Considering the possibilities of today's state of the art technology, it is unacceptable for plant operators to be confronted with an overwhelming number of different alarms and other status information. If an operator should overlook a critical alarm message, hidden among hundreds of minor alarm messages, this cannot be considered as their fault, however the consequences may be significant. more...
Control systems in power generation plants usually involve an investment total of several millions of euros, with hardware and engineering costs. The 8ooxA system preserves this capital investment. At the same time, the functionality scope of the control systems in place is significantly expanded and improved. more...
Power system faults or operating conditions close to grid stability limits can cause active power swings as a result of the interaction between the generators and the grid. Such electromechanical rotor oscillations can be damped by selectively influencing the exciter current. Almost all modern excitation systems for generators of medium and high power outputs are equipped with integrated power system stabilizers (PSS). more...
Power plant engineering projects are characterized by distributed tasks handled by different engineering disciplines, e.g. field instrumentation, cabling, control equipment and the electrical components. The participants involved in the project — for instance, the general contractor, the consortium partners and the subcontractors — all have different functions to fulfill yet, at the same time, need to work jointly on the project, often at different locations. The engineering management of such projects is a major challenge, since this distributed and simultaneous process needs to be coordinated and target-oriented. more...
A solar thermal power plant utilizes solar thermal energy as a primary energy source by using solar heat absorbers. Depending on the plant's specific design, solar thermal power plants are generally more efficient than photovoltaic systems and usually require lower specific capital investment Solar thermal power plants are suitable for use only in very sunny regions. ABB was involved in the installation of the word's largest solar energy plant, Andasol , in Andalusia. more...
Currently, the distribution of control power is quite homogeneous across Germany’s power network. However, the constantly growing contribution from electricity generated by wind power, which now stands at 18 percent of the peak load is increasingly causing problems This is because, unfortunately, current wind power generators do not participate in any frequency or active power control, nor do they contribute to a balanced voltage and reactive power situation. more...
The efficiency levels of existing coal-fired power plants can be enhanced in many ways. For example, the consumption of auxiliary power significantly affects the efficiency of the power plant. So reducing the demand for auxiliary power by utilizing intelligent frequency converters for the speed control of applications such as pumps and fans is therefore economically attractive as well as technically feasible. more...
BIOTEMP® is an advanced dielectric insulating medium based on a renewable and biodegradable vegetable oil developed to be environmentally friendly. BIOTEMP® has a dielectric strength comparable to mineral oil, silicone fluids and high temperature hydrocarbons and maintains this dielectric strength even with higher amounts of moisture. more...