Transforming power supply parameters ABB

TRANSFORMING POWER SUPPLY PARAMETERS

ABB is a global leader in the supply of advanced power and automation technologies. Philip Yorke looks at how this multinational giant is utilising its unique knowledge of transformers and automation technology to help increase industrial productivity in an eco-friendly and sustainable way.

ABB is the power house for change in the electrical transformer and automation technology sector. Since the company was founded in the late 1880s it has helped hundreds of countries all over the world to develop, build and maintain their power supply infrastructures in the most efficient, cost-effective and eco-friendly manner. Today the ABB group of companies operates in over 100 countries and employs more than 140,000 people.

Leading the world in high performance transformers

ABB has earned an enviable reputation for innovation in all its many advanced engineering disciplines. However, none is more pertinent to addressing today’s environmental challenges than the cutting-edge technology that it has applied to its electrical transformer and automation divisions. The company’s latest UHVDC (Ultra High Voltage Direct Current) converter transformer can operate at over a million volts and enables the efficient and reliable transmission of larger amounts of electricity across longer distances than ever before. At the same time this innovative system minimises any impact on the environment.

In July 2014 it was announced in Switzerland that the ABB Group had successfully developed and tested a 1100 kilovolt (kV) UHDC converter transformer, which has broken all records for the highest DC voltage levels ever transmitted. In addition, it has afforded the facility of transmitting this huge electrical capacity over longer distances than has ever been possible before. This ground-breaking technology was developed specifically by ABB to serve the needs of the Xiangiaba-Shanghai link in China, where transmission distances of over 3000 km are commonplace. The new 1100 kV converter transformer technology from ABB makes it possible to transmit more than 100 megawatts (MW) of power across the huge expanses of China both efficiently and economically.

Today ABB’s converter technology plays a critical role in HVDC transmission by providing the vital interface between the DC link and the AC network. The development of its 1100kV transformer addressed several technology challenges – for example, the sheer size and scale of the project and the electrical insulation including bushings and thermal performance parameters required for the task.

It will come as no surprise therefore, to learn that ABB is the world leader in UHVDC transmission technology, with countless pioneering achievements recorded since it embarked upon the development of

advanced transformer technology over 50 years ago. Today there are more than 70 such large ABB projects in progress around the world, with a combined transmission capacity of more than 60,000 megawatts.

Complete power and automation solutions

ABB can call upon more than a century of experience in providing power and automation solutions that improve the efficiency, safety and performance of hydropower plants. Today hydropower remains the world’s most widely used form of renewable energy and currently produces more than 20 per cent of the world’s electric power and accounts for almost 90 per cent of all electricity generated from renewable sources.

Hydropower is clean, sustainable and emission-free and ABB is the world’s leading supplier of almost every product used for the power and automation required for hydropower plants. These can range from generator circuit breakers and power transformers to switchgear, motors, drives and total plant automation systems. Furthermore, ABB supports its customers with a global network of centres of excellence and professional support in more than 100 countries worldwide.

ABB’s unique single-source capability enables the company to provide complete and fully integrated turnkey packages that include instrumentation, control and electrical (ICE) solutions with a single, intuitive constant user interface. The company’s fully integrated ICE solutions have proved consistently over many years that they save time, reduce costs and minimise risk management.

Investing in a more sustainable, eco-friendly future

There is probably no other multinational company in the world that attaches more importance to sustainability and environmental protection than the ABB Group. These issues are at the heart of its diverse business activities. So when a strategic decision is made to invest in a new plant or in new technology, the company’s environmental management programme is at the forefront of its considerations. An example was its investment in new plant for its existing site in Lodz, Poland.

In July 2012 ABB announced that it was planning to invest around $30 million in a fully automated production plant in Poland in order to make components for its power and distribution transformers. This ecofriendly unit is located adjacent to ABB’s existing transformer production facility in Lodz. The state-of-the-art 10,000 square metre factory was completed in mid-2013 and employs about 140 people including machine operators, and logistics personnel, as well as staff for purchasing, quality control and engineering support services.

“The component manufacturing plant acts as a feeder factory for our transformer units in the region,” said Bernhard Jucker, head of ABB’s Power Products Division. “This investment reinforces ABB’s continued commitment to Europe and underlines our strong position in the market”

This is just another example of how ABB helps to address the challenge of balancing the rising global demand for power, with increasing concern for the environment. With a 125 year heritage of technology and innovation, ABB continues to shape the parameters of the energy systems of the future by delivering power and productivity for a better, more sustainable world. n