The Fourth Industrial Revolution heralds a significant transformation in the way we work, as digital systems, networked communications and large-scale data analysis increasingly integrate into business and production processes to make them more self-sustaining and efficient.
In this brave new world, effective digitalization is key to driving performance. ABB Ability brings together ABB digital devices, equipment and solutions and digital-enabling services to deliver a quantum leap in industrial digitalisation.
Tarak Mehta, President of ABB’s Electrification Products division, said: “As a leader in software, mechanical and electrical engineering, we have been connecting people and equipment for more than 40 years. In the area of electrical distribution for ABB Ability there are a number of key drivers of digitalization: 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.”
There are a range of ABB Ability offerings that support improvements in electrical distribution, automation and eMobility, including ABB Ability Electrical Distribution Control System; EV charging for buses and passenger cars, digital switchgear and data centre solutions.
ABB Ability Electrical Distribution Control System is an innovative cloud-computing platform designed to monitor, optimise and control an electrical system. The system connects a facility’s electrical equipment with the Internet of Things and leverages ABB’s circuit breakers’ built-in sensing and connectivity to provide the information and control functions to reduce total operating costs by up to 30 percent. It was launched at Hanover in 2016 as Ekip SmartVision and has been renamed under the ABB Ability platform to reflect the broader potential of the solution for electrical distribution.
ABB’s Electrical Distribution Control System also provides reporting functions, immediate access to documentation and the remote diagnosis of assets, making maintenance simpler and more effective. It allows for the fast commissioning and integration of devices, with panels placed online in only ten minutes.
As part of its main distribution offer, ABB will also demonstrate its smart energy, main distribution switchboard solution and System pro E power. With rated current up to 6300 A and short-circuited current up to 150 kA, System pro E can easily fulfil all electrical installation requirements in terms of protection degrees, segregation form and electrical characteristics, according to the latest international standards, and in perfect synergy with ABB’s low-voltage equipment.
A huge part of the digital landscape is the growing importance of data centres, which are essential in the global infomation economy. “With data centres consuming 30 times more power per square foot than the average office building and electricity costs skyrocketing, there is a huge demand for effective power protection. Today’s data centres must be flexible and readily adapt to industry changes, especially the ever-increasing demand for storage,” adds Mehta.
Its MNS-Up solution delivers power distribution and UPS in a single compact system. MNS-Up integrates tried and tested innovations to eliminate cabling and bulky bolt-ons that waste space. Specifically developed for data centres and other mission-critical facilities that demand zero downtime, such as international stock exchanges, MNS-Up features ABB’s Conceptpower DPA 500 UPS. Each model also uses a decentralised parallel architecture, ensuring that they are isolated from failures elsewhere in the system and reducing downtime.
ABB has unveiled its new digital version of the ZS8.4, a medium-voltage, air-insulated switchgear for primary distribution up to 24 kV. This latest addition to the ABB Ability switchgear portfolio provides a universal solution for far-reaching applications, ranging from a compact ring main unit to complex power distribution systems.
To complement the digital switchgear range, ABB has also launched its climate friendly ZX2 AirPlus, as well as a digital alternative, ABB Ability ZX2 Digital, keeping the same footprint, safety and reliability. Suitable for primary distribution switchgear, the ZX2 is ideal for demanding applications in single and double busbar configurations in electric power distribution networks.