Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Ideas matter
01|2019 en
19
—
06 – 20 Innovation highlights
22 – 33 Technology Ventures
34 – 61 Connected for productivity
17
62 – 69 Drivechains and converters
2 ABB REVI EW
61
New ABB Tmax XT circuit breakers
46
Noninvasive sensor technology
06
Innovation highlights
28
SynerLeap, Graphmatech and Algoryx
36
Charting a course to
autonomous shipping
64
01| 2019 3
—
05 Editorial
—
Innovation highlights
06 Innovation short stories
21 ABB Customer World
—
Partnerships
24 Interview with SynerLeap
28 SynerLeap, Graphmatech and Algoryx
—
Connected for productivity
36 Charting a course to autonomous
shipping
39 ABB AbilityTM Power Transformer
46 Noninvasive sensor technology
54 ABB’s ring bus with static UPS
61 New ABB Tmax XT circuit breakers
68 —
Tool-free, push-in wiring Drivechains and converters
64 New bearing sensor enhances safety
68 Tool-free, push-in wiring
—
71 Imprint
39
4 ABB REVI EW C HAPTE R 01
—
It’s easy to talk about innovation,
harder to be innovative, and
extremely difficult to succeed over
and over again. Any mission-critical
challenge that starts with “what
if?” must take into account
a variety of requirements,
specifications, and tolerances, and
make sure to address issues of
safety, reliability, and adaptability.
The resulting “here’s how” must
also deliver performance and
profitability. This annual issue of
ABB Review highlights some of
those recent innovation successes.
—
E DI TO R I AL
Ideas matter
Dear Reader,
Bazmi Husain
Chief Technology Officer
—
6 ABB R EVI EW C HAPTE R 01
Innovatio
highlights
2019
12
01| 2019 ARTIC LE TITLE 7
on
17 the visibility it provides, to
innovate device and system
design, operation, and
maintenance, as shown by
these examples. In March,
2019 ABB Customer World will
provide an opportunity to see
more innovations in action.
s
14
15
8 ABB REVI EW INNOVATION HIGHLIGHTS 2019
—
Charting a course to
autonomous shipping
—
Footnote
1) ABB Ability™ Marine
Pilot Vision and
ABB Ability™ Marine
Pilot Control are
discussed in greater
detail in Charting a
course to autonomous
shipping on pages
36-38 of this edition
of ABB Review.
Crossing an ocean in very good conditions can With its user-centric design, ABB Ability™ Marine
require so little intervention on the part of bridge Pilot Control reduces the workload related to
personnel that it can cause mental fatigue. navigational tasks and allows bridge officers
This can result in an associated loss of alertness to focus holistically on a vessel’s overall control
that can lead to a situation where a human reacts and positioning. To accomplish this, the system
too late to an event that might otherwise have employs algorithms that calculate the optimal way
been anticipated. of executing a command for controlling a vessel in
any operational situation.
In view of this, and together with a focus on
increasing the safety of navigation in areas where While the vessel is being maneuvered, ABB Ability™
a high level of attention is required, ABB has Marine Pilot Vision provides a virtual model of
introduced ABB Ability™ Marine Pilot Vision and the ship superimposed on real surroundings.
ABB Ability™ Marine Pilot Control. The former is Bridge personnel can switch between views
a situational awareness solution that provides instantaneously, making it easier to predict
real-time visualizations of a vessel’s surroundings, vessel motions and be alert to previously
while the latter provides a dynamic positioning hidden obstacles or collision risks.
(DP) system that simplifies ship maneuvering. The resulting improvement in situational
Together, the two technologies create a powerful awareness has significant benefits for safety
formula for enabling autonomous operations. and operational efficiency.1 l
01| 2019 INNOVATION SHORT STORIE S 9
—
ABB’s NiTemp sensor initiates
a new era in measurement
Traditionally, process industries install sensors The innovative double sensor architecture and
through openings in otherwise intact pipes advanced model-based approach results in the
in order to regulate and monitor critical processes most accurate measurement of the surface
like temperature. Requiring intimate contact with temperature available in the market today.
the process medium, thermowells protect the Temperature measurements deviate by less than
sensitive temperature measuring inset from 2 K per 100 K and response times are comparable
the jeopardizing effects of the flowing medium. or better than those obtained from invasive
However, these devices obstruct flow, can cause measurements. Installation costs can be reduced
failure and adversely impact the measurement by up to 75 percent. There is no need to shut-
value. Introducing such a system to an existing down equipment, engineering workflow time is
industrial facility can result in downtime, safety diminished and the time to deployment is reduced
risks and additional costs. by an order of magnitude. State-of-the-art hardware
components simplify requisition and maintenance
ABB’s NiTemp is the first temperature sensor to of a fleet of such devices.
match the performance of invasive devices without
breaching the pipe wall, or sacrificing accuracy or Developed and tested by ABB, and validated with
response time. partners in the food and beverage, and chemical,
oil and gas industries, NiTemp was launched in
November 2018; a wireless version will be available in
2019. NiTemp is ABB’s first step toward providing the
ultimate portfolio of noninvasive instrumentation
solutions — making process measurements simpler
and safer.1 l
—
Footnote
1) For an in-depth article
see ABB’s noninvasive
temperature
measurement creates
digitization use cases
in the “Connected for
productivity” section
on p. 46.
10 ABB REVI EW INNOVATION HIGHLIGHTS 2019
—
ABB AbilityTM
Conveyor Roller
Inspection Services
For miners, the reliability of their conveyor belt The vehicle is a hanging (for stability) train with at
systems is critical. Conveyor motors, drives, belts, least one locomotive and one sensor car. The sensor
and transformers are usually well monitored. car controls the motion of the locomotive and the
However, the many thousand rollers, or idlers, position of the sensor head on a pan-tilt unit. The
that carry kilometer-long belts have, until now, vehicle design includes a rubber shell and a tilted
been largely excepted from this monitoring world. roof to prevent damage from falling rocks.
Failing idlers do not only waste energy but also
cause excessive belt wear and misalignment – Inspection tours are preprogrammed and executed
or belt rupture or fire. on a regular schedule, which eliminates the need for
continuous radio connection with the vehicle.
ABB has now developed a system that will do the
idler inspection job not only fully automatically and After each inspection tour, the vehicle docks at the
very consistently but also with higher sensitivity battery-charging port of a base station and uploads
and better cost-effectiveness than manual its data. A graphical interface allows inspection
inspection. This new service uses a rail-guided scheduling and data analysis. By analyzing the
vehicle to position the sensors automatically, history data of individual idlers, a complete idler
accurately and repeatably. condition map can be created. Furthermore, trend
analysis can indicate imminent failure likelihood and
The service is called ABB Ability Conveyor Roller allow replacements to be planned.1 l
Inspection Services (CRIS). The CRIS sensor head
has a thermal camera, a visual camera with an LED
—
light and an ultrasonic microphone. Footnote
1) ABB Ability Conveyor Roller Inspection Services are discussed in greater detail in
ABB AbilityTM Conveyor roller inspection services on pages 44-49 of ABB Review 04|2018.
01| 2019 INNOVATION SHORT STORIE S 11
—
ABB AbilityTM Power
Transformer sets new
industry standards
Power transformers are critical grid infrastructure The AAPT platform is independent of the type and
elements that today face more dynamic load size of the transformer and is fully compliant with
conditions and stress than has traditionally been relevant industry standards. To ensure system
the case owing to the integration of distributed stability under adverse conditions, the solution
energy resources and electric-vehicle charging has been subjected to testing with high-voltage
infrastructure, etc. Therefore, today’s operators impulses that mimic lightning strikes.
need actionable information and insights to better
manage their fleet while ensuring the highest The transformer can easily be connected to the
levels of reliability and availability. station control via a built-in Ethernet cable and
fiber-optic interfaces, or wirelessly. All connectivity
This is why ABB has developed the ABB Ability solutions are cyber-secure and different
Power Transformer (AAPT) as a new standard data architectures are possible based on
for power transformers. Developed as a future- customers’ requirements.
proof, modular platform concept, the AAPT is
an integrated solution with digital capabilities, Establishing a new industry standard, the ABB
which include electronic temperature monitoring Ability Power Transformer drastically lowers the
and onboard intelligence on load and ageing barriers for customers to reap the benefits of
conditions as standard features. This solution digital technologies and enables them to take
can be scaled up to a full monitoring package control of their digital future, today. l
with plug-and-play connectivity to include the
whole family of ABB eDevices (digitally enabled
measurement and safety devices), ABB’s dissolved
gas analyzers (DGA) CoreSense and CoreSense
M10, and the option to integrate third-party
sensors and instrumentation.
12 ABB R EVI EW INNOVATION HIGHLIGHTS 2019
—
ABB’s TXplore submersible robot
inspects transformers
Until now, utilities have performed costly and personnel: a topside equipment manager to set
hazardous internal visual human inspections of up and manage the robot and a robot pilot to
transformers to determine routine internal navigate, gather data and communicate with
conditions and to isolate the exact location or experts and customers. Consequently, routine
severity of a fault. Always alert to customers’ transformer inspections are safe and efficient;
needs, ABB formed a multidisciplinary group of downtime is shortened, and both human and
experts to redefine transformer inspection: the capital costs are reduced.
result is the submersible transformer inspection
robot TXplore. TXplore production service inspections began
in April 2018. By integrating the opportunity for
After successfully completing rigorous laboratory, inspections in their service agreement portfolio,
field and near-real-world condition testing, this ABB redefines transformer inspection and
remotely driven craft was introduced at the management and delivers unparalleled service.1 l
Hanover Trade Fair on April 23, 2018. Especially
suited to perform routine baseline inspections
for future comparison of the internal condition
of the transformer, TXplore visually maps the
interior of oil-filled transformers while preserving
the integrity of the oil, and allows personnel
and customers to view the inspection results
and images safely, in real-time. In these cases,
human inspectors are not required and the risk of
damage to the transformer is minimal. Inspections
can be completed within a day or two, with two
—
Footnote
1) TXplore is discussed
in greater detail in ABB’s
TXplore robot redefines
transformer inspection
on pages 28-35 of ABB
Review 03|2018.
