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Battersea Reachpowers up

A smooth transition for Norton

Down with downtime,up with output

FACTS smooths the powerfor Big Bang research

Packagesubstation

www.abb.com/ffwd

Safety first and last

FAST FORWARD WITH ABB POWER TECHNOLOGIESAutumn 2004

Health and safety is an ABB priority — See page 11

02 FFWD >> Autumn 2004

Published by:ABB LimitedPower Technologies Oulton Road, Stone, Staffordshire ST15 0RS

Editor: Karen Strong

Telephone:01785 825050

www.abb.com/uk

3 Battersea Reach powers up

ABB has completed the first of two new 11kVconnections for the prestigious Battersea Reachdevelopment in London

4 News

Roundup of UK and international news

6 A smooth transition for

Norton

How close co-operation is helping to ensure that thenew Norton substation is completed on time

8 Down with downtime,

up with output

From urgent repairs to regular health checks ABBhas the skills and resources to help organisationsbeat the curse of unplanned downtime

9 Dynacomp defeats flicker for

Takao

ABB’s high-tech electronically switched dynamiccompensators are helping Takao to deliver worldclass welded sub-assemblies for Honda and Toyota

10 FACTS smooths the power for

Big Bang research

CERN, the world’s largest particle physicslaboratory, chose ABB FACTS technology to powerits Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) accelerator.

11 Safety first and last

To deliver results health and safety must be at theheart of a company’s culture and commitment. ABBis working hard to achieve best practice anddemonstrate its continuous drive for improvement

12 A perfect pre-assembled

package

ABB offers a complete service for the design andmanufacture of outdoor package substations tailoredto meet the specific needs of utilities, DNOs andindustrial customers

Read this issue online:www.abb.com/ffwd

contents Ensuring security of supply

As winter approaches ensuring security of power supply to avoidthe blackouts that hit London and Birmingham last year isuppermost in the minds of all those involved in the electricitysupply industry.

National Grid Transco is forecasting a safety cushion of availableplant above peak winter demand of around 20 percent for winter2004/5 based on a transmission contracted generation capacityof 67.2 gigawatts.

This, coupled with investment in new power plants, growth inrenewable energy generation — 1.6 gigawatts of new wind powerby 2006 — and the development of distributed generation (CHPand biomass plants) should guard against supply problems notjust this winter but in ten years time.

The drive to increase renewable and distributed generationpresents significant challenges to the transmission and distributionnetworks. Estimates suggest that the investment needed couldbe around £1bn.

ABB is working with transmission and distribution networkoperators and regulatory bodies to ensure that this investment is made in an efficient and effective manner. Innovative proventransmission and distribution connection technologies such asFACTS (Flexible AC Transmission Systems) and HVDC Lightpioneered by ABB enhance system stability and reliability anddeliver a cost-effective return on investment.

Our expertise is also called on to upgrade existing supplynetworks. As part of the EDF Energy Powerlink consortium, we are responsible for managing, maintaining, developing andfinancing London Undergrounds high-voltage power supplysystem.

And, we are helping National Grid meet the ever-increasingdemand for electricity in and around London. At 20km long and3m in diameter, The London Connection is the largest tunnellingproject that National Grid has ever undertaken. ABB is supplyingthe low maintenance, low loss 400kV cross linked polyethylenecable that will link an extended substation at Elstree to the newindoor high-voltage GIS substation built by ABB at St JohnsWood.

Fundamental to ensuring security of supply is innovative proventechnology backed up by tight project management to ensureprojects are delivered on time and on budget. ABB is committedto working in partnership with its customers to deliver a first classservice from initial design concept through engineering,commissioning and ongoing maintenance.

Issue 9 Autumn 2004

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Trevor GregoryABB UK Managing Director

Previously used as adistillery, an oil depot and

for warehousing, the land atBattersea Reach had laindormant from 1992 up until2002, when the brownfield sitewas acquired by St George,one of London’s leading mixed-use developers. It is now beingtransformed into an award-winning riverside developmentthat provides a stunning newaddition to the Thamespanorama.

Once complete, Battersea Reachwill feature five individually tieredwaterfront buildings, comprisingover 600 two- and three-bedroomapartments and penthouses as wellas around 27,000m2 of commercialspace with a mix of shops, offices,restaurants, cafes and bars. It willalso open up over 300m of theriverbank for use by the public,connecting Wandsworth toBattersea Bridge and beyond.

A key element in a developmentof this size is ensuring that the siteis fully supplied on time with thehuge amount of electrical powerneeded to meet the demands of allthe customers anxious to move intotheir new buildings. And that’s whySt George appointed ABB as themain electrical contractorresponsible for the 11kVdistribution circuits for the first twobuildings on the site, KingfisherHouse and Commodore House,including the vital new connectionto the local EDF Energy substation.

