Effective remote control of electric motors using GSM technology

The function of a motor protection relay (MPR) is to protect three-phase induction motors and additionally to communicate this data to the system control and data acquisition (SCADA) in a control room. In the case of remote sites e.g. a pump station, the protection relays are used as standalone units. If a trip occurs or settings need to be changed a technician has to visit the remote site and address the problem. The ideal cost and time effective solution is to remotely perform these tasks via a reliable wireless network. A study was conducted to ascertain the viability of using the standard GSM cellular networks in South Africa to effectively control electric motors and to communicate with MPR´s. It was shown that a node controller could be used to store all the data from various electric motors at a single location.