ABB’s Emax 2 retrofit solution helped upgrade the power distribution at a key public utility – keeping the plant in service and improving its future reliability
The Käppalaverket (Käppala Wastewater Treatment Plant) in Lidingö, Stockholm treats the wastewater of 650,000 residents all day, every day. Wastewater from 11 municipalities arrives via an underground network of pipes that stretches tens of kilometers. From showers, WCs and kitchens in local homes and offices to the Arlanda Airport’s wastewater more than a million cubic meters of wastewater enters the plant every day.
With the low-voltage switchgear that supports the site’s main sedimentation process reaching the end of its product life cycle, ABB proposed and installed a retrofit replacement, where only the circuit breakers are replaced. Upgrading an entire switchgear system is not usually a quick job. Replacing all of the components at once would require shutting down the entire plant for an extended period. For Käppalaverket, this was simply not an option.
Peter Eklund, project manager for Electrification Products Service in Sweden, compares the conversion from Megamax F1 to Emax 2 to changing the batteries in a flashlight. The Emax 2 together with the conversion kit is a direct replacement for the Megamax F1/F2 circuit breaker and offers a smart and swift upgrade of existing LV switchgear. By connecting to the ABB AbilityTM Electrical Distribution Control System, the upgrade enables preventative maintenance and remote monitoring of the installation.
The new breaker is supplied with a factory-fitted retrofit conversion kit; that means it can be installed in the existing Megamax cassette. The biggest advantage is that installation takes just 2 hours time, from stop to start, tested and ready. The Retrofit solution does not require any existing fixed parts to be dismantled, and the new Emax 2 can slide into place with just a few modifications. The whole process is up to 90 percent faster than traditional retrofit solutions.
“It is a turnkey solution – and an inexpensive way of updating to a new generation of switchgear,” says Eklund. “Above all, the main benefit is the short downtime.”
The retrofit replacement meant that the Käppala plant was able to modernize and upgrade its existing low-voltage switchgear effectively, improving both its efficiency and reliability. Preventive maintenance is a big part of the work at Käppala, says Mats Schulze, head of Power and Automation. To ensure the water is always discharged clean, the plant must remain in service at all times
The ABB solution was an easy decision for Schulze. “There are clear advantages in having a product that fits straight into the existing system,” says Schulze. “The simpler a solution is, the more secure and robust it is. The replacement gives us a technology upgrade that requires less maintenance.”
Key benefits
Faster installation: ABB’s direct replacement solution keeps operations online continuously. The retrofit is a quick job with no need to disconnect the power to the switchgear’s busbar for long periods
Simpler management: The solution iseasy to connect to SCADA and IoT. Integrated communication modules with different protocols, such as Modbus RS-485, Modbus TCP, Profibus, DeviceNet, Ethernet/IP, and IEC61850 make systems integration seamless. It’s also Bluetooth-enabled
Smarter servicing: ABB’s Ekip Connect software makes installation and fault diagnosis faster. A programmed signal indicates when maintenance actions are needed. Connecting to the ABB Ability Electrical Distribution Control System provides preventative maintenance and enables remote monitoring of the installation.