01| 2019 INNOVATION SHORT STORIE S 13
—
The ABB Ability™ Digital
Powertrain for drives and motors
Electrical powertrains – the motors, generators, Digital Powertrain Internet of Things (IoT)
drives, converters, bearings and gearboxes solutions encompass devices, software and
that drive pumps, machinery or other process services. ABB Ability Condition Monitoring for
equipment – are particularly critical components of powertrains, for example, is a service product that
many processes and must be kept running. ABB has visualizes the data of the individual assets of an
now introduced the ABB Ability Digital Powertrain electric powertrain in a unified monitoring system
to improve engineering efficiency, safety, and, with the help of ABB’s expertise, delivers
equipment uptime and production output while comprehensive insights as to maintenance, repair
reducing risks and costs in everyday operations. or replacement needs. Other service products in
ABB Ability Digital Powertrain keeps operations the ABB Ability Digital Powertrain cover life cycle
running efficiently – and even predicts failures assessment, virtual commissioning and remote
before they happen. assistance. These products are complemented by
physical devices such as ABB Ability Smart Sensors
The Digital Powertrain is a suite of digital products, for pumps, mounted bearings and motors, and
software and services for motors/generators, wireless Internet gateways.
drives/converters and mechanical powertrain
components such as bearings. Surprisingly, over The digital powertrain opens up many fields for
80 percent of powertrains are currently not additional actionable insights, analyses and informed
monitored. Therefore, providing a simple, cost- decision making. It shows the way forward so that
efficient solution like the Digital Powertrain will be modern industry can achieve better reliability, uptime
a game-changer. and efficiency – and reduce costs. l
—
The PVS 175 1,500V
solar inverter
Rapid growth in the photovoltaic (PV) power The PVS 175 has a power rating of 175 kW up to
market is putting severe cost pressure on an ambient temperature of 40 °C (185 kW up to
components. ABB has responded to this situation 30 °C), making it well suited to operation in hot
by introducing the PVS 175 string PV inverter – climates. The inverter can communicate via WiFi or
the first string inverter from ABB with a PV string Ethernet and be equipped with an integrated web
voltage up to 1,500 V (a PV inverter converts the server for fast commissioning.
variable DC from solar panels into the AC the
grid needs). The PVS 175 has a double-stage configuration:
DC power from the PV panel is first stepped up
The output AC voltage from the PVS 175 is 800 to a stabilized DC voltage, which is then converted
VAC, which allows AC cable cross-sections to be to grid AC power. The DC/DC converter uses a
halved compared to standard 400 VAC products, SiC MOSFET and diode to improve efficiency,
thus saving costs. To further reduce costs, and to reduce size and improve reliability. These SiC
improve reliability, the PVS 175 has 12 independent components have the advantage that they can
DC inputs that allow the direct connection of operate at higher temperatures than conventional
the PV strings to the inverter – without using silicon equivalents. l
protection fuses.
—
Prize winning panel
harvests a world of
drive data
As the leader in the standard and premium drive customers are able to remotely monitor the status
market, ABB has introduced the Drive Connectivity of their ABB drives, operational KPIs, events, and
Panel, a unique plug & play device that has been real time and historical parameter trends through
awarded the “Innovation Product 2018” prize by continuous data uploads. Remote assistance
Modern Manufacturing Magazine. The new panel provides easy access to ABB expertise on-site to
offers an array of features designed to make track down problems.
an extremely broad range of information easily
readable and visualizable. Customers can tap into All of this adds up to substantial customer value in
data such as motor behavior settings, control areas such as device and asset management, remote
macros, diagnostics, energy efficiency and energy condition monitoring, predictive maintenance,
savings, to name just a few key areas. product insights, product use analysis, and product
optimization and customization. Indeed, data
Thanks to the latest Internet of Things (IoT) provided by this new platform can reveal the true
mobile technology available anywhere – including potential of drives and help create new business
both narrowband (NB) IoT and Bluetooth – the models and customized services. l
panel can interact with drives in a spectrum of
industrial environments. And thanks to the panel’s
connectivity to ABB Ability cloud services, data
encryption and resulting high level of cybersecurity,
16 ABB REVI EW INNOVATION HIGHLIGHTS 2019
—
Wireless diagnostics
for every bearing
Downtime due to a failed bearing can be very costly, customers to quickly assess their bearings’ health.
but inspecting these components, which are often Built-in diagnostic capabilities reduce the need for
located in hard-to-access locations, is generally condition monitoring analysts, and asset health
difficult and time-consuming. With this in mind, ABB knowledge will allow ABB customers to make
has developed the ABB AbilityTM Smart Sensor for better decisions.
Mounted Bearings, which allows users to monitor
these difficult locations and identify potential Embedded into the sensor’s on-board microprocessor
issues early. The sensor is part of the ABB Ability are advanced fault detection algorithms. Validation
Digital Powertrain. of the algorithms and sensor performance was
accomplished through extensive testing in ABB
Customer interviews revealed that ever more highly- laboratories on bearings with seeded faults. Feedback
skilled maintenance mechanics, who could often has been very positive. The sensor has 30 days of data
diagnose bearing issues by small changes in sound storage capacity, so customers can look at trends
or temperature, are nearing retirement age and directly from the sensor. New versions of firmware can
companies are not able to replace them with like- be installed by an over-the-air feature built into the
minded workers. sensor. The product is scheduled to be launched at the
end of 2018.1 l
In view of this, an R&D project was mounted, between
ABB and external vendors, that took advantage of —
technological advances in electronics, connectivity, Footnote
1) ABB’s wirless condition-monitoring bearing sensor is discussed in greater
sensing, and the Cloud. The resulting bearing sensor detail in New bearing sensor enhances safety and decsion making on pages
is a wireless condition monitoring solution that allows 64-67 of ABB Review 01|2019.
01| 2019 INNOVATION SHORT STORIE S 17
—
Terra HP: the
next step
in EV charging
Since the introduction of first-generation electric A key technology is the use of liquid-cooled charging
vehicles (EVs), starting around 2010, ABB has cables. Conducting 500 A using traditional technology
become the global market leader in DC fast would require a copper cable too stiff and too heavy
charging systems. to use. Instead, ABB and its suppliers developed a
relatively light, thin and flexible cable with active
Now a new generation of EVs with larger batteries, cooling and temperature monitoring.
higher drive train voltage and faster charging
capability is ready to appear on the market. The Terra HP project went from concept to field
To support these vehicles, ABB created Terra commissioning in under 18 months, with over 10 patent
HP, a modular high-power charging system proposals submitted to secure technology leadership
that supports CCS and CHAdeMO – two of the in high-power charging.
dominant charging schemes.
Terra HP is the first 350 kW system operational in the
Terra HP delivers up to 350 kW, 500 A and 920 VDC. field globally. It is selected by leading charge point
That is seven times the power, four times the current operators including some of the largest EV charging
and twice the voltage of a traditional 50 kW charging networks in the world: Electrify America, EVgo, Fastned
system – a big step forward in EV charging. The Terra and IONITY. l
HP high-power charging system is modular and
expandable, which allows charging sites to be scaled
up as the EV base grows.
18 ABB REVI EW INNOVATION HIGHLIGHTS 2019
—
Superior reliability with ABB’s
ring bus with static UPS
ABB’s ring bus architecture with static nor is there a need for connecting switchgear in
uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is designed parallel. This protection scheme creates a virtually
to provide reliable and available power at minimal self-healing structure.
costs to mission critical facilities, like, data
centers. Currently deployed, this unique system Currently available systems have been developed using
has many advantages over conventional ring bus reliability estimation models and transient simulation
architecture with rotary UPSs and over conventional software to analyze system performance and power
architectures with static UPS: faults are detected and transfer capability for ring bus systems of any size.
isolated without risking system failure or shut down; Rigorous testing demonstrates the superior reliability
systems remain operational because remaining UPSs of ABB’s ring bus architecture with static UPSs, due to
share load equally. the lack of interaction between UPSs. Even during a
worst case scenario with 4 UPSs and a voltage window
To locate and isolate faults a number of circuit of 86.5 percent after 10ms – a utilization rate of 60
breakers and the related logic and relays are included. percent is possible – an excellent result.
During a phase-phase short circuit on the ring bus,
the worst case scenario, the UPS output current By choosing ABB’s unique ring bus configuration
remains at the limit of the inverter current limitation with static UPS, customers get a cost-effective
regime, thereby establishing the minimal inductance power solution that is scalable and self-healing. Thus,
of the ring bus choke. If a fault occurs on the output successful uninterrupted operation is attainable now
of one UPS, the other UPSs are decoupled from that and in the future.1 l
fault through two chokes; this ensures fault isolation.
Furthermore, synchronized inputs are not required,
—
Footnote
1) For an in-depth article
see ABB’s ring bus with
static UPS for critical
power applications
in the “Connected for
productivity” section
on p.54.
01| 2019 INNOVATION SHORT STORIE S 19
—
Meeting customers
in The Matrix
Engineers working in the grid integration unit of ABB’s More intriguingly, customers can put on a VR headset
Power Grids vision are now using a virtual reality (or VR) and walk around as “avatars” within the virtual worlds of
platform to model and review designs in collaboration projects, thereby literally seeing how items fit into spaces,
with their customers. and exploring the implica-tions for processes, safety, and
other design considerations. ABB has also built upon a
The platform is based on a popular development platform core element of video gaming – playing together from
called Unity, which is used for real-time animation in remote locations – and set up virtual collaboration rooms
animation and video gaming, and it allows engineers to in Turgi, Chennai, Beijing, Ludvika and Västerås. In these
drag-and-drop 3D models into virtual renderings into online rooms, collaborators and customers can explore a
any context, such as potential or existing installations. virtual power plant together, as avatars, even though they
By flipping the traditional approach of using 3D models may be physically located at other sides of the planet.
to support creation of 2D drawings, the platform makes
review and revision of designs far easier and more cost- The new platform enables a new level of development
efficient (as more robust and complete renderings enable efficiency and customer collaboration, even if the
decisions earlier in the process). Using it requires no experience might not be as viscerally immersive as the VR
special software. in movies like The Matrix. At least not yet. l
20 ABB REVI EW INNOVATION HIGHLIGHTS 2019
—
Synerleap helps
make the move from
innovation to product
Even the most casual observer can appreciate Currently, SynerLeap has over 30 members with
just how tumultuous and dynamic the pace of around a dozen joining annually. With each startup,
technology development has become. This hectic the SynerLeap team and the relevant ABB business
environment makes it difficult to advance innovations map out a specific collaboration project to ensure
from their early idea stage to a market-ready product maximum value extraction for all parties involved.
fast enough.
