New ABB Industrial Drives Make World Debut
27 February 2006
Product news: ABB industrial drives, multidrives, ACS800
The new multidrives, extension of ABB's industrial drives, based on a modular configuration of dramatically smaller inverter modules, were introduced on exhibit at the Hannover Messe 2004. Following the debut of the multidrives there, it has been a successful roll out to a wide range of applications and industries around the world.
Compact Flexibility
The modular configuration of the multidrive provides control of multiple motors across a 1.5 - 5,600 kW power range, from 380 V up to 690 V. A single rectifier unit can be combined with a host of inverter units that are connected in parallel, to provide output current required by any given application. The multidrive offers a state of art solution for offshore and drilling applications - ultra compact and modular design ensures high availability and service.
ABB's multidrive is built from industrial drive modules that are connected to a common DC bus bar. The common bus bar is used to supply the drive modules with DC power, and each module then inverts the DC to AC and powers an individual motor. The DC power is derived from a single supply unit (rectifier) that is built into the front of the same multidrive configuration. The standard DC bus arrangement enables single power entry and common braking resources for several drives. "Common braking includes regenerative braking and motor-to-motor braking depending on the demands and modes of the various motor loads in a process or on an original equipment machine," according to Tuomo Tarula, market manager for Marine and Offshore, ABB Drives, Helsinki.
Modular construction simplifies the total installation and results in many benefits: savings in cabling, installation and maintenance costs; reduced line currents and simpler braking arrangements; energy distribution over the common DC bus bar, which can be used for motor-to-motor braking without the need for a braking chopper or a regenerative supply unit; reduced component counts; increased reliability; and space savings.
Footprint Reduced 50 Percent
Individual inverter modules used in the multidrives' construction are dramatically smaller - many only one-third the size of the generation of modules preceding them. Improvements in technology and these power components have reduced the total footprint of these ACS800 multidrives by up to 50 percent, compared to the previous generation of units, Tarula said. This frees up significant wall-, panel- and floor-space for the integrators, OEMs, panel builders and end users that utilize multidrives.
"These multidrives should be used whenever several drives/motors form part of a single or integrated mechanical process," said Tarula. The common supply of the multidrive enables the implementation of overall safety and control functions, and permits the close coordination of individual drive motors. For example, AC drilling system has many motors that must be individually controlled as a complete system. The ABB's multidrive modules offer fast communication of torque and speed signals between the drives, to secure optimum drilling performance, he noted.
Set-up and Control - Fast and Easy!
The new multidrive rectifier module and DC-supplied inverter units include an extensive selection of user-friendly features for easy set-up and control. The three-phase power cabling is wired to a rectifier module through a unique new plug-in connector, which powers the entire common DC line-up. The connector for the rectifier includes the AC-in, DC-out, and controls. And the plug-in connectors for the inverters (132 kW and up) are wired to the motor terminals.
The motor cabling is connected to the plug-in connectors, which project inside the multidrive cabinetry; this makes access easy for electrical personnel wiring power to/from the plug-ins. Both the rectifier and DC-supplied inverter modules are equipped with wheels, so they can be pushed into the cabinetry and seated into the connectors easily. The modules also can be rolled out of the cabinet for quick access and maintenance.
The new multidrive concept also includes a modular control unit (available separately) that houses an AC800M and S800 I/O - PLC controls for virtually any process. This control unit is equipped with communication interfaces, power supplies and all the front-end-devices for precise control of automation equipment.
The multidrives are backward compatible with ABB's previous ACS600 family. Additional set-up and control features/benefits built into the new drives include:
-- Direct Torque Control (DTC) -- fast, accurate and protective motor control method, proprietary to ABB, eliminates the need for installing encoders in most applications, and enables the drives to calculate the state (torque and flux) of the motor 40,000 times per second.
-- I/O, Fieldbuses -- I/O extensions, fieldbuses and a pulse encoder module all fit inside the inverters. Control features also include low audible noise, high motor loadability, and flying restart of motors.
-- Start-up Assistant and Adaptive Programming - standard interactive tools provide for dramatic time- and cost saving in commissioning. Start-up Assistant automatically detects when the drive is turned on for the first time and then provides guided start up, step by step; no need to worry about which parameters to set. And Adaptive Programming extends further the freely programmable I/O and extensive parameter selections for complete flexibility.
Few Modules, Big Power
A minimum type and number of modules is required to provide precise control of large-power applications. Only four different types of diode rectifier units cover the entire multidrive power range from 180 - 4200 kW (250 HP - 5600 HP) in 380 - 690 V.
Standard features built into these diode rectifier units include inbuilt adaptation to 6- or 12-pulse operation, and automatic control to pre-charge the inverter capacitor banks during start-up. And a fully regenerative IGBT Supply Unit with a power factor 1 requires no power compensation. The unit also can boost motor voltage when the line voltage is low. The DTC control and LCL filtering in the rectifiers also keep harmonics at extremely minimal levels.
Inverter modules are available in seven different frame sizes (R2i - R8i), across a 1.5 - 5,600 kW power range, in 380 - 690 V. From 132 - 5,600 kW, the modules are different configurations of R8i frame-size units, added in single or parallel configurations (parallel connection starts above power requirements of 630 kW).
Also built into ABB's ACS800 multidrives are the following standard features and benefits; hese are unique in drives, and not available in previous generation ABB drives, or in existing competitors' drives:
- Inbuilt redundancy through parallel connected modules; each module is a complete three-phase inverter
- Enables running with partial load if one module fails in parallel connection
- Provides for higher drive availability and greater process uptime
"Compact and Easy" those are the watchwords to describe the entire ABB industrial drives, single drives and these new multidrives," said Tarula. "They demonstrate how technology is enabling us to add more and more features into a shrinking space and make the benefits they provide easier to install, access and use."
For more information please contact:
ABB Oy
Tuomo Tarula, Market manager for Marine and Offshore
P.O.Box 184
FI-00381 Helsinki
Tel: +358 (0) 222 3211
E-mail: tuomo.tarula@fi.abb.com
