz service. V/f = 460/60 = 7.6 So if V/f x f = V then by plugging in the new frequency of 50 we see: 7.6 x 50 = V V = 380 Running the motor at 380V at 50Hz will remove the V/f problem.

Consider that a 380/50 and a 460/60 motor have the same v/hz i.e., 7.66666 v/hz (NEMA motors are 460v not 480v). Therefore, if you set the max volts at 460 and max frequency at 60 hz .... you will operate the motor at the same v/hz ...(assuming the drive design is based upon a linear v/hz relationship). How much deviation from the ideal v/hz you can operate with... is dependent upon the design/construction features of the subject motor. For example motors with less iron will be less tolerant of a fat v/hz....... while motors with more iron will be more tolerant. Reason being: with less iron, the motor will tend to saturate sooner .... with more iron ... it will saturate later. So, when unsure of how much deviation in v/hz your motor will tolerate you can let the motor current guide you.

At a given operating pointspeed and mechanical load raising or lowering the v/hz, from the motor's ideal value, can cause an increase in the current drawn by the motor. If increasing the v/hz pushes the motor into saturation the amps will increase ..... Likewise, with a fixed mechanical load, decreasing the v/hz will cause the amps to increase as the motor slips more to support the mechanical load. This concept is defined by a parabola ...(see figure)