As the pace of technology development increases,
To speed the trajectory of innovation with external partnership with startups will become an even
partners in this dynamic world, ABB has set up more important aspect of how ABB embraces
SynerLeap – an innovation growth hub located at open innovation.
the heart of the ABB Corporate Research Center
in Västerås, Sweden that helps companies reach a This issue of ABB Review contains an interview with
global market and scale up their business. SynerLeap key SynerLeap members (p. 24) as well as an article
partners with entrepreneurs and startups, and (p. 28) that describes how the SynerLeap model has
enables them to benefit from the resources, the worked for two of the member companies. l
internal network and the competences available to
a major multinational like ABB. The vision is to reach
shorter innovation cycles, decreased time to market
and mutual strengthened competitiveness.
ABB Customer World (ACW) addresses the most pressing issues you face,
from increasing productivity to meeting rising customer expectations.
The event provides an unparalleled opportunity to engage with your industry
peers and our experts to discuss the future of manufacturing, mobility,
work, energy and cities – and how it impacts your business.
Partnersh
24
01| 2019 ARTIC LE TITLE 23
hips
innovation ecosystem to find
news ideas, and operationalize
them in new ways for the
benefit of its customers.
24 Interview with SynerLeap
28 SynerLeap, Graphmatech
and Algoryx
28
24 ABB REVI EW PARTNE RSHIPS
—
I NTE RV I E W
Malin Carlström Peter Löfgren Malin Carlström (MC): I have spent my entire career in
the Swedish and Nordic venture capital industry, placing
investments in a wide array of segments. Some of my
Partnering with startups has become previous success stories include Tail-f, Fishbrain and
Soundtrap – companies spanning the range from B2B
a vital component of how ABB embraces to angler communities to online music studios. I advise
open innovation. A key pillar of this startups and have been an entrepreneur myself. I met
with SynerLeap when at my former employer and was
approach is SynerLeap. To understand impressed by what they were doing. I joined ABB at
better how SynerLeap supports ABB the end of 2017 after discussions with SynerLeap, the
Swedish ABB organization and ABB Technology Ventures,
innovation and works with its startups, as ABB was seeking to strengthen its investment efforts
ABB Review met with Peter Löfgren, in the Northern European market.
CEO of SynerLeap, and Malin Carlström, AR Can you please describe the innovation eco-
Investment Director at SynerLeap and system at ABB and how it has changed in the last
few years?
Senior Vice-President, Northern Europe,
ABB Technology Ventures. PL Working in an ecosystem is necessary for staying
ahead in innovation. Alone, you easily become slow
and miss out on disruption. What is happening now
is that ecosystems tend to be larger. For example,
before, working cross-border with universities
and other corporates was quite enough, but
ABB Review (AR): Before we start talking about today you need to engage very closely also with
SynerLeap, can you both tell us a bit more about entrepreneurs, startups, accelerators, science
yourselves and how you ended up at ABB and parks and various other partners →1. Entrepreneurs
eventually at SynerLeap? and startups bring speed and great technology –
perfect attributes when combined with the global
Peter Löfgren (PL): I joined ABB as an Executive presence, muscle and industry experience of ABB!
Trainee many years ago and I have spent my whole
career within the company – chiefly with one
foot in R&D, creating a bridge to other functions
and ecosystems. My roles have covered project
and line management, Head (and founder) of the
ABB Simulation Network and Head of Strategic
Collaboration and Business Development at
Corporate Research in Sweden. I have a passion for
value creation and love to drive change in a rapid
AND sustainable way.
01| 2019 INTE RV IE W WITH SY NE RLE AP 25
AR What are the biggest trends you see when it comes AR Tell us a bit more what role SynerLeap plays in this
to corporate R&D and open innovation? market environment?
PL I have the pleasure to meet with many global MC SynerLeap is actually at the forefront of
corporates and external innovation groups. In collaboration between large corporates and
fact, we have delegations visiting SynerLeap startups in the Nordics. With SynerLeap, ABB is
regularly. I often feel that there is an innovation demonstrating how close interaction with startups
anxiety driving those visitors. What I mean is that leads to actual business value in terms of concrete
they realize that they need to do something in business projects, knowledge exchange and the
order to improve their innovation, but they are increase in innovation speed. When startups and
still searching for the right recipe. I see this as the
—
first step in a transformation toward more open
innovation, which is the trend. Many come back a With SynerLeap, ABB is
year later, and by then they have realized that there
demonstrating how close
is not a single, simple recipe – you just have to start
by doing something and then iterate your way interaction with startups leads
forward, instead of just discussing. What comes
to actual business value in terms
next is the cultural change in the corporation, to
really understand and leverage benefits. of concrete business projects,
knowledge exchange and the
increase in innovation speed.
01
—
01 The SynerLeap
ecosystem of startups,
entrepreneurial solution
providers and partners
joins forces with ABB’s
internal innovation
and businesses. One
SynerLeap startup
alumni member,
Mobilaris – now a world-
leading location-based
intelligence and decision
support company that
provides solutions for
multiple industries,
including mining –
collaborates with ABB
in mine automation.
26 ABB REVI EW PARTNE RSHIPS
AR How was the idea about SynerLeap born? AR How can a startup get into SynerLeap and what
does it get out of the participation?
PL Working in a new role as Head of Strategic
Collaboration and Business Development at ABB PL Just contact anyone in our team or apply at the
Corporate Research in Sweden a few years back, I website. All details are at www.synerleap.com.
soon realized that working cross-border between We bring in one to two companies every month.
corporates was quite easy – though the actual Companies can accelerate development by
initiation of a joint activity was never fast – but the accessing the unique ABB infrastructure – for
same did not apply between a corporate and a example, our labs within power and automation
startup. The simple conclusion that cover topics such as robotics, communication
and high voltage as well as ABB’s industry
—
knowledge from innovation professionals – 60
When it comes to establishing percent of whom have a PhD – from 50+ countries.
In addition, we will help with matchmaking
collaboration between
between industrial needs and their technology.
startups and ABB, we have a When it comes to establishing collaboration
between startups and ABB, we have a hit rate
hit rate ten times higher and
ten times higher and an effort ten times lower
an effort ten times lower than than traditional methods of connecting with
startups. Sometimes ATV, ABB’s strategic venture
traditional methods of hooking
capital unit, also invests in a SynerLeap startup.
up with startups. Both teams generally work closely together
in order to fully leverage startup partnerships
and value extraction.
was that there was a large gap of trust. And this is
a pity because some of the best and disruptive
AR What does a typical collaboration between ABB
technology comes from startups. Not only that,
and a SynerLeap member look like?
but their small size makes them very nimble and
they can get to the prototype stage without the
PL All sorts of collaborations already exists. We have
interdepartmental or organizational obstacles that
R&D collaborations, business collaborations,
can sometimes slow things down in the bigger
vendor-client collaborations, but we also see that
companies. This is why, when I visited Astra
individuals can move between the two worlds.
Zeneca and was introduced to their Innovation
As a concrete example, together with one of the
Hub, where the startups sit openly in the same
SynerLeap members, Mobilaris, ABB delivered
R&D environment as the corporation in order to
mine automation to a mine in Russia →1. ABB
maximize interaction and to build trust, the
delivered the 800xA system, and Mobilaris plugged
SynerLeap vision was born! Eight months later we
in their top-notch localization engine. I really like
inaugurated SynerLeap and on-boarded the first
these types of synergies! On the R&D side, we
four startups. Three months later we were already
have a lot of exciting synergies – for example,
ten startups.
02
— —
02 MTEK adds value to 04 Imagimob is a
ABB’s YuMi dual-arm specialist in artificial
collaborative robot. intelligence products
for movement analytics
— of things and people.
03 Yazzoom improves One such product is
company processes SensorBeat, which takes
by means of signal sensor data or any signal
processing, artificial as input and translates
intelligence, computer this into actionable
modelling, software insights in real time.
engineering, data SensorBeat is a unique
mining and advanced solution in which the AI
process control. runs on small devices.
The edge approach
differs from solutions
where all sensor data
is streamed from the
device to the cloud,
where all the intelligence
is located.
01| 2019 INTE RV IE W WITH SY NE RLE AP 27
References
AR Tell us a bit about one of the latest companies that [1] http://univrses.com/site/
joined SynerLeap? [2] http://ekkono.ai/
[3] https://www.yazzoom.com/
04
28 ABB REVI EW
—
T E CH NO LO GY V E N T URE S
SynerLeap
collaboration
with Graphmatech
and Algoryx
ABB’s SynerLeap innovation hub in the Nordics
demonstrates how close interaction with startups leads
to value in terms of new products, knowledge exchange
and faster innovation. Collaborations with two SynerLeap
members, Graphmatech and Algoryx, illustrate well the
benefits of the partnership.
