At ACW, to be held at the Melbourne Convention Centre on 15 March, ABB will put the spotlight on plant reliability and power quality, thereby exposing the true cost of sub-par power and how manufacturers can overcome the issue. Poor power quality leads to increased risk of downtime, reduced operating efficiencies, increased CO2 emissions and higher energy and operating costs.
Spotlight on cost of poor power at ABB Customer World
Voltage swings and harmonics are examples of 'dirty power' and can create a host of problems such as malfunction of control equipment, nuisance tripping of breakers, damage to sensitive equipment, excess heating of cables and transformers and light flicker. If such problems persist, it can also put the plant in a position of non-compliance with regulatory standards.
The easiest and most effective solution to avoid unplanned shutdowns is the correction of power anomalies; either from harmonics generated by electrical equipment from within the plant or as a consequence of power events coming directly from the grid. This can be accomplished by introducing harmonic filters, capacitors and other protective equipment. Additional mitigation measures might also include, but are not limited to:
· Using quality variable frequency drives (e.g. ultra-low harmonic) or soft starters to reduce peak and overall energy demands and minimise harmonics
· Applying medium- and low-voltage capacitors and filters to improve the efficiency and reliability of the network
· Installing an industrial uninterruptable power supply (UPS) system to ensure 100 percent availability of critical control systems, security of product data records and to ensure safety compliance for critical processes
Factory of the future with ABB AbilityTM
Looking ahead, the rapid advances being made in data analytics will also produce applications to address power quality and reliability issues in F&B environments. Currently, the sector lags behind other industries in the adoption of internet of Things (IoT) and supporting technologies, but as competition increases throughout the industry from both within Australia and abroad, this is likely to change.
To remain globally competitive, manufacturers in Australia will need to adapt to a world where factories are connected and machines have 'self-learning' capabilities. Competitiveness will also be driven by the vertical integration of the supply chain, connecting the shop floor to the board room, thereby creating highly flexible production systems and responsive logistic networks.
Solutions for the food and beverage sector from ABB's industry-leading digital offering ABB Ability, will form part of our display at ACW. This will include solutions for food safety, performance management solutions, control systems for processes, remote monitoring services for robots, stainless steel wash-down motors and machinery, and enterprise level software solutions.
ABB Ability solutions to be featured at the event will help customers learn how they can unlock the benefits of Industrial Internet of Things (IoT).
