Testing facility helpsthe export business

Value chain optimisationin newspapers

The world’s fastestswitching device

Mine winders areback in business

MAY 2002MAY 2002

Transformers reachtheir destination

in the US

MAY 20022

12 Armadacms – Enhancingservice productivityWinning a Total Motor Management contract fora large industrial plant with thousands of motorsputs the onus on ABB to keep all the machines ingood running order. Armadacms was developed totake on this task.

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TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

is published by ABB South Africa.

Address:

ABB Park, 3 Eglin Road, Sunninghill

Postal:

Pvt Bag X37, Sunninghill, 2157

www.abb.com/za

Telephone:

+27 11 236-7000

Facsimile:

+27 11 236-7001

Managing Editor:

Chesney Bradshaw

chesney.bradshaw@za.abb.com

Editorial Panel

Richard Becker

richard.becker@za.abb.com

Andrew Williamson

Andrew.williamson@za.abb.com

Shivani Pillay

shivani.pillay@za.abb.com

Kevin Talbot

kevin.talbot@za.abb.com

Jacqueline Burn

jacqueline.burn@za.abb.com

Tomas Andersson

tomas.andersson@za.abb.com

This publication was designed, compiled and

produced on behalf of ABB South Africa by

M&M Publications (Pty) Ltd.

PO Box 1644, Saxonwold 2132

Johannesburg, South Africa.

Tel: +27 11 880-5790

Fax: +27 11 880-5789

E-mail: sales@mmpub.co.za

8 Testing facility helps theexport businessABB Powertech Transformers has built andcommissioned a new generator that is able totest at both 50Hz and 60Hz.

7 Special thyristorinstalled at VanderbijlparkThe 9.66MW reversible, water-cooled thyristorDC drive, supplied to Iscor in Vanderbijlpark, isthe highest rated DC drive fully engineered,manufactured and commissioned locally by ABB.

4 The world’s fastestswitching deviceABB’s medium voltage power technologyproducts business, recently installed anIs-limiter.

5 Mine winders are backin businessThe mining business unit of ABB’s ProcessIndustries division in Alrode has built up areputation of being one of the most re-spected suppliers of cutting edge technolo-gies for the upgrading of mine winders.

6 Transformers reach theirdestination in the USTwo giant transformers attracted a great deal of attentionwhen being transported from Pretoria to reach theirfinal destination in the United States.

9 Value chainoptimisationin newspapersIn the newspaper printingindustry, a wide array ofprocesses and technologies presents achallenge not only to the publishers but alsoto the equipment suppliers.

Whilst the compilation and production of ABB Technology Solutions is done with great care and attention and every effort is made toprevent mistakes, neither ABB in Southern Africa nor its principles or subsidiaries, nor M&M Publications (Pty) Ltd. accept responsibility forany errors or the consequences thereof.

3MAY 2002

ABB has asimple strategyof offering itscustomers morevalue even as itreshapes itself into aleaner organisation.To achieve this goal,we must know ourcustomers well and learn to help thembecome even more productive. Theend product of the philosophy is thatwhen we succeed we know that ourcustomers succeed also. This strategyis not unique, but the way we deliverit most certainly is.

ABB is a global leader in powerand automation technologies whichenables it to take utility and industrycustomers to new levels of improvedperformance whilst lowering theenvironmental impact of whatthey do.

ABB presently has operationsworking towards this philosophy inmore than a hundred countries.

ABB is now moving all of itsofferings to a common architecturewhich allows it to deliver industrialIT-enabled products and services toour customers, as well as to be linkedon a real time base with their suppliersand their customers. The result is aleap in efficiency, quality andcompetitiveness.

We are now organised from theoutside in, to ensure our customershave quick and easy access toeverything they need from ABB. Andthat we are there if and when theyneed us – whether they buy from usdirectly or through distributors,wholesalers, system integrators, orother partners.

Our businesses work together topresent one face, one offering, onesimple and seamless set of values tocustomers.

This publication gives you anumber of examples across a widespectrum of the effective implemen-tation of added value for customersboth here and globally.

Improvedcustomerperformance

ABB is manufacturing power lineequipment at its Nigel, Johannesburgoperation for a new transmission lineproject worth US $34-m for theNigerian State and National ElectricalPower Authority (NEPA).

The ABB manufacturing plant inNigel will supply 2 850 tons ofgalvinised steel and aluminiumcomponents which includes the

NEW DEVELOPMENTS

A strong new player in lowvoltage products has emerged withthe launch in South Africa of ABBEntrelec. This follows the acquisitionby ABB, the global automation andpower technology group, of theFrench company, Entrelec a Lyons-based supplier of industrial automa-tion and control products. Entrelec isa market leader and the acquisition byABB will allow product range andservice expansion in key markets.

Per Wanland, senior vice presidentof ABB South Africa said: “The ABB

ABB has been awarded a R20-mcontract by Mondi for supply of asectional AC drive system – one of thelargest of its kind for paper machinedrives. It involves the installation ofthe drive system on Mondi’s numbertwo paper machine (MP2) at theirMerebank facility in Durban.

ABB will be using its DirectTorque Control (DTC) technologywhich allows accurate control of both

ABB Entrelec launches in South AfricaEntrelec presence will greatly en-hance our position, especially as faras low voltage products are con-cerned. Customers will now have acomplete package to suit their needs.”

Entrelec was previously repre-sented by Alstom and Sabelco inSouth Africa. Alstom will continue tomarket some of the Entrelec productson a limited basis. The range includeselectrical connecting devices, timerelays, signalling and safety devices aswell as wiring accessories for thehousing market.

R20-m order from Mondimotor speed and torque withoutpulse-encoder feedback from themotor shaft. Included in the scope ofsupply are ABB Resibloc dry-typetransformers, as well as installationand cabling from ABB’s servicedivision in Pinetown. The drivesystem and motors are being manu-factured by ABB in Finland, withsoftware engineering being per-formed locally.