Anthony Byatt —
External author
ABB Contact:
SynerLeap is an ABB innovation
Victoria Lietha
hub that helps early- and
victoria.lietha@ch.abb.com
mid-stage companies quickly
progress from concept phase
through adolescence and into
young adulthood. —
01 Aros Graphene is a
hybrid ionic graphene
material that is easy
ABB has recognized this need to work in an and eco-friendly to
innovative ecosystem and has set up SynerLeap. manufacture. It can
be applied as an
SynerLeap is an ABB innovation hub based in additive into a matrix
Sweden, that helps early- and mid-stage or coating, or even by
3D printing.
companies accelerate and expand in a global
market. Members of SynerLeap have fast-growing —
02 Swedish-based
potential in the area of automation, robotics, Graphmatech’s
energy and industrial digitalization. Entrepreneurs, graphene-based
nanocomposite
startups, accelerators and various other partners materials and
are likely members of SynerLeap. Some of services were
the basis of
these may be recipients of a capital investment SynerLeap’s interest
from ABB. in the company.
01| 2019 SY NE RLE AP, GR APHMATE C H AND ALGORY X 29
—
SynerLeap encourages innovation
to thrive in an environment where
an openness and a willingness to
share insights from the parties
involved is of benefit to all.
02
30 ABB REVI EW
03
04
01| 2019 SY NE RLE AP, GR APHMATE C H AND ALGORY X 31
—
03 Aros Graphene
is expected to Bureaucracy in multinationals can often be The Graphmatech collaboration with ABB
revolutionize the wearisome. However, Graphmatech found that is mutually beneficial as ABB can exploit
design of electronics,
energy storage and the SynerLeap processes were smooth and Graphmatech’s state-of-the-art materials
mechanical systems. efficient, which was largely down to the SynerLeap technology in its products. One example from
— management, who placed great emphasis on making the Graphmatech-ABB collaboration is the
04 Aros Graphene the path to ABB for entrepreneurs and startups an development of new sliding electrical contact
displays extreme
thermal and electrical easy one. For instance, recognizance was taken of materials with a lifetime an order of magnitude
conductivity. the fact that small companies do not have extensive longer than silver. This extended lifetime arises
— legal or intellectual property resources and care was from the much higher wear resistance of the new
05 Algoryx’s taken to simplify this end of the business, while materials. This advance, in turn, enables a dramatic
speciality is physics-
based simulation of at the same time appropriately safeguarding the reduction of silver content in ABB products, safer
the motion dynamics interests of both parties. and more reliable products and a significant
of multibody,
complex systems. lengthening of maintenance intervals.
—
The ABB/Graphmatech Mamoun has ideas, too, concerning the next big
material trends that will come into play in the next
collaboration is mutually ten years: “Changes are happening everywhere
beneficial as ABB can exploit – and quicker than we think. From the materials
perspective, more new and smart materials
Graphmatech’s state-of-the- are under development. When development
art materials technology in is sufficiently advanced, those materials will
revolutionize industries. Very lightweight, flexible,
its products. even more high-power-density electronics,
lubricant-free engines and gearboxes, self-sensing
ABB’s venture capital arm, ABB Technology and healing materials, programmable composite
Ventures (ATV) led an investment round in materials, and local manufacturing at customer
Graphmatech, during which ABB assisted the sites via high-productivity additive manufacturing
company with the due dilligence process regarding – these are just some of the ways I see materials
their technology roadmap, product/market fit, etc. technology supporting Industry 4.0 and associated
movements in the coming decade.”
Mamoun says, “I’d heard about SynerLeap via
my contact with ABB at the university and made Algoryx
the good decision to meet up with them. They Algoryx specializes in physics-based simulations
mentored me all the way through, arranged for of motion dynamics of multibody, complex
me to meet with decision makers at ABB and systems →5. What makes Algoryx unique is
introduced Graphmatech to ATV, which was that they can combine high precision, complex
critical from the funding point of view. Not only modeling and very high computing performance.
that but they opened doors into relevant ABB They also make all simulations highly available and
business units and facilitated access to the ABB interactive using 3D graphics.
laboratories that helped us develop and test our
graphene technologies.” Engineers who design machines and control
systems need this type of capability for virtual
The long road to productization and market prototyping and optimization. Further, physics-
acceptance was shortened by the collaboration. based simulation is a key enabling technology for
ABB contributed its extensive experience in this training machine learning systems.
area by, for example, helping Graphmatech to
carefully analyze the business case and the market
for their product, and to closely collaborate with
different partners at different points on the value
chain – eg, to ensure early involvement of sub-
suppliers and end users as well as exercising the
right timing in the right market.
05
32 ABB REVI EW PARTNE RSHIPS
En
gi
Tr rin
ne
ad g s
e
iti im
on u
al lat
io
n
Game
Real-time domain physics
06
Algoryx had worked with ABB for several years Kenneth Brodin is the CEO of Algoryx: “ABB is a
and heard about SynerLeap from ABB contacts. huge corporation and getting in contact with the
Not only that, but SynerLeap took an interest and right decision makers and specialists had been
contacted Algoryx directly. Participation in rather difficult. However, SynerLeap provides
SynerLeap was made easy for the company and efficient guidance and door opening. SynerLeap
they were signed up in a very short time. also provides a strong level of mutual trust.”
Algoryx is more of a client-venture model and,
at this point, no ABB investment in Algoryx has
been found to be necessary.
07
01| 2019 SY NE RLE AP, GR APHMATE C H AND ALGORY X 33
—
08 The Algoryx
—
technology holds out
much promise for The Algoryx simulation soft
future applications,
such as machine ware, AGX Dynamics, is used
learning and
simulations of very inside ABB RobotStudio and
complex processes.
thus creates end-user value for
—
Reference automation engineers.
[1] “Interview
with SynerLeap,”
ABB Review, 1/2019, Besides the mutual business benefits, ABB also
pp. 24–27.
guides Algoryx in their own continued research
and development by providing requirements,
expectations and expertise.
36
Connected
productiv
46
01| 2019 35
d for
that doesn’t intrude on
operations, and a unique ring
bus design that delivers power
more reliably. Digital
connectivity makes it possible.
ity
39 The ABB AbilityTM Power Transformer
sets new industry standards
46 ABB’s noninvasive temperature
measurement creates
digitization use cases
54 ABB’s ring bus with static UPS for
critical power applications
61 New ABB Tmax XT circuit breakers
61
39
36 ABB REVI EW
—
CO N NE C TE D FOR P ROD UC T I V I T Y
Charting a course
to autonomous
shipping
Pioneering digital technologies from ABB are
opening the door to autonomous shipping. Together,
a dynamic positioning (DP) system that simplifies
ship maneuvering and a situational awareness
solution that provides real-time visualizations of a
vessel’s surroundings create a powerful formula for
enabling autonomous operations.
01
—
02 Marine Pilot Vision
provides unparalleled
situational awareness
for ship crews with
real time information
presented in augmented
reality and 3D virtual
views around the
vessel, allowing for
perspectives that were
not previously available.
02
—
CO N NE C TE D FOR P ROD UC T I V I T Y
Transformer sets
new industry standards
With its standard digital capabilities, the ABB Ability Power
Transformer provides a future-proof platform that delivers health
data and actionable intelligence. Users gain access to ABB’s
digital ecosystem and can thus optimize reliability, availability and
productivity while improving capital efficiency.
Helmut Bockshammer The power landscape is predicted to change more their efficiency and productivity in order to remain
ABB Transformers
Ratingen, Germany in the next ten years than it has in the last 100 [1] →1. competitive in their respective fields.
This is mostly due to the change in generation mix,
helmut.bockshammer@
de.abb.com where the integration of renewables and distributed As critical elements in the electrical grid
energy resources are having the double impact infrastructure, power transformers are impacted by
Andrew Collier
ABB Transformers of adding volatile supply sources while causing a these changes. While nobody can predict the exact
Bad Honnef, Germany decline in traditional high-inertia generation such effects on a typical power transformer over its
andrew.collier@ as coal. This volatility will increase further, on the lifetime of 30 to 50 years, it is certain that changing
de.abb.com demand side, as e-mobility plays a greater role in demand patterns will result in a more dynamic
Miguel Cuesto the near future. At the same time, many utilities and loading of the transformer, which can be detrimental
ABB Transformers industrial companies are under pressure to increase to its remaining life →2.
Cordoba, Spain
miguel.cuesto@ 01
es.abb.com
—
01 The ABB Ability
Power Transformer
delivers health data
and actionable
intelligence so
users can optimize
reliability, availability
and productivity
while improving
capital efficiency.
40 ABB REVI EW CONNE C TE D FOR PRODU C TIV IT Y
02a
K5 02b
K1
K2
K4
To address this situation, users need actionable Digital power transformer platform and
information and insights to enable better decision ecosystem – agile development
making around, and management of, the asset, The technical development of the AAPT was based
and a future-proof technology concept. on a future-proof modular solution. The platform
concept covers everything from the basic package
— with electronic temperature monitoring and
The technical development of indicators, up to a full monitoring package
with plug-and-play connectivity including the
the AAPT was based on a future- whole family of ABB eSeries (digitally enabled
proof modular solution. instrumentation and protection devices), ABB’s
dissolved gas analyzers (DGA) CoreSenseTM
and CoreSense M10.
Therefore, the time has come for transformers to
become digital by design. This is why ABB has
Furthermore, the AAPT was conceived with an
developed its ABB Ability Power Transformer (AAPT)
agile development approach that allows potential
as a new standard for power transformers. The AAPT
new sensors and instrumentation – such as for the
is an integrated solution with electronic temperature
monitoring of partial discharge (PD) and bushings
monitoring and on-board intelligence on load
– to be promptly added to the open, vendor-
and ageing conditions →3.
neutral platform →4–5.
— The AAPT platform has been conceived to Today, not everybody wants their most critical
02 Typical transformer
loading behavior: As be independent of the type and size of the assets connected to the outside world. So,
transformer loading transformer, as the accessories defined for the independent of the onboard cyber security,
increases, so too does
oil temperature, leading standard package are typically used in every oil- transformer monitoring can operate on premise
to hotspots. immersed power transformer. and even in standalone mode. All data remains
02a Oil temperature the customer’s property [2], should customers
level and hotspot Last, but not least, the AAPT is fully compliant prefer, they can simply send ABB any raw data they
temperature.
with industry standards applicable to both power may want interpreted and translated into useable
02b Transformer loading. transformers and low-voltage controls for any information. Alternatively, customers can utilize
— region of the world. ABB’s expertise on site.