From Battersea Reach to the100MVA Lombard Roadsubstation is a distance of around

1.2km. So ABB’s first task was tocreate a fully ducted cable routelinking the two sites. For most ofthe route the ducts followed YorkRoad. Carrying out civil works on a busy roadway in South Londoncalled for very careful coordinationwith all the relevant localauthorities such as Transport forLondon and Wandsworth BoroughCouncil in order to minimisedisruption to traffic andinconvenience to local residents.One example of how this was

achieved was in timing the work to coincide with the majorroundabout works already planned.A total of six parallel ducts havebeen installed to allow for futureexpansion.

ABB has constructed 1MVA11kV/433V package substations,complete with transformer, ringmain unit and 2000A ACBs in thebasement car parks of bothKingfisher House and CommodoreHouse. The most challengingaspect of this part of the project was

when the transformers had to becraned through the restricted accesspanels in the roof.

To date, two 11kV cables havebeen pulled through the ducts andconnected to the new circuitbreakers installed by EDF at theLombard Road substation. Theycomprise three-core ‘Triplex’ cablewith aluminium conductors and a240mm2 cross-section. The cableswere delivered in 250m lengths andjoined with five straight-throughjoints.

Tim Pope, ABB site manager atBattersea Reach, said:

“There were a number ofreasons that persuaded St George’sto ask ABB to manage the newpower connection aspects of thisproject. Our capability to offer akeen price was of course a factor.However, St George’s also wanted acontractor that worked under astandard MF1 contract. This offersthem better cashflow, with stagedpayments, and also introducesliquidated damages related toperformance, so they have realcontrol over the progress of theproject.

“In addition, we were able torelieve them of any concerns overthe cable connection by liaisingdirectly with EDF to ensure thateverything went smoothly. Thesuccess of the project has not beenbased so much on speed as onworking to an agreed programmeand making it happen. And, I ampleased to report that the first two11kV circuits were energised asprogrammed in mid-September2004.”

Autumn 2004 >> FFWDFFWD >> www.abb.com/ffwd 03

new connections

Battersea Reach powers up

ABB has completed the first two new 11kV connections for theprestigious Battersea Reach development on the banks of the RiverThames in London

A view of the development.

A new interconnector substation israpidly taking shape on the banks of

the River Severn at Port Ham, Gloucester.The £12 million substation replacementproject is being undertaken by an ABBand Balfour Beatty consortium on behalfof Central Networks (the new name forMidlands Electricity and East MidlandsElectricity). The steel superstructure for

the new indoor substation building raisedon stilts has been completed and theexterior cladding is now being fixed inplace ready for the delivery of ABB’s stateof the art compact ELK- 04 GIS (gasinsulated switchgear).

Because the new indoor substation buildingis in the river flood plain significant

foundation works were required. Each steelcolumn in the building is supported by threecast concrete piles driven down 15m to thebedrock.

The consortium is providing a completedesign, construction and installation service for the new substation which is expected tobecome operational towards the end of 2006.It features 20 bays of switchgear and provides a 132kV interconnection for four incomingand twelve outgoing circuits.

The Port Ham interconnector substation is a grid supply point, which feeds electricityfrom the National Grid substation at Walhaminto Central Networks’ distribution network.This network feeds most of Gloucestershireand Herefordshire and parts of south and eastWorcestershire – the equivalent of over onemillion homes. The existing AIS (air insulatedswitchgear) substation, built in the early 1950s,has been subject to above average load growthand its reliability has deteriorated. It is nowreaching the end of its useful life and is beingreplaced to ensure continued reliability ofsupply.

04 FFWD >> Autumn 2004

news

£20 million rail power upgrade package

New Port Ham substation takes shape

The ABB-Mowlem consortiumcurrently working on Network Rail's

Southern power supply upgrade projecthas been given a further work package.Worth around £20 million, the work coversthe renewal and upgrading of nine railsubstations in Kent, including Depot-Gapworks, as well as cable renewal for sixfeeders in Kent and two in Sussex. Thework is scheduled for completion in May2005.

The existing substation switchgear will bereplaced with ABB's new ZX1.2 metal-clad gas-insulated medium voltage switchgear which hasgained technical acceptance from ENA (theEnergy Networks Association) and NetworkRail, for use at 33kV for ratings up to 31.5kAand 2000A.