Power line equipment for Nigeriatowers and line hardware for theproject.

Carlos Poñe, ABB South Africa’spresident and group representative,said the order was significantly largein export terms for the South Africanoperation.

“Our local power lines manufac-turing capability and know-how isrecognised by power utilities, particu-larly in southern Africa.”

Carlos PoñePresidentABB Group Representative,South Africa

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ABB South Africa won an orderworth R130 million to build a trans-mission line for NamPower inNamibia.

The transmission line will runfrom Van Eck Power Station inWindhoek to the new WalmundSubstation near Walvis Bay. The orderinvolves the design, manufacture,factory testing, supply, delivery tosite, complete erection and testing ofthe transmission line. ABB willcommission approximately 294km of220kV transmission line on a turnkeybasis for the project, which is offi-cially known as “Van Eck-Kuiseb-

ABB awarded R130 million transmissionline contract

Walmund 220kV Transmission line.”This project is aimed at providing

long-term power to the Walvis Bay/Swakopmund region in Namibia. Theproject is scheduled for completion inMarch 2003.

Nearly 900 steel towers and linehardware equipment will be manufac-tured at ABB’s factory in Nigel to beerected at the site.

Carlos Poñe, ABB South Africa’spresident and group representative,says ABB won the contract because ofits extensive experience in themanufacturing and erecting ofpowerlines.

MAY 20024

The world’s fastest switching device

Contracts Engineer, Manie Joosteexplained: “Due to the expansion ofthe factory it was necessary to add aturbine generator to the existing 11kVSwitchboard. This resulted in anincrease in the fault level exceedingthe existing switchgear rating when theturbine generator is connected inparallel with the main incomingsupply. By incorporating the special-ised equipment the switchboard is fullyprotected against short circuit faultswhich exceeds the design rating.”

The Is-limiter is designed, manu-factured and tested by ABB CalorEmag in Germany, built to specifica-tion for customers around the worldand supplied in standard panels. ABBcan of course retrofit these devices tofit other types of panels as in the casefor Indian Ocean Fertilizer.

Why an Is-limiter?ABB’s Is-limiter has proved its value

in a world of rising energy demandrequiring more powerful or additionaltransformers and generators as well as

increasing interconnection ofindividual supply networks.

The replacement ofexisting switchgear and cableconnections by new equip-ment with higher short-circuitcapabilities is often techni-cally impossible or uneco-nomical for the user. The useof an Is-limiter limits theshort-circuit current impacton new installations andexpansion projects, thussaving costs.

Circuit-breakers are alsoconstrained in providing rapidclearance of unduly high peak short-circuit currents, as the opening timecan exceed 40 milliseconds whereasthe Is-limiter is capable of detectingand limiting a short-circuit current atthe first rise i.e. in less than onemillisecond.

The maximum instantaneouscurrent occurring remains well belowthe level of the short circuit peak

current. This prevents the equipmentfrom being destroyed by dynamic andthermal forces arising during a shortcircuit fault.

The Is-limiter is in every regard theideal switching device to solve theshort-circuit problems for switchgearin power stations, heavy industry andat power utilities.

Operation of theIs-limiter

The Is-limiter consists, in principle,of an extremely fast switch, able tocarry a high rated current but havinga low switching capacity and a highrupturing capacity fuse arranged inparallel.

In order to achieve the desiredshort opening time, a small charge isused as the energy store for openingof the switch (main conductor). Whenthe main conductor is opened, thecurrent continues to flow through theparallel fuse, where it is limited within0.5 milliseconds and then finallyinterrupted at the next voltage zeropassage.

An electronic measuring andtripping device monitors the currentflowing through the Is-limiter. At thevery first rise of a short-circuitcurrent, this device decides whethertripping the Is-limiter is

continued on page 14

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ABB’s medium voltage power technologyproducts business, has recently installed anIs-limiter at Indian Ocean Fertilizer (Pty) Ltdin Richards Bay.

Is-limiter insert holder

Truck mounted Is-limiter in a switchgear panel.

5MAY 2002

The upgrading of mine windershas again become a promising busi-ness after being a quiet backwater formany years. This was mainly due to aslump in the gold mining industry thatgave rise to a scaling down of mostcapital projects on South Africa’s goldmines and collieries.

On the platinum front, the scenariois quite different. The platinum pricehas been climbing to even higherlevels in recent months which meansthat new mining projects have againbecome a viable proposition. SouthAfrica supplies more than 80% of theworld’s platinum production.

A number of new shafts arecurrently being sunk in the Rustenburgplatinum belt. With a lot of gold minesclosing down, many second-handmine winders have become availableto the platinum mines and they havecapitalised on the new market oppor-tunity. Although some of these oldwinders are technically and mechani-cally outdated, they can be refurbishedat acceptable costs.

Mine winders are back in business

New technologyThe mining business of

ABB’s Process Technologiesdivision in Alrode have found aniche in the upgrading of minewinders and is supplying apackage deal to the industry inthe form of new technologies.

The ABB mine winder packageconsists of the supply of a widespectrum of products. They includeMV switchgear, transformers, motorcontrol centres, DC and AC converters,DC or AC motors, PLC controllers forMain Logic Control, PLC speed/distance controllers, operating desks,ES brake escort control systems,SCADA man/machine interface andautomatic operation controls.

Engineering manager of ABB’sProcess Industries division, JohanEngelbrecht, says that the upturn inthe mine winder business is payinggood dividends. Process Industries’mining business, that has beenspecialising in mine winder technology

for the last 18 years, iscurrently supplyingtechnology for sevenmine winder upgradingprojects. The refurbish-ment of five winders willbe completed in thecourse of this year.