03 The standard
ABB Ability™ Power
Transformer offering. Connectivity —
Many customers now demand actionable The AAPT’s modern Electronic
information, intelligent asset optimization and
the ability to use real-time data to mitigate “nasty Temperature Monitoring solution
surprises”. The potential to network the AAPT can accurately calculate the
is, therefore, a driver for many customers. The
transformer can easily be physically connected to transformer’s hot spot.
the station control via a built-in Ethernet cable and
fiber-optic interfaces or wirelessly. All connectivity Winding temperature
solutions are supported by state-of-the art cyber The beating heart of a power transformer is its
security and options include connection to ABB windings, but traditional methods for controlling
Ability cloud-based services. For that purpose, the transformer cooling are based on monitoring
ABB solution is certified according to IEEE 1686, the oil temperature rather than what is actually
IEC 62443, etc. happening at the transformer’s hot spot.
The aging of the insulation at the hottest point in
the winding typically determines the life span of
a power transformer; an oil temperature just 8°C
above nominal could reduce the insulation life by
up to 50 percent [3] →6.
03
Winding
temperature
(via current transformer)
Top-oil temperature
(via resistance
temperature detector)
Sensors
Electronic temperature
monitoring (CoreTec 4)
42 ABB REVI EW CONNE C TE D FOR PRODU C TIV IT Y
eSeries Devices
04
The AAPT’s modern Electronic Temperature The AAPT has been validated as an integrated
Monitoring solution can accurately calculate the solution in several new and retrofit applications of
transformer’s hot spot based on design data and different types. The validation included thousands
factory type-test results, together with dynamic of hours of real on-site conditions, at different
variables such as the loading and oil temperature.
—
CoreTec 4
TM
For the development of CoreTec 4,
The brain of the AAPT is the CoreTec 4 module.
CoreTec 4 is a digital hub, responsible for ABB was able to leverage existing
collecting and analyzing readings from the expertise and experience in
different sensors, and processing them to provide
an assessment of transformer operation (including transformer monitoring systems.
cooling equipment governance, if needed) and
life expectancy. locations and applications around the world. Data
gathered during validation demonstrated the
For the development of CoreTec 4, ABB was able reliable performance, with all functional
to leverage existing expertise and experience in parameters within expected ranges, confirming
transformer monitoring systems, building on the benefits of the measurement analysis.
developments that go back to the 1980s with first
fiber-optic temperature monitoring systems, the
2000s with Transformer Electronic Control (TEC)
and the previous CoreTec generations.
ePRD
eBR Pressure relief
eOLI
Buchholz device
Liquid level
relay
indicator
eOTI
Liquid
temperature
indicator
SDB
Self-dehydrating eWTI
breather Winding
temperature
indicator
CoreSense
CoreTec Gas sensor
05
44 ABB REVI EW CONNE C TE D FOR PRODU C TIV IT Y
1000
100
Aging acceleration factor
10
0.1
0.01
0.001
50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 190 200
06
In a smelter application, the customer wanted to The future of power transformers is digital
increase their production capacity by 15 percent. In the past, transformers were an asset that kept
Thanks to the digital capability it was possible running under stable conditions in a centralized grid.
to calculate the trade-off in terms of remaining The exact condition of the transformer, especially
transformer life, and to ensure the asset integrity that of its insulation and aging, were not known but
while running the transformer in overload condition. due to stable load conditions many transformers
had a long lifetime. Today, however, grid conditions
— have become more stressful due to the integration of
Those armed with the right data volatile renewables and distributed energy resources,
and, for example, the rise in the number of electric-
interpretation can benefit from vehicle charging stations.
dynamic optimization of the
transformer loading and reduce
the need for site visits.
Plug-and-play capabilities
Digital mechanical sensors
Dissolved gas analyzers
Digital safety devices
01| 2019 ABB ABILIT Y TM POWE R TR ANSFORME R 45
—
Additionally, asset owners feel pressure to ensure During the lifetime of the transformer,
06 Even moderate
overtemperatures have competitiveness and effective allocation of capital upgrades are easily possible thanks to
a significant detrimental
and operational expenditures. Therefore, better a modular and scalable architecture.
effect on transformer
lifetime. [2] insights are needed in order to ensure sound
decisions on transformer maintenance, repair or —
—
07 Summary of the
concept and benefits of
new investment. The AAPT was introduced to the
the ABB Ability Power
Transformer. Further, those armed with the right interpretation public at the 2018 Hanover Fair
of data can benefit from dynamic optimization of and garnered positive reactions
— the transformer loading and reduce the need for
References
site visits. They can make informed decisions and and feedback.
[1] World Economic Forum,
with analytical support trade-offs between overloading the transformer
from McKinsey & Company,
for immediate financial gains versus shortening Therefore, the ABB Ability Power Transformer is a
“Fostering Effective
Energy Transition A transformer life. future-proof investment designed to open the
Fact-Based Framework to
world of digital possibilities to asset owners and
Support Decision-Making.”
Available:
— enable them to gain a competitive edge in a
http://www3.weforum.
org/docs/WEF_Fostering_ The ABB Ability Power changing environment →7.
Effective_Energy_
Transition_report_ Transformer is a future-proof The AAPT was introduced to the public at
2018.pdf
Cloud computing
and analytics
Download
from device
locally
46 ABB REVI EW CONNE C TE D FOR PRODU C TIV IT Y
—
CO N NE C TE D FOR P ROD UC T I V I T Y
ABB’s noninvasive
temperature measurement
creates digitization use cases
A double sensor design for industrial surface temperature
measurement uses model calculations to enhance accuracy and
strongly reduce response time. Surface temperature estimates
are comparable to intrusive methods. This fit-for-industry design
provides flexibility without loss of performance.
01| 2019 NONINVASIV E SE NSOR TE C HNOLOGY 47
Jörg Gebhardt By linking communication between people, Recognizing customers’ need to keep a
Guruprasad Sosale
ABB Corporate Research services and things, Industry 4.0, appears to offer competitive edge, ABB’s experts develop accurate
Ladenburg, Germany many opportunities and yet, the disruption poses sensor products and the theoretical groundwork
joerg.gebhardt@ a threat for some companies. High-flying promises for enabling algorithms to be combined with
de.abb.com are made about new automation paradigms, artificial intelligence (AI) to allow enterprises to
guruprasad.sosale@
de.abb.com but concepts for successful implementation are
often lacking. A reasonable digitalization strategy —
Wilhelm Daake,
Peter Ude, would provide customers with enormous benefits: Sensors play a fundamental
Karsten Schröder, the reduction of risks for existing processes and
Horst Schwanzer
ABB Industrial flexible answers to the challenges of increased role in Industry 4.0: information
Automation
Minden, Germany
pace and reduced workforce availability. underpins any advanced use of
wilhelm.daake@ The “Normenausschuss für Mess- und data to increase productivity,
de.abb.com
peter.ude@de.abb.com Regeltechnik” (NAMUR) in the NAMUR Open efficiency and safety.
karsten.schroeder@ Architecture provides decision-makers with a
de.abb.com
horst.schwanzer@ reassuring risk-minimizing digitization overview
gain that edge. Existing initially outside of the
de.abb.com [1]. Sensors play a fundamental role in Industry
classical automation pyramid, ie, in condition
4.0 →1, the information they provide at the field
monitoring, the same methods could produce
level underpin any advanced use of plant data to
gains that can be applied to conventional plant
increase productivity, efficiency and safety by
operations and process control, once experience
preempting interruptions and failures, thereby
and confidence in the novel technology has
making production agile.
been gained.
—
Title photo:
Process industries
like OGC benefit from
sensor technology that
does not require pipes
to be opened.
48 ABB REVI EW CONNE C TE D FOR PRODU C TIV IT Y
Industry 4.0
extensions
and additions
Secure
Enterprise
resource
Open planning
Area for new
sensors and Manufacturing
smart execution
automation systems
at ve
optimization, maintenance
”
er ro
i on
op “Imp
State-of-the-art
1 “Sense” Field level automation
3
01
82
80 t = 10 s
t = 100 s
80
t = 1000 s
70
t = 104 s
t = 3 x 104 s 78
60 t = 105 s
Temperature (oC)
Temperature (oC)
76
50
74
40
72
30 d = 1 mm
d = 10 mm
70
d = 100 mm
20 d = 1000 mm
68
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 101 102 103 104 105 106
x (m) Time (s)
02 03
01| 2019 NONINVASIV E SE NSOR TE C HNOLOGY 49
—
01 Process industries like
Noninvasive temperature measurement has been
OGC rely on sensors and practiced in industry for decades, generally as a
their ability to produce
data and communicate
fallback option when insertion of a thermowell
to take advantage of was either an extreme nuisance to the process
Industry 4.0.
or posed unacceptable safety risks. The food
— and beverage industry avoids the use of
02 Temperature profiles
for various points in time.
thermowells because of the risk of contamination.
04
—
03 Signal approach to
—
equilibrium; curves from
left to right correspond
Intrusive measurement A highly skilled workforce is necessary for the
to increasing reference
sensor distance (d). techniques with thermowells realization of the measurement point. In all retrofit
use cases the process is shut down and pipes
— are expensive to engineer, cleared. This can delay the setup process for months.