SOUTHERN POWER UPGRADE PROJECT

In 2003 the ABB-Mowlem consortiumsigned a seven-year framework agreement withNetwork Rail for the upgrade of power suppliesin the Kent area, as well as some additional sitesin the Inner London area. The work, on thebusiest commuter lines in the country, isessential to allow the introduction of 2,025 new,

more comfortable carriages and the phasing outof existing Mk1 rolling stock.

The consortium, which includes ABB PowerTechnologies and Mowlem Railways, combinesABB's strength in substation project

management, engineering, construction andpower technology products with Mowlem’sexperience in major civil and electricalconstruction projects.

The 2004 European Wind EnergyConference and Exhibition (EWEA) will

be held at the Wembley Conference Centrefrom 22 to 25 November. ABB is participatingin both the conference and the exhibition.

A paper on the topic of ‘the secure and reliableintegration of large wind farms into transmissiongrids’ has been prepared by ABB experts includingPeter Jones, Sector Manager – Renewables with ABBPower Technologies in the UK. The paper givespractical examples obtained from HVDC (highvoltage direct current) wind farm installations inEurope as well as experience from remote offshoreplatforms.

ABB is exhibiting on stand L78 where there willbe the opportunity to see examples of wind farmconnections and to talk to company experts.

EWEA will be officially opened by PatriciaHewitt, Secretary of State at the Department ofTrade and Industry. Other speakers will includepolitical and industry leaders from across Europe.

UNITED STATES

Space saving turnkey substationproject A $17 million contract to supply acomplete indoor substation for the City of Glendale Water & Power Utility inCalifornia has been awarded to ABB. Theturnkey project will help to meet increasedpower demand from the area. The heartof the project will be 69V gas insulatedswitchgear which offers space saving,maintenance and operational benefits.

ALGERIA

Power boost for industryAlgeria s state owned utility, Sonegaz, isdepending on ABB technology to meetthe fast growing demand for power in the nation s capital, Algiers, and in theindustrialised coastal region to the northof the country. Three projects worth atotal of $85 million include providingseveral 60kV substations, installing 15kmof overhead transmission lines andexpanding two existing 220kVsubstations. A number of high end powercomponents, including gas insulatedswitchgear and a SCADA networkmanagement system, will be supplied.

CHINA

Responding to the dragon’s demandfor powerIn the latest in a series of orders to meetbooming demand for power in China ABBis to supply 500kV GIS substations worth$25 million to the China State GridCorporation. The substations will connectthe 1,100km high voltage direct current(HVDC) power line which the company isbuilding to China s national power grid.The HVDC line will link the Three Gorgespower plant with the city of Shanghai.

DUBAI

New artificial islands will be packedwith powerThe Dubai Electricity and Water Authorityhas order $30 million worth of equipmentfrom ABB to bring electrical power to two man made islands being constructedon the coast of Dubai. Requiring 100 million m3 of rock for construction,the two islands will increase the gulfstate s shoreline by 120km. ABB is todesign, manufacture, install andcommission a turnkey switching station,supply 132kV gas insulated switchgear,protection panels, electrical andmechanical auxiliary equipment and 20kmof 132kV XLPE cable. ABB is alsoresponsible for all the civil works.

ROMANIA

Regenerating MoldoviaRomania s power grid corporation,Transelectrica SA, has awarded ABB a$40 million contract to design and build a new 400/220/110kV substation atGutinas. This will replace an ageing facilityand ensure reliable power in the historicprovince of Moldovia in the north east ofthe country. The new substation is part ofthe 400kV ring which will supply powerand support development in one of thepoorer areas of the country.

Autumn 2004 >> FFWD 05

news

INTERNATIONAL NEWSEuropean windpower conference

A new technology and demonstrationcentre has been opened by ABB in its

Daresbury, Greater Manchester, offices. Thisis the first facility of its kind presented byABB in Europe. It is designed to providecustomers and other visitors with theopportunity to see examples from thecompany’s wide range of products at closequarters.

The centre includes displays of the wide range of ABB products and equipment from smallcomponents to drives, motors, switchgear and even a street light. The products are supported bymultimedia presentation and meeting facilities.

According to Trevor Gregory, managing directorof ABB Limited: “It is not always easy for people toget their minds around the vast array of productsand services we offer through our AutomationTechnologies and Power Technologies businesses.This centre not only provides the ability to get closeand hands on but enables us to show how ourunique approach to innovation and sustainabilitysets ABB apart from others in the market place.”

In the coming months ABB will be hosting aseries of customer visits, industry seminars and otherevents in the new centre.

New ‘hands on’demonstration centre

Gary Steel from ABB Zurichwelcomes visitors to theinauguration of the newtechnology and demonstrationcentre.