The supply of ABBcutting-edge mine windertechnology is a jointventure between ABBdivisions in Canada, SouthAfrica and Sweden. SouthAfrica, for example, canaccommodate fullrefurbishing packageswhile Sweden handlesbrand new turnkeyprojects internationally.ABB also offers commis-

sioning and after sales services.The refurbishment or upgrading of

second hand mine winders savesmining companies millions of rands. Anew mine winder can cost betweenR20 million and R50 million whileexpenditure on a similar refurbishedwinder of the same size comes tosome R10 to R20 million, whichincludes the total mechanical andelectrical technology package.

One of the bigger projects thatJohan and his team has tackled thisyear is the technology supply for twowinders to the Black Mountain zincmine near Springbok in the CapeProvince, some 1 112km from Johan-nesburg. ABB is supplying its fullwinder package as well as Industrial ITand shaft information systems. Thesewinders are fully automated and usedfor hoisting men and material fromunderground to the surface.A mine winder being refurbished.

PLC panels supplied by ABB.

A refurbished gearbox.

The mining division of ABB’s ProcessBusiness Industries in Alrode has built up areputation of being one of the most re-spected suppliers of cutting edge technolo-gies for the upgrading of mine winders.

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MAY 20026

The units consisted of one450MVA 500/18/18kV generatortransformer and one 225MVA 500/18kV generator transformer. Thelarger unit took 12 weeks to designand 16 weeks to produce. Both unitswill be used to step up voltage at theAmerican power station from 18kVto 50kV. The total contract value ofthe project totals some R10 million.

Mechanical Design Manager OllieGordon says that the transformersare not the biggest that ABBPowertech Transformers has built.For example, larger units with acapacity of 795MVA have beensupplied to Eskom in the past.

Mammoth transporter

What attracted the most attentionof onlookers at the loading site werenot the transformers but the largeheavy-duty vehicle that was used totransport the transformers to RichardsBay from where they were shipped toa power station in West Tennessee.For example, the trailer of thismammoth transporter has 288 wheels

Transformers reach their destination in the US

with 144 wheels per bogey.Two horses pull the trailer while

a third is utilised for pushing.Loading at ABB Powertech Trans-formers in Pretoria took one daywhile the journey to Richards Baywas completed in 10 days becausespecial heavy-duty vehicles exceed-

ing a certain tonnage are onlyallowed to travel on nationalroads between sunrise andsunset.

A heavy lift ship was char-tered to transport the units toAmerica. This vessel took some28 days to reach Houston, Texasfrom where the transformerswere taken by barge to the

The 450MVA generator transformer.

Members of the project team. From left

are Carl Bester, Ollie Gordon, Joe Louis,

Carel Carelson and Steyn Roux.

FACT SHEETDescription 450MVA 500/18/18kV 225MVA 500/18kVTransport Mass 226 263kg 132 954kgOil 111 538 litres 68 000 litresErected Mass 358 059kg 214 357kgCore Mass 123 117kg 66 219kgCopper Mass 41 064kg 22 383kgCopper Length 280 – 300km 195kmDesign hours – electrical 160 80Design hours – mechanical 1 020 855Man-hours to manufacture 12 600 8 500Days in the factory to complete 83 75

Greystone Power Station in WestTennessee.

The ABB Powertech Transform-ers factory in Pretoria has built up areputation as one of the mostefficient and low-cost suppliers oftransformers to the power genera-tion industry internationally.

The project team

The ABB Powertech Transform-ers project team responsible for theproject consisted of Ollie Gordon,mechanical design manager, CarlBester, electrical designer, andmechanical designers Joe Louis,Carel Carelson and Steyn Roux.

continued on page 7

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ABB Powertech Transformers turned heads inPretoria recently when two giant transformerswere loaded at the factory destined for acustomer in the United States.

ABB Powertech Transformers turned heads inPretoria recently when two giant transformerswere loaded at the factory destined for acustomer in the United States.

7MAY 2002

The rectifier is rated 13.8kA fullload continuous at 700Vdc with thefollowing overload ratings:2 hours 125% of rated current60 seconds 175% of rated current5 seconds 200% of rated current

Both forward and reverse thyristorbridges are 12 pulse.

Although ABB’s Power Electronicsbusiness in South Africa has fullymanufactured higher current ratedrectifiers for electro-winning applica-tions (50kA) before, this is the highestrated DC drive fully engineered,manufactured and commissionedlocally by ABB. It is also very possiblethat this is the largest DC drive that wasfully designed and built to date insouthern Africa.

In addition to the technical specifi-cation, Iscor required that installationand commissioning did not exceed fivedays, an objective that was achieved byABB’s Power Electronics team withoutproduction loss to the client.

The ABB equipment replaces anolder drive that had been in operationfor 22 years. It necessitated that a new

Special thyristor installed at Vanderbijlpark

panel be built to suit the existinglayout. In order to reduce installationtime and reduce costs, the rectifierpanel was specially designed tominimise busbar changes of theexisting equipment.

This ABB drive was commissionedin 2001 and has performed trouble-freeever since. Based on the good perform-ance and high quality of the equip-ment, Iscor has decided to continuemodernising its drives system bypurchasing three more units with thesame rating. These units will all besupplied during 2002, within a record

The thyristor DC drive unit in the factory prior to its delivery to the customer

in Vanderbijlpark.

manufacturing time.The drive orders involve the

design and manufacturing of allcomponents required for powerconversion and include the drives,control systems, heat exchangers aswell as high speed circuit breakers.

The individual control panel willdirect the two rectifiers each constitut-ing a reversible DC Drive in terms ofcurrent DC supply. Control is based onthe AC80 and DCR drive components,which form part of ABB multidrivetechnology.

Thyristor gate firing is imple-mented via fibre optic transmitters.The complete control of the drive isdone digitally, from the control of themotors, MV circuit breaker, and so on,up to the thyristors firing stage viaoptic fibre interface.