04 Device design allows
for a flawless attachment negatively affect the Once the thermometer is inserted and operation
to the pipe. begins, there is a real risk of process disturbance,
—
measurement itself fouling and damage of the equipment. This, in
05 The robustness
of the two devices to and increase downtime. combination with high costs, leads plants to design
changes in ambient control instrumentation minimally with as few
temperature was tested measurement points as possible, even though more
by ABB’s scientists. In brownfield installations, the facility must be shut
measurements would be useful, eg, for process
down and pipes emptied for invasive measurement
05a ABB’s climate optimization and, analyses of problem root causes.
chamber for testing devices to be installed – a costly nuisance.
on-site. This is especially true for industries that endeavor to
Additionally, intrusive techniques affect the
exploit the rich value of Industry 4.0. To be useful for
05b Stability of surface measurement itself: the result of the temperature
measurement: process control, a temperature measurement point
drop induced between the process medium and the
The non-invasive device must be designed to be noninvasive and compatible
stays firmly close to sensor [3] – clearly this is suboptimal. Furthermore,
the ideal surface reference with digitization technologies.
even when Tambient
thermowells are complicated and expensive to
varies between -40°C engineer [3,4].
and +80 °C.
05a
05a
130
85
75
125
65
55
All other Temperature (oC)
Ambient Temperature (oC)
120
45
35 115
25
15 110
5
-5 105
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
-15
-25 Ambient temperature Ideal surface reference
100
Sensor 1, on surface Noninv model-based
-35
Sensor 2, shifted back
-45 95
Time (hours)
05b
50 ABB REVI EW CONNE C TE D FOR PRODU C TIV IT Y
Advantages of noninvasive temperature Case 2: In the case of more viscous and/or low-
measurement heat conductive liquids, such as certain oil, and for
ABB’s novel design approach to products that gases, Tm can be calculated from Twa online with
generate highly quality-relevant process data, a second algorithm; some pipe and or process
especially for sensors that do not directly influence parameters must be provided to the algorithm.
plant operations, will enable process industries to
take full advantage of Industry 4.0. By eliminating —
the need to open the pipe, installation cost and ABB’s nonintrusive sensor
work time are drastically reduced, especially if the
sensors work with wireless communication and an eliminates the need to open the
autonomous energy supply method, such as battery pipe; installation cost and work
or, energy harvesting [5]. The advantages, however,
do not come without a cost. Thorough knowledge time are drastically reduced.
is required about the thermal behavior of the
measurement instrument, the process medium and In both cases, the reliable determination of the
their connection. pipe surface temperature, Twa is crucial, ie, the
performance of the first algorithm mentioned
Two-step approach to noninvasive temperature above must occur. In the simplest setup, the
measurement algorithm works with signals delivered from:
The main barrier to establishment of noninvasive • a primary sensor that is located as close as
sensing is the effect of the ambient environment on possible to the pipe surface, and
accuracy and response time. Fluid flow with average • from a secondary sensor that is located in a
temperature, Tm, in a process pipe, may cause a non- definite distance from the pipe surface: the
trivial thermal field across the flow profile, pipe wall, reference sensor.
insulation and ambient air.
The following section shows how the
Two cases are distinguished: measurement performance is influenced by the
Case 1: The temperature Twa on the outer surface design of the sensing device and the positioning
of the process pipe often very accurately matches of the primary and reference sensors on the vessel
Tm. This is particularly true for aqueous solutions to be measured.
in practically all relevant use cases encountered.
Consequently, the measurement can be installed
without any knowledge of the process or pipe
parameters. A first compensation algorithm
calculates Twa using only device-internal features.
220
210
200
190
180
170 T90 = 28s
160
150
Temperature (oC)
140
130
120
110
100
90 Noninv model based
80 Sensor 1, on surface
70 Sensor 2, shifted back
60
50
40
30
20
95 100 105 110 115 120 125 130 135 140 145 150 155 160 165 170 175 180 185 190 195 200 205
Time (s)
06
01| 2019 ARTIC LE TITLE 51
—
06 Response of ABB’s
double sensor system
and its model-based
measurement system
to a temperature step
increase from 25°C
to 220 °C.
—
07 Flow and Process Test
Rig (FPTR) is located at
ABB’s Corporate Research
Center in Ladenburg,
Germany.
07
80
Design validation
70
Accuracy and stability were assessed under
varying ambient temperature changes →5a using
60 a heatable aluminum block and the two devices
situated in a climate chamber. The benchmark
Temperature (oC)
urement has the potential to A water tank was heated to ≈ 80°C; the ambient
replace a large number of invasive temperature was ≈ 23°C. The test area examined
was a pipe that could be closed by ball valves on
instruments in green- and brown both sides. When the tank was heated, a pump
field applications. started to work against the closed entry valve of
the test pipe. The valves of the test pipe opened
quickly at a specific time such that a front of hot
Typically, the time derivatives of the measurement
water entered the pipe at a speed of ≈ 1 m/s.
signal are used in order to invert the delay of heat-
conduction signal transfer and reduce response
The test pipe size DN80 was equipped with a
times. However, noise amplification can lead to
state-of-the-art invasive T-measurement with a
severe problems. Relying on the analysis and
thin-walled thermowell. The noninvasive device
simulation of the dispersive, or dissipative behavior
was clamped onto the pipe at a distance of 20 cm
of the heat equation, a derivative-free signal
from the invasive point.
processing is sufficient for practical purposes if the
reference sensor is suitably located.
The measurement response of the two devices
to the temperature step of the medium in the
A strong convergence acceleration of the
pipe →8 shows that the invasive and noninvasive
measurement is achieved by shifting the reference
measurement curves are in agreement. Mostly:
sensor towards the surface →3. Consequently, the
reference sensor should be located as close as
Tnoninv – Tinv < 1°C.
practically possible to the primary sensor.
—
08 ABB’s calculated
Another consideration is the use of more mas- So, ABB’s NiTemp model-based device can be used
model-based sive thermowells required by regulation today. in a large number of applications, especially for
noninvasive
measurement (NiTemp),
Hence, in an industrial setting, invasive sensors processes with aqueous solutions, even those with
achieves responses that would show a longer response time than observed low flow velocities. It is applicable to processes
agree with those of the
conventional invasive
in the experiment conducted by ABB [3]. that use liquids, like oils, or for gases, as well.
device (Inv). Calculations of expected deviations can be made
—
— and compared with results of acceptable use cases
09 Relative
measurement deviation
ABB’s advanced noninvasive such as for water and crude oil →9.
(Tsurface – Tmedium)/ (Tambient –
Tmedium) for water (upper technology will allow the food Noninvasive temperature measurement has the
left) and oil (lower left)
The region for the direct and beverage and OGC industries potential to replace a large number of invasive
application of NiTemp instruments in greenfield and brownfield
shows low deviation for
water (upper right) and
to fully embrace the benefits of applications. The superior accuracy and rapid
raw oil (lower right).
Industry 4.0 and be at the vangard response time, in combination with improved safety
and lower cost and logistical effort associated
— of automation. with the elimination of the thermowell, make the
References
[1] J. De Caigny. 2017,
gathering of vast amounts of field data easier
November. NOA New applications for noninvasive measurements and more efficient. ABB goes one step further by
– NAMUR Open
Architecture [Online].
ABB’s experimental results and physical launching this innovative technology as a wireless
Available: predictions show that noninvasive temperature device, in 2019; this device will be fully integrated
https://www.namur.net/
fokusthemen/namur-
measurement can successfully compete with in ABB’s state-of-the-art connected services. Data
open-architecture conventional invasive measurement if the will be available for all areas of measurement
[2] Projektgruppe
application is of a type where Tm ≈ Twa and if the and analytics, production and decision-making.
“Technologie-Roadmap”, pipe surface is suitably measured: ABB’s NiTemp This advanced technology will allow the food and
VDI/VDE-GMA/NAMUR,
„Prozesssensoren
sensor is perfectly designed for this purpose. beverage and OGC industries and others to fully
4.0, Thesen und embrace the benefits of Industry 4.0 and be at the
Handlungsfelder“,
11/2015.
vanguard of automation. l
allowed region
(in log scale)
1
0.8
0.06 0.6
0.4
0.05
0.2
0.04
D m
0.03
error oil
0.09
0.07
0.02
0.05
0.01 0.03
0 0.9
0.050 0.4
1
1.5 0.1
2 0.01
m 0.04 D m
v 2.5 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3
s 3 0.01
m
v
s
09
54 ABB REVI EW CONNE C TE D FOR PRODU C TIV IT Y
—
CO N NE C TE D FOR P ROD UC T I V I T Y
Data centers and other mission critical systems Ring bus architecture basics and evolution
rely on the stable electrical performance of the To increase reliability and availability of power
selected critical power architecture at all times. supply to critical loads, many and varied UPS
Technological advances focus on maintaining configurations have been developed: Paralleled
or improving performance and reliability while Redundant (N+1 System), Block Redundant
reducing total operational costs; this includes (Catcher System), Shared Redundant (4N/3
lowering the cost of equipment and maintenance, System), System plus System (S+S) →1.
Silvio Colombi and energy. Each configuration has benefits and limitations.
ABB Electrification
Products Traditionally, the ring bus or ISO (isolated)
Quartino, Switzerland Often, energy efficiency is a fundamental driver Parallel Architecture has only been deployed
silvio.colombi@ch.abb.com of innovation in the uninterruptible power with rotary UPS systems, mainly due to the
supply (UPS) market, together with reliability substantial technical challenges associated
and preventive maintenance. Improvements in with the use of static UPSs.
operating efficiency can generate massive savings;
an annual energy savings of $13,000 is achieved —
for every MW of installed UPS power Currently, ABB is the sole supplier
(eg, $0.15/kWh) for each percentage point of
improved efficiency. The reduced need to cool the of the ring bus architecture with
system results in further savings. static UPS.
Keenly aware of customer’s needs, ABB pursues
The limited fault current capability and the
all avenues to maximize efficiency when designing
potential back-feed of power from the output of
systems. From component selection through
the UPS to the dc link have posed barriers to
the converter topologies and operating modes
design engineers. However, in 2014 efforts were
to the critical power architectures, ABB’s novel
made to rectify these difficulties. An initial version
ring bus configuration with static UPS addresses
of ring bus architecture with static UPS became
these needs.
available to customers. Other design variations
have also been explored since 2015. Currently, ABB
is the sole supplier of the ring bus architecture
with static UPS.
