David Hughes, Managing Director for ABB in the UK, reflects on the past, present and future of the ubiquitous variable speed drive as new generation of engineers are increasingly becoming aware of its advantages. The Past The variable speed drive (VSD) is now over 50 years old. Its purpose in life, from then to now, … Continue reading →
Sludge Density Pump Control or Reactive Pump Control (RPC) Introduction Sludge is created when a liquid containing solids is settled. Typically, this can be in PSTs (Primary Settling Tanks) or Humus Tanks in sewage treatment works. Alternatively, it can occur in mineral processing plant in clarifiers. The pumps that take the sludge from the bottom … Continue reading →
As the water industry moves towards AMP 7 (asset management plan), among the key challenges facing the sector is ensuring maximum uptime of the installed base of pumps and their motors and drives. ABB‘s Clayton Mead, UK Water Manager – Drives, offers some advice. Whereas previously pumps, motors or drives had a back up that … Continue reading →
Haven’t the last few months been rather surreal? I am guessing your company, like ours, are busy putting in new measures to keep staff and customers as safe as possible. In an effort kick start returning to a form of normality and to enable us to continue to add value to our customers, we are … Continue reading →
How Fast Can My Inverter Drive My Motor? This is a frequently asked question and the answer needs careful consideration. There are power and mechanical limits with a nod to the torque characteristics of a squirrel cage motor. The inverter itself is usually capable of providing the increased frequency. ABB inverters typically output 400Hz – … Continue reading →
Digital technology is helping pump operators to make their systems more resilient, by tackling everything from ragging to turbidity. But even greater developments are around the corner. Whether it’s involved in moving water, sludge or indeed any other substance, a pump’s cargo is always precious. Inefficiency is always unacceptable, and building resilient pump systems that … Continue reading →
ABB Inverter Flux Optimisation In this video, IDS engineer, Blaise Ford demonstrates the ABB Inverter Flux Optimisation feature. For this demonstration, we are using our Balloon Machine demonstration rig. The rig has an ABB inverter, which drives a motor that is connected to a fan. We will switch on the motor, let it settle and … Continue reading →
ABB drives increase process speed and accuracy, improving productivity and efficiency An eight percent increase in productivity is achieved by installing two ABB variable-speed drives on a waste sorting machine. Wastecycle is a waste reclamation and recycling company with two plants, in Nottingham and Leicester. The company collects and processes 450,000 tonnes of waste each … Continue reading →