Each drive is also suppliedtogether with a set of four off highspeed DC circuit breakers typeSecheron HPB60 rated 6000A 2000Vdceach. Secheron, one of the worldleaders in high speed circuit breakers,is based in Geneva Switzerland andhas ABB’s Power Electronics operationas the appointed agent in South Africa.

ABB’s local design and manufac-turing capabilities for DC drives andlocal assembly and calibration of highspeed circuit breakers were key inIscor’s decision to award the contractto the company.

Some interesting facts about thelarger transformer are:• about 300km of copper wasused;• if the flat sheets of the core werelaid out in the ground, they wouldcover an area of 250m x 250m (theofficial size of a football field is 50mx 100m);• the transformer carries 111 538litres of oil. That is equivalent to halfa million glasses of beer and fivemedium sized swimming pools ofwater; and• it would require the combinedmuscle power of about 4 500 peopleto lift this transformer.

The ultra Nicholas trailer that was

used to transport the transformers to

Richards Bay. The trailer has a

loading capacity of 350 tonnes.

Transformers reach their destination ...continued from page 6

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ABB’s Power Electronics operation has supplieda 9.66MW reversible, water-cooled thyristor DCdrive to Iscor in Vanderbijlpark. The unit isused to drive the motors of a hot strip mill inthe Iscor plant.

ABB’s Power Electronics operation has supplieda 9.66MW reversible, water-cooled thyristor DCdrive to Iscor in Vanderbijlpark. The unit isused to drive the motors of a hot strip mill inthe Iscor plant.

MAY 20028

The project is the result ofincreased export business in theUnited States where the grid operatesat 60Hz. The project was undertakenunder the leadership of powertransformers projects consultant, JeanTanzino.

Before the testing modernisationproject was undertaken, ABB had torely on electrical testing consistingsolely of a 50Hz system. The onlyspare available was a 2,5 MW drivingmotor which meant that shouldserious problems occur on thegenerator, long down time would bethe inevitable result with productionbeing adversely affected as well.

As the pressures began to mountdue to export orders, ABB PowertechTransformers decided that, from boththe com-pany’s and the customer’s

Testing facility helps the export business

point of view, a 60Hz testing facilitywas urgently required.

As the driving motor was alreadyavailable, the main modernisationrequirement remained a new genera-tor with its up-to-date control equip-ment that would be able to test at50Hz and 60Hz with the same set-up,thereby performing both as a spare50Hz unit plus a 60Hz facility.

This objective was achieved byrunning the generator at two speeds,one for 50Hz and one for 60Hz whichproved to present no designing andmanufacturing problems.

Electronic control ortwo-speed gearbox

Generally, two speeds can beachieved either by an electroniccontrol or by having a special two-

speed gearbox. However, thetwo-speed gearbox option waschosen due to cost, delivery andsimplicity factors. ABB Spain hasbeen using a single speedgearbox system successfully forsome time.

Jean Tanzino says that theproject was a very challengingone but in the end the projectteam was able to find a solutionto admirably suit the needs of thecustomer and ABB alike.

“Initially, with the availabilityof the driving motor and themanufacture of the generator notpresenting serious problems, onedifficulty, however, remained andthat was to find a reliable gearboxmanufacturer. After approaching anumber of companies both locallyand abroad, a preferred supplierin France was found. CMD Francewas the only provider that couldmeet the requirements both froman engineering and delivery pointof view,” Jean said.

Jean visited France shortlyafter placing the order. Duringthat visit, confirmation was made

that the needs were understood andgreat pains were taken to check thegeneral manufacturing quality of thegearbox. The gearbox and generator,which was manufacturered by ABBAlrode, were both delivered on thepromised date which was importantfor meeting the project completiondate, and within budget. The projecttook some 14 months to completeand the first transformer (60Hz) wastested soon after completion.

An interesting project phaseinvolved the civil works that requiredspecial attention. In order to absorbany vibrations from the generatorassembly during operation, thecomplete assembly i.e. motor,gearbox, 50/60Hz generator and180Hz generator, had to be mountedon a concrete base resting on specialrubber blocks between the base andconcrete floor. This was done toprevent any possible damage tobuilding structures due to machinevibrations.

Casting the concrete base and floorseparately presented a major challengeespecially the jacking up of the completebase and positioning of the rubberblocks.

Other technicaldetailsDriving motorMass 10 000kgSpeed 750rpm

50/60Hz generatorMass 48 000kgRating 20MVA

50Hz at 1 000rpm60 Hz at 1 200rpm

Independent lubrication system.

GearboxThe assembly included input andoutput couplings.Supplier CMD FranceMass 4 650kgMax power 3 500kWInput speed 750rpmOutput speeds 1 000 or 1 200rpmManual speed change at standstill.Independent lubrication system.The 50/60Hz generator assembly in the generator

hall at ABB Powertech Transformers.

ABB Powertech Transformers has built andcommissioned a new generator that is ableto test at both 50Hz and 60Hz.

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9MAY 2002

Value chain optimisation in newspapers

Publishing newspapers is also ahighly complex operation. Know-howacross a wide spectrum is required –from information management duringpage make-up, through the technolo-gies used for platemaking and repro-duction on the presses, to newsprintlogistics, automated bundling andpackaging, and final distribution. Therange of equipment needed for all thisis enormous. Apart from controls,drives, automation and machines ofevery kind, powerful computer net-works and sophisticated measuring andpositioning systems are installed. Ontop of all this is the media used totransmit the data, ranging from wirethrough wireless to satellite. Such awide array of processes and technolo-gies obviously presents a challenge notonly to the publishers but also to theequipment suppliers.

Production – the sumof many parts

Newspaper printing is furthercomplicated by the fact that theproduction process is made up of manyindividual, self-contained sub-processes.The different machines for plateexposure, printing, newsprint supplyand so on, also come from differentsuppliers. This causes a problem, aseach supplier provides a proprietaryautomation solution for their ownmachine. Software-only solutions arefound in just the prepress and pagemake-up areas. Unfortunately, these arenot usually interoperable, which putsthe onus on the publishers to makesure that all the processes and systemsare able to communicate with eachother on at least some minimum level.