FFWD >> www.abb.com/ffwd

06 FFWD >> Autumn 2004

substations

Norton 132kV substation, nearStockton on Tees, serves a

population of over 250,000 – a significantpart of the NEDL (Northern ElectricDistribution) load base – so secure andreliable operation of the site is of vitalimportance. The overall site, which has adirect 400kV feed from one of Europe’slargest gas fired power stations atRedcar, is actually home to foursubstations ranging from NGT’s 400kVand 275kV substations to NEDL’s 132kVand 11kV local distribution network.

The current project is focused on the 132kVsubstation, which interconnects the NationalGrid and NEDL’s distribution network. Theexisting AIS (Air Insulated Switchgear)substation was built in the late 1930s and hadreached the end of its economical working life.Previously, National Grid would have beenresponsible for building and project managingthe replacement. However, a recent relaxation ofregulations now allows a customer distributionnetwork operator (DNO) to build thesubstation and have the relevant circuitstransferred to National Grid on completion.

The original plan was to carry out a ‘like forlike’ replacement and it was put out to tender asa turn-key project on this basis. However, ABBthen came in with an alternative bid based onGIS (gas insulated switchgear) technology foraround £9 million, which was about the samecost as an AIS substation .

It was clear that the GIS approach wouldenable us to work with a ‘green field’ site, withthe main construction and installation ofswitchgear completed off-line and the circuitsswitched-in in a controlled way, so that outagescould be planned well in advance. Incomparison, the AIS approach involved thegreater risk of working in a live compound anddirection of outages would have been muchmore challenging. And since ABB wasproposing to use its compact ELK-04 gasinsulated switchgear, which was already well

proven in substation projects, we decided thatthis represented a lower-risk option.

A further advantage of the GIS approach isthat the new substation is housed indoors, in apurpose built building occupying around onesixth of the space occupied by the existing AISsubstation. This will significantly improve theaesthetics of the site as we will demolish the AISsubstation after it is decommissioned, and theindoor substation requires less maintenance aswell as offering greater reliability.

The new 132kV substation, rated at540MVA, features 20 bays of switchgear (four ofwhich will be transferred to National Grid) with

four incoming circuits fed by supergridtransformers and 12 outgoing circuits, two ofwhich will feed local grid transformers. It alsofeatures new transition joint technology toconnect the existing fluid filled cable circuits tonew XLPE cables (see opposite page).

The key to the success of this mammoth taskhas been in ABB/NEDL’s thorough approach toplanning, coordination and attention to detail atevery phase, from initial design, through civilworks to installation of the equipment andcommissioning. The team has been particularlystrong, especially in the way that every partyinvolved has been encouraged to work together

The new 132kV Norton substation is not only one of the first to beconstructed by a customer DNO under new regulations, it is alsoprobably the largest and most strategically important project everundertaken by NEDL. Ray Puryer, NEDL’s project engineer, outlineshow the close working partnership between ABB and NEDL is helpingto ensure on-time completion of this ‘mammoth task’.

A smooth transition for Norton

The GIS equipment in the Norton substation

right from the very first site meeting. It isrefreshing to see that the traditional customer-supplier relationship has evolved into a truepartnership between ABB and NEDL based onmutual support and flexibility. National Gridhas also played a very important role by takingan equally flexible approach to its ownrequirements and offering help and assistance as required.

For a site of this strategic importance anyoutages have to be planned around a year inadvance. This means that careful planning andcoordination is vital to ensure that all theplanned activities can be accomplished duringthe restricted time available and, mostimportantly, that power is restored on time –which is not always the case in this type ofproject. In fact, ABB and NEDL have workedso well together we are currently slightly aheadof schedule. This gives us added flexibility toplan additional activities for the outages.

In the short-term, the success of this projecthas to be gauged by the commissioning phase,which is always a serious, difficult and exactingprocess. We have a fantastic commissioning

team on site, ably supported by NEDL, NGCand the ABB offices in Stone. We are on targetto have the final 20th bay on-line for February2005, less than two years since we broke groundon site in April 2003.

For the long-term reliability is of course vital.This can only be judged after time. But we doknow that ABB has provided a tried and trustedintegrated solution encompassing GISswitchgear, panels, cables and surge arresters. It also comes with an eight-year guarantee aswell as a ten year maintenance contract.

Outside this contract, NEDL has also askedABB to replace two of the grid transformers andto construct a new 11kV substation in the spacecreated by the 132kV GIS project. So by 2006ABB will have revamped a substantial part ofthe whole Norton site.

Jon Downs, ABB project manager, said: “ForABB this has truly been, and continues to be, an international effort with critical coordinationand planning between focused factories inGermany, Sweden and Finland and the UKproject delivery team”.