01| 2019 ABB’ S RING BU S WITH STATIC U PS 55
Parallel Redundant – N+1 System Block Redundant – Catcher System Shared Redundant – 4N/3 System
IT Load IT Load IT Load IT Load IT Load IT Load IT Load IT Load IT Load IT Load IT Load
1.2MW 1.2MW 800KW 800KW 800KW 400KW 400KW 400KW 400KW 400KW 400KW
1MW 1MW 1MW IT Load 1MW 1MW 1MW 1MW 1MW 1MW 1MW
UPS UPS UPS 1.2MW UPS UPS UPS UPS UPS UPS UPS
IT Load
1.2MW
IT Load IT Load
1.2MW 1.2MW
installation cost energy cost maintenance cost utilization rate ... CapEX OpEX
01
— As configurations increase in their scale of power the number of UPSs in the system and the distance
01 By analyzing
complexity
availability, so typically does cost. Hence, with between them. Also, the totality of the load is shared
management, reliability and power availability paramount, data across all the UPSs in the ring, even in enormous
number of UPS
modules etc,
center operators face a dilemma about architecture rings. In large systems with other architectures,
performance choice. These decisions are made more easily by blocks of UPSs need to cope with the current
and reliability
can be mapped.
mapping performance, availability and CapEx-OpE limitations of low voltage (LV) breakers. The ring
based on analyses of multiple factors →1. bus chokes are instrumental for the wireless load
share as they make the impedance inductive.
Load sharing
A ring bus technology with static UPS in a system —
with 4 UPSs and two dual corded loads functions so Because the bypass is the ring,
that every UPS can supply its local load cord and also
transfer active and reactive power to the ring bus synchronized inputs are not
through a choke →2. The intent is to share the local required, nor is there a need for
loads equally between the different UPSs without
any communication using droop controls, in paralleling switchgears.
particular frequency versus active power and voltage
versus reactive power. This removes any limitation on If the second dual corded load is smaller, then UPS 1
and 2 push active power to the ring while UPS 3 and
4 receive active power from the ring →2. The net
result is four UPSs that are equally loaded. In
steady-state, the frequency of all UPSs is equal and
the phase shift between the various UPS voltages
depends on the sign and amount of active power
exchanged with the ring bus. If the loads are
perfectly balanced and all the UPSs are operational,
there is no circulation of power through the chokes.
56 ABB REVI EW CONNE C TE D FOR PRODU C TIV IT Y
(A)
choke
Ring Bus
IT Load IT Load IT Load
02 03
01| 2019 ABB’ S RING BU S WITH STATIC U PS 57
—
02 Diagram shows how
Vm1 Vm2 Vm3 Vm4
the ring bus architecture
allows the load to be
shared equally. AC AC AC AC
ES1 ES2 ES3 ES4
DC DC DC DC
UPS#4
UPS#3
UPS#2
UPS#1
—
03 Ring Bus
DC DC DC DC
architecture illustrating
fault decoupling. AC AC AC AC
V01 V02 V 03 V 04
—
04 Diagram BI1 SWG-1 SWG-2 SWG-3 SWG-4
showing the ring bus
architecture protection
and bypass capability. L1 L2 L3 L4
BB1 BL1
BC1
Load 12 Load 34
04
Measuring performance: the VW pass-fail criteria ie, success is defined by an rms voltage greater
Power quality requirements depend on the than 168V measured on the first cycle 20 ms after
load; in data centers these are the servers or, the fault →5.
more precisely, the power supplies inside the
servers. In essence, requirements specify the —
operating region and prevent interruption of the The choice of power supply
IT equipment. Depending on the power supplies
used, requirements can differ →5. configuration is critical for data
center operators because the
Starting when a fault is applied, a time of X[ms]
of clemency is considered from when the voltage VW must be fulfilled under any
starts to distort, then the rms voltage of the first fault condition.
cycle after clemency is measured and has to be > Y
percent of the nominal voltage Vnom. As an
The choice of power supply configuration is critical
example, applying the CBEMA requirements to a
for data center operators; especially the VW safety
nominal voltage of 240V, 168V/20ms is obtained,
margin because the VW must be fulfilled under any
fault condition; even the worst case scenario.
(B)
IT Load
58 ABB REVI EW CONNE C TE D FOR PRODU C TIV IT Y
200
Eco-Mode UPS 1 ITI/CBEMA 2000 2010 PSU Eco-Mode UPS 2
180
400
100 % 85 % 60 %
300
200
CBEMA: 70% - 20 ms
100
0
2010 PSU: 90% - 10 ms
-100
-300
10ms “clemency” 1st cycle after “clemency”
-400 In general: Y% - X ms
-0.01 -0.005 0 0.005 0.01 0.015 0.02 0.025 0.03
Fault
05
Operation modes, validation and results wireless load sharing results. The developmental
When one UPS is offline due to maintenance needs program began with the design of a full scale
or a fault →6, dual UPS power is fed to the loads system of 4 x 200kW UPSs in Riazzino, Switzerland
and the remaining UPS provides balanced power. and a 4 x 1000kW UPS in Plano Texas, USA →8.
In steady state, the circulation of power from the
ring to one side of the load occurs through the —
bypass breaker (BB1) whereas the instant the fault Relying on a comprehensive
occurs, the power starts circulating through the
first choke (L1), which is then bypassed →4. interface system that displays
the status of all breakers, UPSs
If operating conditions exist under unbalanced
load →7, the second dual corded load is smaller and electrical quantities of
and UPSs 3 and 4 need to push power to the interest, ABB delivers a highly
ring while UPSs 1 and 2 receive power from the
ring. Hence, the global load is shared by all four functional system.
UPSs – a clear benefit.
Taking into account all necessary components
Developmental process (UPS, chokes, breakers, relays, PDU, etc,) these
Seizing on innovation, ABB initiated the test centers were instrumental during the
development of this unique ring bus architecture developmental phase and are still in use today
with an innovative program in which a few initial to demonstrate and promote the ring bus
patents have been granted; a small power test architecture to customers and consultants alike.
rig was constructed to verify the hypothesized Relying on a comprehensive interface system that
includes a synoptic screen that displays the status
of all breakers, UPSs and electrical quantities of
interest, ABB delivers a highly functional system.
01| 2019 ABB’ S RING BU S WITH STATIC U PS 59
Power Flow
— Share Flow
05 Performance 1MW 1MW 1MW 1MW
measurement takes UPS UPS UPS UPS
into account VW and Balanced UPS
the pass-fail criteria. power
For the two economy 600kW 800kW 600kW 800kW 600kW 800kW 600kW
mode UPSs: Eco Mode 200 200 200
SWG4A
SWG3A
SWG2A
SWG1A
UPS 1 fulfills the kW kW kW
requirements while Eco
Mode UPS 2 does not.
The 2010 PSU is a tighter
requirement than the
ITI-CBEMA 2000. SWG1B SWG2B SWG3B SWG4B
— 06
07 System operation
is shown under
unbalanced loads.
Power Flow
Share Flow
—
08 Partial view of the 1MW 1MW 1MW 1MW
UPS UPS UPS UPS
full scale test center at Equal UPS
the ABB test center in loading
Plano, Texas. 500kW 600kW 500kW 600kW 500kW 400kW 500kW 400kW
SWG4A
SWG3A
SWG2A
SWG1A
kW kW kW kW Blance power to
and from ring
07
—
09 Experimental results
with a ring bus of 4 UPSs
during a phase-phase
short circuit on the ring.
—
10 Comparison of ring
bus architectures using
static versus rotary UPS.
09
Static UPS versus rotary UPS Specifically, the ABB ring bus architecture is a self-
A comparison of a ring bus architecture using healing structure that offers:
rotary UPS with ABB’s ring bus →10 highlights • ultimate fault tolerance
the benefits of double conversion UPS: lower • no single points of failure
initial and maintenance costs and improved • lower number of UPS modules
load protection. • higher UPS utilization rate and less stranded
system capacity
— • simple and safe scalability
Currently, ABB holds several • optimal utilization of breaker current
capabilities
patent families on the ring bus • concurrent maintenance for critical
technology and future concepts. path equipment
• no communication among UPS
• no limitations on the number of UPS and
Comparison with known architectures
their distance
ABB’s novel ring bus architecture with static UPS
• total system load shared across all UPS modules
is more reliable than other solutions, requires less
• no need for synchronized inputs
initial investment in materials and installation and
• no needs for paralleling switchgears
consumes less energy during operation. Fewer
• potential fault current limitation
units are needed and each unit functions at top
efficiency; all these features translate to a lower
ABB’s role as technical leader
total cost of ownership.
Currently, ABB holds several patent families on
the ring bus technology that cover the current
implementation as well as future concepts.
In this way, costs, feasibility and viability of this
Standard ring bus with rotary UPS systems ABB’s ring bus with static UPS systems architecture is optimal today and in the future
mission critical system market. These gains will
Rotary UPS systems are line interactive. Double conversion static UPS are used.
ensure that ABB continues to fulfill its role as a
In normal mode (utility available) the loads are In normal mode (utility available) the loads
fed by the utility with some voltage condition- are decoupled from the utility.
global technical pioneer, supplying customers with
ing provided by the synchronous machine. the best solutions. By providing power reliably and
One single and common utility is required. Different utilities can be used for the var-
efficiently, the unique ring bus architecture with
ious UPS, eg, with different amplitudes, static UPS does just that. l
frequencies or phases.
In normal mode (utility available) there is In normal mode (utilities available) and in
no active load share and droop controls are energy storage mode the different UPSs
not working. share the global load equally by means of
droop controls.
Rotary UPS have high short circuit capability Static UPS have limited short circuit
(typically 15 In) resulting in small IP chokes capability (typically 2.2 In) resulting in
(eg, 0.2–0.3 pu). large IP chokes (eg, 0.6–0.9 pu). Specific
current limiting strategy is required.
Active power back-feed is not a problem. Active power back-feed into UPS has to be
avoided by specific controls.