Different departmentsfor different tasks

Each of the sub-processes calls fordifferent skills and expertise, and

Newspaper printing is resource-hungry bynature. Diverse new products are printed inhuge numbers, night after night, in highly auto-mated plants, usually under extreme pressure.Timely delivery is everything – nothing losesvalue faster than a newspaper that hits thestreets too late.

newspaper-printing houses are oftenorganised in a way that reflects this. Itis usual to have separate departmentsfor the prepress work, plate produc-tion, printing, packaging and distribu-tion. Alongside the more or lessindependently operated technicalprocesses, there exists a distributedorganisational structure in whichrelatively large amounts of informationhave to be exchanged in order tocontrol the process. Such an arrange-ment makes it difficult to obtain thekey economic data required tooptimise operation.

Is networking theanswer?

It would be unfair to the suppliersof the technical software not tomention the efforts they are making toprovide a networking solution capableof linking all the different systemstogether. However, their “productioncontrol systems” are proprietarysolutions and, as a rule, no more thantwo supplier products are linked at atime and they fall far short of beinganything like a fully integratedsolution.

Neither will the “hottest newthing” –digital workflow - do anythingto change this situation. When“computer-to-plate” technology wasintroduced, digital workflow wasreckoned to be the process, capable ofhandling all the digital data used innewspaper copy in a way that wouldensure ready-to-print quality plateproduction. However, digital workflowapplies to just a part of the processchain only, namely platemaking.Beyond this, it has no influencewhatsoever.

IndustrialIT from ABBContinuing pressure in the

industry to raise productivity, increasereturns on resources and operatingcapital, and provide more reliabledata for decision-making, points to astrong need for new business models.It is important here to realise that thisis about much more than just finding anew way to increase the automation ofa technical process. The model that isneeded must be able to seamlesslylink and integrate all the systems,software and services participating inthe value chain.

ABB calls this business modelIndustrialIT. In order to apply it, all theproducts, systems, software andinformation technology solutions haveto be Industrial IT enabled and complywith certain rules. The more suppliersthere are for the different products andsystems, the more complex the taskwill be and the more effort will beneeded to find a solution.

Optimising the valuechain

The first step towards Industrial IT

is to integrate all the automationsystems taking part in the process toallow the free exchange of all thedata required for smooth, trouble-freeoperation. However, this alone is notenough to achieve value chainoptimisation. What is needed is realintegration of the systems, to enableoperating procedures, functions and

continued on page 10

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MAY 200210

data ownership, as well as all thedifferent means of communication, tobe analysed and harmonised acrossthe entire process. When this is done,it is perfectly possible for softwaremodules from one supplier to beintegrated with a computer fromanother supplier. Production para-meters may then be indicated andmodified where it makes most sense.

Optimising operatingassets

As a further step, ABB’S IndustrialIT

concept aims at optimising theoperating assets. These are theinvestments made in machines,material and personnel to achievetrouble-free, high-quality production atminimal cost. Optimisation heredepends on specific information aboutthe available machines – such asoperational behaviour and keyeconomic figures – being collected andevaluated in terms of the total process.

Master PrintingSystem (MPS)

ABB offers a whole series ofinnovative, software-intensive solutionsfor automating newspaper printingoperations. In printing plants aroundthe world, they are already playing theirpart in ensuring timely, efficient andeconomical newspaper production.These include:

• drive, control and automationsystems for presses (DriveIT MPS Drive,ControlIT MPS Press Control, OperateIT

MPS Control Console, and ProduceIT

MPS Production);

• logistics and control in the rollsupply area are provided by ProduceIT

MPS Roll Handling;

• InformIT MPS Inform offers valuableinformation for statistical evaluationsand optimisation, and is also used as aplanning tool for press maintenance;

• ProduceIT MPS Workflow coverseverything from conversion ofprepress data to platemaking;• PlanIT MPS Edition is a prepressplanning tool for co-ordinating thenewspaper structure with the presscapabilities; and• PlanIT MPS Cockpit is a completelynew system used for production-wideplanning, tracking and calculation.

To illustrate the unique benefits ofABB MPS family, two of the abovesystems, ProduceIT MPS Workflow andPlanIT MPS Cockpit are examined.

ProduceIT MPSWorkflow

The introduction of computer-to-plate (CTP) technology has madedigital workflow the main topic ofdiscussion at symposia, in tradejournals and among members of theprinting profession. The focus hastended to be on the suppliers of theCTP equipment and their digitalworkflow solutions for transferring theincoming data to the printing plates.Numerous functions are involved inthis: including workflow automation;screening; page composition; prepara-tion of data for exposure; plate man-agement priorities; colour proofs;exposure unit control (including loadbalancing); calculation of ink zone data;production visualisation; and control.

One of the market leaders in

supplying workflow solutions forplatemaking is Prolmage Ltd. ABB hassigned a co-operation agreement withProlmage aimed at closely co-ordinatingits workflow technology with the pressproduction management capabilityoffered by ProduceIT MPS Production.By merging page planning,platemaking and printing, ABB hascreated a uniform system that itmarkets as ProduceIT MPS Workflow.

This fully integrated solution, whichoptimises newspaper printing throughthe exchange of dynamic, real-timeinformation, is consistent with thegoals of IndustrialIT. Advantages thatProduceIT MPS Workflow offers overconventional CTP solutions include:

• co-ordination of product character-istics between the prepress stage andthe press;

• checking new pages for productionfeasibility;

• use of proven press impositions asthe basis of all product structureoptions;

• co-ordination of plate requirementswith the current situation in the pressroom;

• extension of plate annotations toinclude the physical plate location inthe press;

• automatic updating of the systemsfor plate changes and for reschedulingat short notice;

• press set-up aids for defining theplates to be changed in sequentialproduction; and

• display of the page contents onscreen at the press control consoles.