Autumn 2004 >> FFWD 07

substations

Jon Downs, ABB project manager, details thenew transition joints used for the first time atNorton

In common with all substations built betweenthe 1940s and 1960s, Norton features long lengthsof fluid filled cables. This provided a challenge whenit came to connecting the existing 132kV circuits tothe new GIS substation, which uses moderntechnology XLPE (cross-linked polyethylene) cables.Of course we could have simply replaced the oldcables with new XLPE cables, but with typicallengths between one and seven km this was noteconomical. Or we could have adopted some ofthe third-party transition joints available, which againwas an expensive option.

Instead, it was decided that the most cost-effective and beneficial solution would be for us todevelop a new design of transition joint designedspecifically to connect XLPE cables to fluid filledcables.

This transition joint is based on a design thathas been in service in Malm and Berlin at 132kV and 110kV since the mid 1980s. The jointhas been upgraded and new type tests weresuccessfully performed at the end of last year atABB High Voltage Cables in Karlskrona, Sweden.

The transition joint is of single core type and themain parts consist of a stainless steel tube, whichcontains a GIS termination that is connected to thefluid filled cable.

The GIS termination provides an oil barrierbetween the XLPE cable and the fluid filled cable.The conductor connection and the fluid filled cableare insulated with oil-impregnated paper, which iskept under pressure from the existing fluid supplysystem.

The transition joint could also be provided with acompound filled glass-fibre box that providescorrosion protection. The glass-fibre box will alsoallow a specially bonded screen/sheath, on theXLPE side or the fluid filled side, for so-called singlepoint bonding or cross bonding.

The GIS termination inside the transition joint isof type APEGA 170 manufactured by ABBKabeldon in Alings s, Sweden. This is a standardtermination used for connection of XLPE cables toGIS substations from 110kV up to and including150kV. This means that the transition joint caneasily be adapted to a 110kV or a 150kV systemjust by changing the design of the paper lappinginside the stainless steel tube.

A total of eighteen single-core transition jointshave been installed at Norton with the specialisedwork being carried out by ABBs dedicated team ofjointers from our focus factory in Karlskrona,Sweden.

Cable transition joints make their debut

Teamwork at Norton (l to r): Leigh Turley (ABB),Ray Puryer (NEDL) and John Lee (ABB)

FFWD >> www.abb.com/ffwd

maintenance

Everyone dreadsunplanned downtime.

It costs money, it wastesresources and, of course, itstrikes when you can least affordit. ABB invests a great deal oftime, effort and resources tohelping its customers avoidunplanned downtime and, if theworst does happen, to keep it toan absolute minimum.

The recent addition of newtechnologies means that as well asproviding its traditional preventivemaintenance and repair servicesABB can offer non-intrusive

diagnostics – just the answer inavoiding the hidden problems thatbuild up then strike causing costly,often irreparable damage.

The ABB Power Technologiessupport organisation in the UKconsists of two arms. TransmissionServices based in Stone, Staffs,handles high voltage, protectionand control systems plus conditionassessment and asset management.Distribution Services located inRugby handles industrial servicecontracts.

Through these two arms ABBcan offer a full service from

proactive, preventive maintenanceand repair through to a rapidreactive service including a 24 houra day telephone hotline.The proactive service covers:� Visual inspections and

diagnostics� Overhauls� Optimisation and modernisation

of substations (small projects) � Supply of spare parts.The reactive service includes:� Emergency response� Repairs� Technical problem solutions

Companies rely on ABB

support for the same reasons thatthey buy from the company in thefirst place; depth of experience,knowledge of technology, extensiveresources and problem solvingcapability.

ABB in the UK has more than100 long-term service customersupport contracts providingplanned maintenance, premiumemergency response and fulltelephone support.

The needs of customers in thetransmissions and distributionservice areas differ but they alsohave much in common.

08 FFWD >> Summer 2004

From regular health checks to urgent repairs ABB has the skills andresources to help organisations beat the curse of unplanneddowntime

Down with downtime, up with output

ABB offers a comprehensive maintenance and inspection service forprivate high voltage electrical distribution networks up to 33kV. Thishealth check service covers four key non-invasive techniques:

Ultraprobe.Electrical problems such as arcing,tracking and corona dischargeproduce airborne ultrasound at thepoint of emission. These dischargescan be quickly located with ABB’s‘Ultraprobe’ scanning. This techniqueis ideal for use on switchgear,transformers, circuit breakers, buss

bars, relays, junction boxes, insulators and other electricalequipment. An ultraprobe scan is an integral part of every ABB HVservice contract.

