Page 26 - Climate Control News Nov 2019

Innovative Products
The service monitors key components in a variable speed drive (VSD) including fans, semiconductors and capacitors.
VSD maintenance service targets critical applications
ABB HAS EXTENDED the scope of its ABB Ability Digital Powertrain concept that connects drives, motors, pumps and bearings with a new Condition-Based Maintenance service option for drives.
This new option provides the earliest possible warning of any abnormal conditions that might cause a drive to fail prematurely. The service is tar- geted for drives in critical applications in the oil and gas, metals, water and wastewater, and pulp and paper industries, where it is essential to avoid costly unplanned plant shutdowns.
The Condition-Based Maintenance service continuously monitors key components in a variable speed drive (VSD) – the fans, the semiconduc- tors, and capacitors. Thermal, voltage, and power sensors collect data on the ambient temperature and load variations of the components and measure the daily impact on their lifetime. Cloud-based algorithms and statistical analysis estimate the level of stress on components and calcu- late their remaining life.
If failure is predicted before the next planned maintenance operation, management can make a fully informed decision to take action and pre- vent an unplanned shutdown. In some cases, the Condition-Based Main- tenance service could indicate that the drive components are under less stress than normal and will last longer than expected.
Stefano Legnani, global service product manager for ABB Ability Digi- tal Powertrain, said regular preventive maintenance intervals can be ex- tended to increase productivity and reduce costs.
“THE FAILURE OF A DRIVE COMPONENT CAN BE PREDICTED ONE OR EVEN TWO YEARS AHEAD.”
– STEFANO LEGNANI.
“Condition-Based Maintenance provides precise, high-quality data that enables the delivery of efficient, targeted maintenance programs,” Legnani said.
“The quality comes from the continuous data collection that makes it possible to reach detailed conclusions about the drive’s life cycle. Our cloud-based approach makes analysis easier and faster, so maintenance activities are planned based on the actual need.”
The Condition-Based Maintenance service had an early practical trial with a major customer in the steel processing industry. The IGBT compo- nent in a drive operating the rolling mill was identified as working at a high-stress level.
The lifetime estimate showed that the component had reached its re- maining useful lifetime, yet it was not replaced. Four months later it failed. Following its replacement, Condition-Based Maintenance analysis in- dicated that the newly installed IGBT in these cyclic applications should
be changed in five years to avoid unexpected failure.
The ABB Condition-Based Maintenance service is available initially
for ACS800 and ACS880 air-cooled drives. The accuracy of the remain- ing life prediction will vary according to the specific application. How- ever, in many cases the failure of a drive component can be predicted one or even two years ahead.
Contractors
Being able to look after client cool rooms, fridges, freezers and air conditioning from your own computer, saves you hours of driving and gives your customers peace of mind.
T-TEC
All that is needed is T-TEC wireless data logger to monitor the asset and a T-TEC gateway at the site with access to the WiFi and the internet.
Call for a quote
Temperature Technology tt
105 Anzac Highway Ashford SA 5035 www.t-tec.com.au
Ph: 08 8297 7077 Fax: 08 8371 0558 sales@t-tec.com.au
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