Manage entireproduction chain

With PlanIT MPS Cockpit 13, ABBoffers the newspaper industry acomprehensive instrument for plan-ning, tracking and cost optimisation.This solution spans the entire produc-tion chain – from platemaking todelivery on the ramp. Production andpersonnel resources are assigned onthe basis of the incoming order data.Continuous simulation of the processkeeps the system informed of theconsequences of changes in theplanning data for the workload,production schedule and costs. Duringproduction, PlanIT MPS Cockpit also

continued from page 9

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Value chain optimisation in new

11MAY 2002

tracks the actualprogress of work anddisplays the expectedend of production for alldepartments.

Part of the systemcan be thought of as avirtual, electronicplanning chart on whichall data is continuallyupdated by the simulatorrunning in the back-ground.

PlanIT MPS Cockpitalso supports decision-making. This is usefulfor determining the idealproduct structure,guaranteeing oroptimising workloads inthe different depart-ments, and determiningthe key economic figuresneeded to analyse theprocess or parts thereof.This kind of information – and thecosts involved – can be quicklyobtained by simulating the differentscenarios.

Another advantage of PlanIT MPSCockpit is that products from severaldifferent publishers can be produced atdifferent sites using a single system.With a client-server configuration,information and data can be displayedor entered at any location in thenetwork. Apart from production reportsthere are a whole series of browser-oriented displays that can be accessedvia the group intranet or internet. Theseprovide a good overview of the keyproduction data.

PlanIT MPS Cockpit works togetherwith subordinate production controlsystems from different suppliers. Orderdata is transferred in a standardisedform to these systems and no longerhave to be entered locally. Also, thesystems report back with informationsuch as the actual progress of work.Based on this information PlanIT MPSCockpit immediately generates newestimates of the end of production inthe different departments. In this way,impending bottlenecks can be recog-nised early and timely measures takento counteract them. Production controlsystem databases apart from ABB’S ownthat have already been integratedinclude those from Ferag, MüllerMartini, Agfa, Autologic and SAP.

Preview operationsPlanIT MPS Cockpit is designed to

promote communication betweensales, marketing, accounting, produc-tion, and management and a sense ofresponsibility in each participant.Journalists will understand theconsequences of missing a deadlineby seeing themselves how it affectsthe production chain - and what itcosts! Plans thought by a departmentto be appropriate but which do not fitinto the overall scheduling or costframework is shown, allowingcorrective measures to be taken.Chronic bottlenecks will also beexposed. Since PlanIT MPS Cockpitprovides all the facts up front, man-agement can be more proactive. Atlast, a tool is available with which last-minute product changes can bethoroughly checked and thenscheduled into production on time.

PlanIT MPS Cockpit was conceivedas a central instrument, serving targetgroups across the entire businessspectrum. Publishers, technicalmanagement, sales, productionplanning and accounting are allintegrated into one system. Among itsmany advantages are:• collision-free planning of all jobs

with visualisation of conse-quences for the scheduling,resources and costs;

• immediate comparison of esti-mated and actual cost of indi-vidual jobs;

• visualisation of the work progressand the consequences in criticalsituations;

• forecasts of the resources required foreach sub-process;

• display of available personnel andproduction resources to indicatepossible locations of bottlenecks;and

• preparation of key economicfigures for owners and manage-ment.

ABB’s solution

portfolioFurther development of ABB’S

system family will see it progressivelyadapted as a business model to createan architecture in which aspects – anintegral collection of object character-istics – play a key role. This willenable the seamless exchange ofinformation between all systems.ABB’S broad scope of offerings andthe uniform IndustrialIT architecturewill enable the main infrastructure ofprinting houses, as well as secondarysystems such as the power distribu-tion, robots, air-conditioning, buildingautomation, to also be tied into theoptimisation of the value chain.

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MAY 200212

ArmadaCMS was developed to take onjust this kind of task. It stores the fullrange of machine data – currents,temperatures, drive system analyses, andmuch more – in one and the samedatabase. This gives users the “fullpicture” and tells them immediately whena problem has developed and how seriousit is.

What, why and when –answered

Armada is a softwaresystem designed to helpin managing this task.Features includetemplates for differentmotor types indicatingwhat to measure andwhen, and automatedanalysis for diagnosingthe most commonproblems without humanintervention. It also usesa common data formatthat allows an especiallydifficult case to be sentfor evaluation to anexpert anywhere in the world.

And that’s not all Armada does. Itcombines the handling of vibration datawith measurement, storage and analysis ofother aspects of rotating machines – forexample, supply current spectra andinsulation measurements. Also, there is areport module for producing infinitelycustomisable reports in Rich Text Format(RTF) which can be read by most wordprocessors like MS Word.

Armada is not an independentsoftware system but a set of algorithmsand templates for use with standardsoftware which provides the user

Armadacms– Enhancing service productivityWinning a Total Motor Management contractfor a large industrial plant with thousandsof motors puts the onus on ABB to keep allthe machines in good running order. Motorservice is obviously an important factor inthis – and a clear cost issue. ABB has everyinterest in ensuring that the service is asefficient as possible, which means gettingthe timing just right.

interface, graphic functions, data handlingand storage capability needed forcommunication with data collectors, forexample. This approach allowed ABB tofocus on adding value to already existingsystems, rather than trying to reinvent thewheel.

One of the main benefits of imple-menting Armada is that it helps fieldspecialists work more productively byspeeding up data analysis and reporting

processes – tasks that can take up as muchas 40% of their working day.