Oil sampling.A sample of transformer oil can tell an experienced engineer a great deal about the condition of thetransformer. This enables them todo what is needed to ensure

extended life and enhanced reliability. There is considerable skilland experience needed to take

an oil sample from a transformer.

Thermal imaging.This is most useful for inspectingcables and unenclosed low voltageswitchgear, as well as visualising oilcirculation in transformers. Loose orcorroded contacts, load imbalances,poor cable joints or overloadedtransformers, all generate excessheat. This heat is easily identified by

ABB’s own self contained hand held thermal camera, often wellbefore the problem would be picked up by a visual inspection orelectrical test.

Draeger gas analysis is intended to detect sludged oil which can impairthe function of oil insulated circuit breakers manufactured by Long &Crawford or Reyrolle. A sample of air is taken from the top of thecircuit breaker oil and passed over a clear tube containing crystalswhich change colour according to the condition of the oil – rather likean old-fashioned breathalyser kit.

Health check service

TEM (Takao EuropeManufacturing) is a

world-class manufacturer ofhigh quality metal automotivepressings and sub-assembliesfor customers such as Hondaand Toyota. Its fully automatedmanufacturing facility inGloucester uses the industry’smost advanced roboticwelding equipment. However,Takao still needed to find away of defeating thephenomenon known as‘flicker’, a disturbance in thesupply voltage created by thehigh currents drawn during thewelding process. ABBprovided the ideal solution byinstalling Dynacomp electronicdynamic compensatorsystems.

WHAT IS FLICKER?

Flicker occurs when a variableload such as a welding machine orcrane demands a high current in avery short period of time. Withoutreactive power compensation thiscan cause a disturbance of thesupply voltage. Flicker is simply therate at which this voltagedisturbance causes fluctuations inthe voltage supplied to otherequipment. Typically, flicker isobserved by dimming lights. But itcan have serious effects on a widerange of sensitive equipment,especially PLCs and computers.

As well as wanting to eliminateany potential problems with thehealth of its power supply, Takaoalso needed to ensure that it metthe requirements of its local DNO,Central Networks. This called forcompliance with the Electricity

Networks Association EngineeringRequirement P28 on limits forvoltage fluctuations caused byindustrial, commercial anddomestic equipment.

A NEW ANSWER

The conventional solution forautomatic reactive powercompensation comprises banks of capacitors switchedelectromechanically by contactors.The problem is a slow responsetime while the precise instant ofswitching is variable and notcontrolled. This means that theswitching of the capacitors resultsin a large transient. This transientdisturbs the network, is harmful forthe contactors and increases thestress on the capacitors.Electromechanically switched

systems have limited lifetimes andneed regular maintenance.

ABB has taken an alternativeapproach for applications havingshort rise times in designing itsDynacomp fast switching powerfactor correction equipment. Theuse of solid state power electronics(thyristors) rather than contactorsenables the Dynacomp to switchthe capacitors into circuit, with no inrush current, in 10 to 20 milliseconds, which is fastenough to compensate any type ofvariable load. Since the switching is done at the instant when thenetwork voltage is the same as thecapacitor voltage the switching ofcapacitor steps do not create anyswitching surge, and there is noneed to allow discharge timebetween successive switchings.

Transient free switching, with noelectric arc and no moving parts,combined with the self-healingcapacitors used in the Dynacompguarantees a long system life, withno limitation in the number ofswitching operations.

IMPROVED CONTROL OVERWELD QUALITY

To date, ABB has installed atotal of 11 800kVAr Dynacomps atTakao. In addition to eliminatingflicker, the reduction in inrushcurrent is also providing greatercontrol over the weld quality. Andas a bonus the kVA load has alsoreduced considerably, loweringpower consumption for the sameproduction quantities with asuperior quality of finishedproduct.

power quality

Summer 2004 >> FFWD 09

ABB’s high-tech electronically switched dynamic compensators arehelping Takao to deliver world-class welded sub-assemblies for Hondaand Toyota.

Dynacomp defeats flicker for Takao

Takao uses state-of-the-art robotic welding equipment.

FFWD >> www.abb.com/ffwd

It’s a tough challenge, supplyingelectrical power for the accelerators

used in particle physics research. Theseare the research systems used toconcentrate energy and make particlescollide, in order to explore the origins ofthe universe.

It’s the nature of the electrical load thatcreates the challenge. An accelerator uses 12- and 6-pulse thyristor power converters topower the magnets that control particle beams.The resulting power load can swing from zeroto 230MW and 200MVAr within two seconds.

