“Effective digitalization is key to driving performance,” ABB's Tarak Mehta said at the pre-Launch of its cloud-based Electrical Distribution Control System ‘ABB Ability’ that is claimed to make power grids “safer, smarter and more reliable for industry 4.0”. The Zurich-based manufacturer will showcase the grid control system, along with new switch gear, at Hanover Fair next week.
The ABB Ability platform monitors and optimizes an electrical system by connecting all electrical equipment of an industrial user, or grid operator, with the internet. The system leverages ABB’s circuit breakers’ built-in sensing, connectivity and control functions to reduce operating costs by up to 30%. To facilitate effective maintenance, the system also provides reporting functions and remote diagnosis of assets, with panels placed online in only 10 minutes.
“We need to make it easier for our customers to do business with us, whether that is providing digital information or tools to enable product selection, configuration and order management; increased functionality including connectivity and integration between products and systems so that individual solutions do more within the same footprint.
“And finally the most significant opportunity, remote service delivery for monitoring, predictive maintenance to increase productivity across a whole site or electrical system,” Mr. Mehta, President of ABB’s Electrification Products division pointed out.
The technology was already launched at Hanover Fair in 2016 as Ekip SmartVision but has now has been rebranded as part of the ABB Ability platform. As part of its main distribution offer, ABB will demonstrate to Visitors to ABB’s stand A 35 in Hall 11 its main distribution switchboard solution and System pro E power that has a rated current up to 6300 A and short-circuited current up to 150 kA.
Distribution grids
Energy management and micro power distribution can be enhanced through monitoring and control systems but ultimately requires effective switch gear. At Hanover, ABB will launch is new digital version of the ZS8.4, a medium-voltage, air-insulated switchgear for primary distribution up to 24 kV.
As a digital alternative, ABB will also be showcasing Ability ZX2 Digital – suitable for primary distribution switch gear, particular for applications in single- and double-busbar configurations in power distribution grid.
Data centers
The trend towards more digitalisation makes data centers a critical part of the global information economy. “With data centers consuming 30 times more power per square foot than the average office building and electricity costs skyrocketing, there is huge demand for effective power protection. Today’s data centers must be flexible and readily adapt to industry changes, especially the ever-increasing demand for storage,” Mehta added.
Its MNS-Up solution delivers power distribution and UPS in a single compact system in a bid to eliminate cabling and bulky bolt-ons that waste space. Specifically developed for data centers that demand zero downtime, such as international stock exchanges, MNS-Up features ABB’s Conceptpower DPA 500 UPS. Each model uses a decentralized parallel architecture, tha is isolated from failures elsewhere in the system.