In order to gauge the productivitybenefits of Armada, comparative testswere performed using Armada and aconventional system from a competitor.These tests were carried out at a softtissue paper mill in Finland. The measure-ment route consisted of four squirrel cagemotors, whose data was measured usingthe same SKF CMVA10 data collector.This data was loaded into a computer onwhich both software systems were run.The tests indicated a 38% increase in

speed when Armada is used to set-up,perform and report vibration tests.However, Armada is capable of muchmore than this test showed. Armada hasseveral unique features that simplify theway condition monitoring is carried out.These include some novel algorithms thatare used to detect and classify faults.

Plant configurationFirst, a database has to be created and

the data of all the machines of interestentered in it. Most available systems,including Entek’s Odyssey, upon whichArmada is built, provides a hierarchicalstructure that reflects the plant’s layout,This helps the user group the machineslogically. While most systems let the usercreate templates to help with configuringthe database, Armada goes a step further. Itprovides a set of templates not only for themotors and other rotating machines such aspumps, fans and gearboxes, but also for theelectrical mains and equipment like

frequency converters. Also,these templates cover a widerange of data – frommechanical measurementsand alarm levels to electricalvalues, temperatures, andinsulation data. With thesetemplates, users can alreadybe sure of a significantproductivity gain during thesystem configuration.

Routedefinition

The next step is todefine the routes. These aresets of machines and

locations scheduled to be visited andinspected on a given day. Their creation islargely standardised today. In Armada(where they are defined by the Entekplatform) the routes form a hierarchybased on physical locations, and reflectthe structure found in the plant database.The route is then transferred from thecomputer to a data collector. Armada,through Odyssey, supports most commer-cially-available collectors.

MeasurementsThe route is loaded into a data

collector, which then prompts the

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Vibrationdata

ISO-RMS

Get SPEED

Get HARMONICS

Other fault:non-synchronous

PrincipalComponentsClassification

Fault classification Severity

Alarm settings

Harmonics RMS rel.tototal harm. distortion

13MAY 2002

technician to perform various pre-programmed measurements. Descriptivemessages provided by Armada templateshelp avoid sensor misplacement. The routeconveys sensor locations and all measure-ment settings such as frequency ranges andresolution. Vibrationmeasurements areperformed with anaccelerometerconnected directly tothe collector’s input.Similarly, supplycurrent measurementsare performed using acurrent clamp.Although collecteddata can be reviewedin the collector on-site, it is best totransfer them back tothe plant database.

The Entekenvironment allocatesthe data to theappropriate databaserecords so that thecurrent spectrum isnot confused with the high-frequencytime-waveform recorded at the drive-sidebearing. In the next step, which is wherethe advanced condition analysis reallybegins, Armada algorithms are called fromOdyssey’s menu.

AnalysisAutomatic analysis was one of the

main goals in Armada’s development.Traditionally, machine conditions areanalysed by human interpretation of thespectral data. Different frequency-basedsignals (spectra) are compared withdiagnostic charts. This approach is time-consuming and obviously relies heavily onhuman expertise.

Unlike many software systemsavailable on the market, Armada automati-cally applies a series of algorithms to bothspectral and time-series data. Since casesexist where not even experts with manyyears’ experience can reliably diagnose theproblem, it is unreasonable to expect anautomated system to be able to resolveevery diagnostic problem. Just the same, adiagnosis of even 70% of the mostcommon problems is still an enormoushelp, and when several thousand machinesare involved it will bring about a majorproductivity gain. The comparative testcarried out at the soft paper tissue mill inFinland indicates that Armada reduces thetime a moderately experienced technician

needs to carry out an analysis usingtraditional software by about 60%.

To show how Armada works, a set ofalgorithms dedicated to the classificationof some typical defects experienced withmotors is examined below. Statistically, the

most important of these are misalignment,inbalance, and mechanical looseness. All ofthese faults can be classified with Armada,which can also detect whether there isanother type of fault present or, forexample, if the fault happens to beunrelated to speed harmonics. Thedescribed analysis is based on vibrationmeasurements.

Fault classification

platform Every classification system depends on

high-quality, reliable and representativedata for accurate results. Obtaining a goodrepresentation of a machine’s state fordiagnostic purposes, however, oftenrequires large numbers of input signals.Since thousands of measurement samplesmay be taken for just one motor, it isnecessary to reduce the amount of inputdata to make it more manageable and rid itof content irrelevant to the diagnosis.

This transformation provides a morecompact data set while retaining all thedistinctive features needed for theclassification. Often, these distinctivefeatures such as fault symptoms are noteven known without investigation. Thesignal space transformation helps to extractthis information from the reference datapool.

Armada uses Principal ComponentsAnalysis (PCA) to perform the signal space

transformation. The actual signal projec-tion is preceded by non-linear pre-processing and the formation of multidi-mensional feature vectors.

The vibration analysis module (VAM)of Armada performs condition assessments

and recognises thosetypes of fault responsi-ble for the motorproblems that usuallymanifest themselves inexcessive vibration. It isdesigned to diagnosemotors with powerratings of between15kW and 2mW andspeeds above 300rpm.Analysis follows twopaths: fault classificationand condition severityassessment. The severityassessment, which iscarried out independ-ently of the faultrecognition, is based onan overall level ofvibration velocity (RMS).

If the vibrationexceeds the set limits, the fault classifica-tion routine is started. Otherwise, themotor condition is considered to benormal. Bearing tests are nevertheless run,irrespective of the overall vibration level.Fault recognition is based on vibrationpattern analysis using a method known as“principal components clustering”.

Prior to classification, the shaft speedis calculated from the vibration data. Thisinvolves calculating the amplitudes ofvibration velocity at fundamental fre-quency and its higher harmonics. Later, atest is performed to check whether theoverall vibration originates from forcesinduced by shaft rotation (synchronousfaults such as misalignment or imbalance)or is caused by other system componentssuch as bearings, structural resonance or abelt drive (non-synchronous faults). It ispossible in severe cases for harmoniccomponents to be the sole cause ofexcessive vibration, even though the non-synchronous components contribute mostto the overall vibration. The VAM willalso detect this and start the faultclassification routine.