10
01| 2019 NE W ABB TMA X X T C IRCU IT BRE AKE RS 61
—
CO N NE C TE D FOR P ROD UC T I V I T Y
The SACE Tmax XT range offers higher time. The extreme precision of the data measured
performance, better protection and more precise means users have access to accurate information
metering than equivalent units, and can handle anywhere and anytime, making it easier to monitor
from 160 up to 1,600 A. Combined with the world’s resources and identify savings opportunities. Using
most precise electronic trip units in the smallest the embedded smart power controller can help
frames, the new range builds on the success of reduce energy consumption by up to 20 percent.
the innovative Emax 2, the industry’s first smart
Eumir Rizzi low-voltage air circuit breaker. In fact, the SACE —
ABB Protection and
Connection, Electrification Tmax XT range has the same logics, features and The SACE Tmax XT range of circuit
Products interfaces as the Emax 2. This commonality, which
Bergamo, Italy
only ABB can provide on the entire circuit breaker breakers can handle from 160 up
eumir.rizzi@it.abb.com range, delivers significant time savings and to 1,600 A.
enhances installation quality. Reliability is further
increased – and time for installation reduced –
Upgrading the breakers is straightforward: for the
thanks to Bluetooth and Ekip connectivity for
first time, customers can download new functions
mobile devices.
from the ABB MarketplaceTM, choosing from among
more than 50 different protection, metering and
The XT family’s built-in connectivity links
automation functionalities. l
smartphones, tablets and PCs to data analysis
tools on the ABB AbilityTM cloud platform in real
—
62 ABB REVI EW
Drivechai
64
and conver
01| 2019 63
ns
repaired, or every time a gear
or bearing is spun into action.
ABB is pioneering ways to
deliver such innovation.
erters
68
64 ABB REVI EW
—
D R I V E C H AI N S AN D CON V E RT E RS
— What customers want The results indicated that customers desire help
Title Picture. A bearing
test rig at ABB’s Although ABB has applied sensors for its mounted when it comes to maintaining and troubleshooting
Greenville, SC bearing products previously, there were many bearing products. One of the major reasons for this
Advanced Development
Lab was outfitted with unknowns before starting the development of the is that demographics are changing. Highly skilled
bearings with known current project. To gain more knowledge regarding maintenance mechanics with years of experience, who
faults. The rig was used
to validate the customer needs and requirements, the company could often diagnose bearing issues based on small
performance of the performed an extensive “Voice of the Customer” alterations in sounds or temperatures, are nearing
smart sensor.
polling. Over 100 customers of different retirement age and companies are not generally
able to replace them with like-minded workers.
— Furthermore, when customers do find replacements,
Smart sensors are needed the newer workers tend to be computer savvy, but
have lower mechanical aptitude.
since highly skilled maintenance
mechanics are becoming
increasingly difficult to replace.
Also, many customers don’t understand condition The “Voice of the Customer” survey pointed ABB
monitoring technology or how to evaluate to a solution: an easy-to-use, low cost condition
condition monitoring data. Some customers monitoring system would fill most customer
outsource this task but doing so is very costly. requirements. That seems pretty straightforward,
Often the analysis is performed by people who but is it possible? As mentioned, ABB had previously
aren’t experts in bearings. While some customers had a sensing solution for bearings, but its market
have already adopted a condition monitoring acceptance had only been lukewarm. Why would a
program, many don’t have a formal program. They new solution be any different? The answer is that
either don’t have the resources or consider the technological advances in electronics, connectivity,
current cost of analysis too high. sensing, and the Cloud have changed the game.
—
Technological advances in
electronics, connectivity, sensing,
and the Cloud have changed
the game.
01 02
01| 2019 NE W BE ARING SE NSOR E NHANC E S SAFE T Y 67
— Improved safety and reduced costs From quick views to deep dives
01 The Ability Smart
Sensor for Mounted A new bearing sensor was developed as a Bluetooth protocol is used to connect to Android
Bearings allows users to collaborative effort between ABB and external or iOS mobile phones using the same app as the
monitor hard-to-reach
bearings and identify vendors. ABB now offers a wireless condition Smart Sensor for Motors or through a gateway
potential issues early. monitoring solution that allows customers to to connect to ABB Ability or customer reliability
Here the sensor is being
used in a fan application. quickly assess the health of their bearings. The systems. Life is made easier for customers since
sensor will let plant operators know when a they can log into one ABB Ability interface and
—
02 The Smart Sensor in bearing’s performance shows signs of trouble, check the condition of their bearings or motors.
an aggregate material thus allowing the operator to decide when to Depending on the capabilities of plant reliability
handling application in
a cement plant. replace it to avoid catastrophic failure, all of which people, there are options for viewing the vibration
provides a significant benefit from a cost and and temperature data. The mobile app provides a
safety standpoint. quick view of condition health in a stop light format
and also provides some basic information regarding
— temperature and vibration measurements. If
Customers will be able to customers want to view more detailed information,
the application on ABB Ability allows more
determine when to order sophisticated users to look at trend lines or extract
spare parts and how to the data in order to perform their own analysis.
—
D R I V E C H AI N S AN D CON VE RT E RS
—
In push-in mode, rigid wires,
or wires with ferrules, are
simply pushed into the terminals,
cutting wiring time by up to
50 percent.
In push-in mode, rigid wires, or wires with ferrules, and ergonomic aspects – eg, a 90° angle for the
are simply pushed into the terminals, cutting opening tool insertion. The one-step process
wiring time by up to 50 percent compared to a makes ABB’s solution easier to use and less prone
conventional spring solution and making wiring to damage than conventional spring designs.
significantly easier. The self-tightening terminals
help eliminate problems caused by vibration, eg, The clearly marked terminals, an intuitive cable
terminals being vibrated open. There is no need insertion concept and zero-torque connections
for routine retightening work, which will positively mean that no special training is required. With
impact the maintenance and service cycles. easy front access and 90° insertion angles for
cables and screwdrivers, automated assembly is
— facilitated and it is easy to connect accessories.
Spring mode makes it simpler to
A wide range of compatible auxiliaries,
insert small cross-section wires or mounting kits and accessories will be available.
wires without ferrules. 100 percent tool-free mounting connecting kits
significantly reduce installation time. Operators
can connect devices for direct on-line starters
Spring mode makes it simpler to insert small
without using any wires. l
cross-section wires or wires without ferrules. The
operator simply pushes a standard screwdriver
into the clearly marked holes before inserting the
wire. The design of the opening mechanism has
been optimized with regard to wiring behavior
01
70 ABB REVI EW
—
BU ZZ WO R D D E M YST I FI E R
Deep learning
The seventh installment of ABB Review’s
Buzzword Demystifier delves into the depths
of “deep learning.”
Deep learning is a way of automatically learning In most traditional machine learning approaches,
successive layers of increasingly meaningful raw data is not processed automatically. Instead,
representations from data. These representations processing requires considerable domain
can then be used to detect a pattern or to knowledge to hand-craft certain features.
classify the data. For example, →1 shows just
a few of many images from individual layers Deep learning, however, takes raw data as an
that learn increasingly refined representations input and automatically finds the representations
Divya Sheel of data. By layer 3, recognizable features can needed for pattern detection or classification.
ABB Corporate Research
Center be learned, such as a face. Tens or hundreds of This ability to learn features automatically makes
Bangalore, India these successive layers may be used to develop deep learning methods very useful in various
divya.sheel@in.abb.com such representations. generalized situations.
02
The challenge remains to find the right neural Recently, deep learning has been tremendously
network structure and to identify the variables successful in performing tasks such as image
that determine the training performance of and speech recognition →2. The potential impact
the network. Also, it is not easy to understand of deep learning cannot be understated as it will
which features the deep learning models learn. influence many industries and will bring about very
Moreover, like all machine learning models, deep visible changes in society as a whole. l
learning models are also vulnerable to carefully
crafted inputs that can lead the models to wrong
inferences. These topics are currently the focus of
deep learning research.
—
Imprint
— — — —
Editorial Board Publisher Printer Disclaimer
ABB Review is published For a subscription, please Vorarlberger The information The companies of the ABB
Bazmi Husain by ABB Group R&D and contact your nearest Verlagsanstalt GmbH contained herein Group do not make any
Chief Technology Officer Technology. ABB representative or 6850 Dornbirn/Austria reflects the views of warranty or guarantee,
Group R&D and Technology subscribe online at the authors and is for or promise, expressed or
ABB Switzerland Ltd. www.abb.com/abbreview — informational purposes implied, concerning the
Adrienne Williams ABB Review Layout only. Readers should not content or accuracy of the
Senior Sustainability Segelhofstrasse 1K Partial reprints or DAVILLA AG act upon the information views expressed herein.
Advisor CH-5405 Baden-Daettwil reproductions are Zurich/Switzerland contained herein without
Switzerland permitted subject to seeking professional ISSN: 1013–3119
Christoph Sieder abb.review@ch.abb.com full acknowledgement. — advice. We make
Head of Corporate Complete reprints require Artwork publications available abb.com/abbreview
Communications ABB Review is published the publisher’s written Konica Minolta with the understanding
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Reiner Schoenrock in English, French, WC1V 7PB London, rendering technical or
Technology and Innovation German and Spanish. Publisher and copyright United Kingdom other professional advice
Communications ABB Review is free of ©2019 or opinions on specific
charge to those with ABB Switzerland Ltd. facts or matters and
Roland Weiss an interest in ABB’s Baden/Switzerland assume no liability
R&D Strategy Manager technology and whatsoever in
Group R&D and Technology objectives. connection with
their use.
Andreas Moglestue
Chief Editor, ABB Review
andreas.moglestue@
ch.abb.com
—
Next 02/2019
Simulations and the digital twin
As with people, machines are the
sum of their experiences. They are
“born” from materials, processes
and decisions that then create new
data scattered across space and
time. What if these touch points
could be captured and used to
improve performance and model
innovation? The next issue of ABB
Review will explore the reality of such
“digital twins,” and how simulation
helps machines become better.