Not only does the load pulse in this way,calling for rapid reactive power control tostabilise the voltage, but strong filtering is alsoneeded, to reduce the harmonics to a very lowlevel.

CERN, the European Organisation forNuclear Research, is the world’s largest particlephysics laboratory. It provides the tools(accelerators and detectors) for physicists toexplore what matter is made of, and what forceshold it together.

There are several accelerators on CERN’s siteon the Franco Swiss border, using static varcompensators (SVC) to meet the demandingpower supply needs. ABB has a long history ofinstalling SVC systems at CERN since 1974.

For the latest Super Proton Synchrotron(SPS) accelerator, after a European tenderprocess, CERN awarded ABB the contract todesign, install and commission the SVC.

The SPS accelerator measures 7km incircumference, and will serve as an injector ofprotons and heavy ions for CERN’s new LargeHadron Collider (LHC).

THE SOLUTION

The ABB static var compensator for theaccelerator incorporates a 150MVAr thyristor-controlled reactor (TCR), with eight harmonicfilters. Total power rating is 130MVAr. Thesystem was installed in 2002.

The load is divided into two independentgroups, and the power is supplied directly from

the 400kV European grid via two 90MVAtransformers with another on standby.

The compensation for the first load group ishandled by an existing 120MVAr 18kV SVC,using saturated reactor technology. To meetincreased power requirements and due toreliability issues, a new 150MVAr 18kV SVCwas installed for the second load group. A thirdSVC, technically identical to the first, acts as astandby system.

TUNING OUT HARMONICS

The SVC consists of a TCR rated at150MVAr and eight harmonic filters tuned to 100, 150, 250, 350, 550, 650 Hz and twodamped high-pass filters.

The filters generate a total reactive power of 130MVAr.

Due to the increase in capacitive power of the new SVC, compared to the existingcompensators, the natural resonance point is at a lower frequency and close to the secondharmonic. This aspect required particularattention when designing the second harmonicfilter in order to achieve the best compromisebetween a moderate filter impedance andsufficient damping. The dynamics of the SVCcontrol, including measurement filters, wasdesigned to take into account this low frequencyresonance.

The SVC normally operates with allharmonic filters connected. To reduce SVClosses during periods of moderate networkloading, the HF filter is split into two portionsHF1 and HF2, allowing the disconnection of18.2MVAr of the filter HF2.

OUTDOOR INSTALLATION

The installation is located in Prévessin inFrance, close to CERN’s major 400kV station.The SVC is an outdoor installation coveringabout 2500 square metres, with a prefabricatedbuilding for high voltage thyristor valves,cooling system and SVC control system.

The SVC layout aims to minimise the timerequired for component maintenance andreplacement. Filter reactors and filter capacitorsof individual phases are arranged horizontallyand not on top of each other. To reduce thelikelihood of faults caused by wildlife and snow,large distances separate live parts from earth,and the general insulation level was increased to36kV.

CERN, the European Organisation for NuclearResearch, is an international organisation with 20 Member States. Founded in 1954, thelaboratory was one of Europe’s first joint ventures.A joint CERN-ABB technical paper on the newSVC installation is available on www.abb.com

10 FFWD >> Autumn 2004

international project

FACTS smoothes the power forBig Bang research

CERN, the world’s largest particle physics laboratory, chose ABB FACTStechnology to power its Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) accelerator.

The SPS (Super ProtonSynchrotron) tunnel with,in the foreground in red,a dipole magnet. About800 six-metre longdipole magnets guidethe beam.

Safety first and last

Safety is central to theABB way of doing

things, both for its own peopleand for everyone whose livesand businesses it touches –suppliers, contractors,customers and the generalpublic. It strives for world-class performance in all areasof safety management and theelimination of all incidents andaccidents from its operations.

In pursuit of these goals ABBhas adopted the requirements ofthe Occupational Health & SafetyAssessment Series OHSAS 18001as the framework for alloccupational health and safetymanagement systems.

The company’s professional in-house team is supported byindependent safety advisers whoprovide guidance, advice, supportand training.

All staff are actively involved in managing safety performance.Monthly safety forums are heldwithin each business stream. These are backed up by quarterlycombined safety groups withvolunteer and appointed safetyrepresentatives.

EMPLOYEE COMPETENCE

Comprehensive craft, technicaland safety training and educationprogrammes are maintained foremployees at all levels andlocations. The Institute ofOccupational Safety and Health(IOSH) Managing Safety coursesprovide the foundation for allsafety training. These are supportedby general rolling and specialistcourses.