Vibration measurements carried outon a faulty rotating machine yieldcomplex signals with periodic andaperiodic components that depend on themachine’s structure and on the type offault. The faults are caused by forces which

continued on page 14

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50

3828

373635

64

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0

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-0.4

-0.6

-0.8

-1.0-2.0 -1.5 -1.0 -0.5 0 0.5 1.0

MAY 200214

are induced by shaft rotation, andtherefore depend on the shaft speed.

The orthogonal expansion of sinusoi-dal signals (i.e., a Fourier series) iscommonly used to represent the periodicsignals xj[n], j∈ {a,h,v,nd} and isdescribed by the formula: M

xj[n]≈ΣAjmcos(2πmƒ

r n+∅ j

m),

j∈ {a,h,v,nd} m=1

where n is the sample index andƒ

r, Aj

m, ∅ j

m are the rotation frequency,

amplitude and phase, respectively. Thesuperscripts {a,h,v,nd} denote measurementlocations: a for axial, h for horizontal, v forvertical and nd for the non-driven endradial direction.

Low computational complexity and alack of a priori assumptions about thesignal are factors that speak for use of theFourier transform-based method(periodogram) for orthogonal expansionparameter estimation. Its major drawbackis the high variance and low resolu-

tion, which slows down signalcollection considerably. An averagedperiodogram method can be used toimprove the statistical properties of theperiodogram, but this would requireeven longer measurement times.

A drawback of low-frequencymeasurements for shaft speed estimation isthat they take a long time, during whichthe rotating frequency can changesignificantly. This affects the accuracy ofthe Fourier method. To solve the problem,high-resolution parametric methods weredeveloped one of them – the maximum-likelihood method – being considered as anoption.

As an alternative to the traditionalFourier-based approach, ABB applies thetime-domain maximum-likelihood methodto obtain accurate speed estimations fromshort-time measurements. The amplitudesAj

m and phases ∅ j

m are calculated with

the estimated rotating frequency, usingthe least squares method.

The actual fault recognition startswith a statistical orthogonal expansion,followed by PCA and subsequent

necessary. In order to reach thisdecision, the instantaneous currentand rate of current rise at the Is-limiter are constantly measured andevaluated. When the setpoints aresimultaneously reached or exceeded,the Is-limiter trips. The three phasesare operated independently of oneanother.

It is interesting to note that loss-freeconduction of a high operating current,on the one hand, and the limitation ofthe short-circuit current at the firstcurrent rise, on the other hand, are madepossible by distributing these twofunctions of the Is-limiter betweentwo conductors. In comparison withreactors, the Is-limiter avoids voltagedrops and does not contribute to thepeak short-circuit current.

Typical Is-limiter

ApplicationsIs-limiters are frequently used in

interconnections between systems or inbus sections which would not beadequately short-circuit proof whenconnected by a circuit-breaker. Each

partial system should have at least oneincoming feeder, so that the electricalpower supply to each partial systemcan be maintained on tripping of the Is-limiter.

There are a large number ofadvantages for the operation undernormal conditions of bus sectionsconnected by Is-limiters:• reduction of the series networkimpedance. The voltage drops causedby load surges (e.g. starting of motors)can be significantly reduced;• improvement of the currentdistribution of the feeder transformers;• the load dependent losses of thefeeder transformers are reduced; and• increased reliability of the powersupply is achieved. On failure of onefeeder transformer, the load is takenover by the other feeder transformerswithout electrical current interruption.Expenditure on new switchboard withhigher short-circuit capacity that wouldhave otherwise been required, istherefore avoided;

If a short-circuit occurs within asystem or in an outgoing feeder, the Is-limiter trips at the first rise of the short-circuit current and divides the busbarsystem into two sections before theinstantaneous current reaches an

inadmissible high level.After tripping of the Is-limiter

occurs, the short-circuit is only fed by thetransformer in the part of the systemaffected by the short-circuit. The short-circuit current is now selectively inter-rupted by the circuit-breaker.

A remarkable advantage of the useof an Is-Limiter is that the voltage in thepart of the system not affected by theshort-circuit only drops for a fraction of amillisecond so that even sensitive loads(e.g. computers) remain protected fromdrops in the system voltage.

For this reason the Is-limiter canalso effectively serve as a reliableswitchgear most suitable for usebetween an “unprotected” and a“protected” switchboard or section ofa switchboard.

Further examples of Is-limiterapplications:• Is-limiter used as a link betweenpublic networks and consumer ownedpower supply systems;• Is-limiter in parallel with a reactor;and• use of more than one Is-limiterwith selectivity.

The worlds fastest switching device ...continued from page 4

Enhancing service productivity ...cluster analysis. The reference data setwas created from a comprehensiveprogram of laboratory experiments andcarefully controlled factory floor data.Through extensive numerical analysis itis possible to substantially reduce themeasured data input for fault classifica-tion from a 43-element feature vector toa two-co-ordinate representation whichcan be plotted on an x-y graph. Eachdot on this graph represents a singletest case (machine). A fault is indicatedif a dot corresponding to the examinedmachine falls within any of the faultclusters.

ReliabilityApart from the classified fault type,

the VAM provides a reliability valueranging from 30% to 100%, indicatinghow confident the user can be that theclassification is correct. Values below100% indicate that the classificationdoes not lie within the fault cluster. Thefurther away the dot is from thecluster’s centre, the lower the reliabilitywill be.

continued from page 13

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15MAY 2002

ABB CONTACT DETAILS

SOUTH AFRICAwww.abb.com/za

Head OfficeABB Holdings (Pty) LtdABB Park, The Crescent3 Eglin Road, Sunninghill 2157Tel: +27 11 236 7000Telefax: +27 11 236 7001

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