Voltimum asks Stuart Dealing, Product Marketing Director for Power Protection at ABB, about the growing popularity of power conditioning equipment and its value to the UK’s industrial and commercial operators today.
What is power conditioning and why is it needed?
We’re seeing big changes on the power grid with massive development of renewable energy and growing adoption of electric vehicles. At the same time, we are seeing growing adoption of industrial automation, with more drives, motors and other industrial equipment being connected to the grid.
As a result, operators of large commercial and industrial sites want to protect themselves from power quality issues such as voltage sags, spikes or surges. Such issues can lead to unplanned outages, deterioration in performance and damage to high value equipment.
Voltage sags represent more than nine out of ten of all power quality events and are the most common power supply problem for businesses. The results can be major, with time wasted, lost production capacity, wasted materials and lost data.
That’s where power conditioning equipment comes in. They act fast to monitor and counteract any sudden changes in voltage. As a result, high-value machinery and servers receive a consistently high quality power supply, avoiding the potential risk of damage from power quality problems.
How do power conditioners work?
In the case of a voltage sag or surge, the power conditioner will detect and correct voltage by passing the feed through power electronics modules to deliver a perfectly regulated power supply, with voltage that follows a consistent sine wave pattern.
Power conditioners don’t rely on a battery system to inject and absorb energy. Instead, they work by transferring energy between different phases of the three-phase power supply.
They work in a similar way to variable speed drives, which take mains power and convert it to a variable output – but in the case of power conditioning, the mains power may vary but the output needs to be constant.
Where else are power conditioners used?
Power conditioners are also used widely to convert AC power from one frequency to another. This is essential for ships that want to connect to the mains power when they are in port.
Whereas the power grid in the UK and most of the world works at 50 Hz, the power systems on board ships operate at 60 Hz. As a result, many ports install power conditioning equipment at the dockside to convert mains power to 60 Hz to enable ships to switch off their diesel engines and save fuel when in port.
What is important in a power conditioner?
It’s vital that a power conditioner should be tough and reliable to work reliably in the industrial environment. Technical performance is the first consideration as this provides reassurance that a power conditioner is up to the job.
ABB has two Active Voltage Conditioners: the PCS100 AVC-40 and the PCS100 AVC-20. The former was designed to provide protect for particularly sensitive machinery rated in the range of 150 to 3600 kVA and can provide 100 percent correction on a 40 percent voltage dip on the network. In comparison, the PCS100 AVC-20 works in the range of 250-3000 kVA and is ideal for the majority of commercial and industrial sites.
Both integrated sophisticated control software that is built on 20 years of voltage conditioning experience and the power electronic modules are capable of providing up to 10 percent correction of the voltage level. They can react quickly to correct voltage disturbances within 250 microseconds, which is twice as fast as the blink of an eye, with correction to a disturbance within five milliseconds.
The modular design helps match the technology to the application and ensures straightforward maintenance and service during the life of the facility.
From an operational perspective, energy efficiency is important as it keeps utility bills under control.
In addition, many operators are now demanding enhanced connectivity. As a result, they can implement remote monitoring and condition-based maintenance, which also helps to save costs.
Click here for more information about ABB power conditioners.