For work on electrical systems, a

comprehensive Competency BasedAuthorisation (CBA) process ismaintained that validates thetraining, education and experienceof everyone involved, leading tospecific authorisation to work oroperate on HV systems. This‘Electrical Safety Management’process and ABB’s compliance is independently reviewed andassessed each year by LloydsRegister on behalf of distributionnetwork operators (DNOs).

RISK MANAGEMENT

The principles of effective riskassessment are right at the heart ofmanagement systems throughoutthe organisation.

ABB’s Electrical Safety Rules forwork at high and low voltage arethe result of many years ofexperience within the electricalpower industry and all meet themost exacting requirements of theUK’s transmission and distributionoperators, both on public andprivate infrastructures.

The National InspectionCouncil for Electrical InstallationContractors (NICEIC) and Lloyds

Register assess allof our operationsfor safety,technical andquality standardsagainst theNational wiringregulations(BS7671:1992)and the NationalElectricalRegistrationScheme (NERS).The scope ofcertification

under these schemes permits ABBto provide the full range ofinstallation and maintenanceactivities on all power systems andat all voltage levels. Lloyds Registerand the NICEIC maintaincontinuous programmes ofsurveillance, assuring our customersthat standards are alwaysmaintained at the highest level.

All subcontractors are requiredto meet high standards of safety

management before they can pre-qualify to work for ABB.

A full programme of inspectionsand audits is maintained byinternal and external staff, which,together with all third party audits,provides the basis for managementreview of compliance with ourplanned arrangements.

RECENT ACHIEVEMENTS� The St John’s Wood project, a

400kV gas insulated substationfor National Grid Transco, hasrecently achieved 200,000 manhours without any lost timeincidents

� More than 50,000 incident freeman hours has been achieved onthe Rugeley Power station whereABB is installing a 400/25kVsubstation to serve the WestCoast mainline electrificationproject

� On the Norton project the ABBteam has exceeded 25,000incident-free man hours.

Autumn 2004 >> FFWD 11

health & safety

To deliver results health and safety must be at the heart of a company’sculture and commitment. ABB is working hard to achieve best practiceand demonstrate its continuous drive for improvement

Safety PerformanceABB has an enviable safety performance record. Our RIDDOR (+) InjuryIncident Rate (Reportable and fatal injuries per 100,000 employees) for 2003was 1300, this compares against the HSE rate of circa 1200 for theconstruction industry. This performance has won ABB four consecutive Goldawards from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA)

Active commitmentABB is a full and active member ofthe following trade associations� Association of Street Lighting

Contractors (ASLEC)� British Safety Council� Construction Health & Safety

Group � Electrical Contractors Association

Third Party Certificationsinclude� Lloyds Register Electrical Safety

Management (ESM)� Lloyds Register National Electrical

Registration Scheme (NERS)� NICEIC� ISO 9001

Safety Awards achieved� Four consecutive RoSPA Gold

awards

Steve Wheatcroft (left), site manager, with Peter Gill, safety officer, at St John’s Wood.

FFWD >> www.abb.com/ffwd

12 FFWD >> Autumn 2004

product update

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www.abb.com/ffwd

ABB’s package substation service is designed to provide the perfect

solution for utilities, DNOs or industrialcustomers who need a

distribution substationeither for new

connections or upgrade

projects.

Instead of customers having to worry aboutthe specification, ordering and installation of theindividual transformers and switchgear thatmake up a distribution substation, ABB cansimply take their technical specifications andprovide a complete package substation. Thiscomes with the added benefit that the package issupplied fully factory assembled and tested, andready to deliver and install on site. The service isespecially suited to customers who need largenumbers of similar substations to be delivered on an as-needed basis.

A typical ABB outdoor package substation fora utility customer will comprise an 11kV/433Vdistribution transformer, together with a ringmain switchgear unit and fuse cabinet.

ABB unit substation transformers (shown left) are designed specifically for close couplingto switchgear, motor control, bus duct or othertypes of incoming and outgoing equipment.ABB’s proven design offers excellent mechanicalstrength proven through both exhaustive testsand years of service. ABB’s transformerproduction facilities are equipped with hightechnology winding, processing and testingequipment and the plant operates to ISO 9001and ISO 14001.

ABB offers a complete service for the manufacture and assembly of outdoor package substations tailored to meet the specific needsof utilities, DNOs and industrial customers

For further information about any of these subjects please visitwww.abb.com/ffwd or contact us as follows:

A perfect pre-assembled package

CONTACTS

Substations — 01785 825050HV/MV Switchgear — 01925 741469Automation — 01785 825050Service — 0845 6011946

Transformers — 01925 741244Asset Management — 01785 825050Wind Power — 01785 825050General Enquires — 01785 825050