Retrofitting electrical systems to save energy, cut carbon and accelerate decarbonization
28/04/2023 ABB Ltd - Electrification Business
Upgrading outdated components can reduce the cost of operating equipment by a third and extend its life cycle by as much as 30 years, as well as resulting in enormous energy savings for businesses. Stuart Thompson, President of ABB’s Electrification Service Division, talks us through the greatest opportunities for cost and carbon savings and explains why businesses can’t afford not to consider retrofitting.
November 2022 saw world leaders gather at the COP27 climate summit to discuss the urgent need to decarbonize key industries – including manufacturing, food, cloud computing and energy – by investing in new technologies, making older equipment more energy efficient and changing management practices.
One approach that combines these three priorities is retrofitting, something many commercial operators have been talking about for years but have not felt the urgency to implement. Until now.
From Europe’s hottest heat waves to severe flooding in Pakistan, 2022 saw some of the worst impacts of climate change hitting home. And unless we accelerate decarbonization now to stop global temperatures rising more than 1.5°C, there will be much worse to come.
On top of this, many commercial industries across the world are facing rising inflation and potential energy and supply chain disruption, putting the onus on facilities management teams to reduce expenditure on large new pieces of equipment and focus instead on extending the lifecycle and productivity of existing electrical assets.
This is backed by a recent ABB Energy Insights survey[1] of 2,300 large and small businesses worldwide, which revealed that 92% of business leaders are concerned about the threat energy costs pose to the profitability and competitiveness of their business, with 74 percent having taken some action or are looking at potential actions to mitigate against fluctuating energy costs and security.
Extending the life cycle of equipment by up to three decades
One of the greatest opportunities for carbon and cost savings is upgrading outdated components so that existing electrical equipment lasts much longer, uses minimal energy in production and prevents downtime from breakdowns.
With this approach, for example, we have seen some of our clients’ facilities reduce the cost of operating equipment by a third while extending its life cycle by as much as 30 years. In fact, 50 percent of electrical equipment like metal cabinets, steel plates and busbars – products with high carbon footprints – can be used perpetually without being replaced if outdated components such as circuit breakers, electrical switches, fuses and contactors are regularly monitored, maintained and upgraded.
In terms of best practice, early adopters are taking a preventative approach, replacing older, non-digital circuit breakers with more intelligent, sensor-enabled breakers linked to cloud-computing platforms.
These can provide real-time data and analysis on asset condition, performance and potential safety issues, helping operators prevent potential hazards before they arise and minimizing disruptions to production.
For example, when the Käppala Wastewater Treatment Plant[2] in Lidingö, Stockholm, which treats the wastewater of 650,000 residents all day, every day, wanted to upgrade its power distribution system, ABB proposed and installed a retrofit solution, where only the circuit breakers were replaced.
The existing Megamax F1/F2 circuit breaker was replaced with the Emax 2, offering a smart and swift upgrade of the existing LV switchgear. Not only did this mean the plant did not need to be shut down for an extended period, something that was not an option for an operation that treats more than a million cubic meters of wastewater every day, the upgrade also improved the efficiency and reliability of the plant.
Through ABB’s Ekip Connect software, a programmed signal indicates when maintenance actions are needed. Connecting to the ABB Ability Electrical Distribution Control System provides preventative maintenance and enables remote monitoring of the installation.
Staggering investment and reducing downtime
One of the key benefits of retrofitting over the tried and tested alternative of waiting for large pieces of electrical equipment to fail before replacing them is the lack of downtime during the upgrade.
Various sectors, including food and beverage producers simply can’t afford to experience long-term shutdown of vital plant equipment such as vats, while for other industries, like data centers, a data shutdown can be catastrophic due to the potential reputational damage. We all know how quickly news travels when apps like WhatsApp or Slack stop working.
For operators in the healthcare field, however, a reliable power supply can mean the difference between life and death. Any upgrade process must therefore be implemented without any impact on the continuity of healthcare, which often means staggering the process over time.
For instance, when the breakers became outdated at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital[3] (KKH) in Singapore (pictured below), ABB provided a staged approach, which was carried out during a few carefully planned shutdown hours over several years.
To replace the old Megamax F5 devices with new smart Emax E4.2 breakers, ABB used a ‘cradle-in-cradle’ technology, which enables the replacement of any manufacturer’s older low-voltage circuit breakers with ABB Emax 2 breakers. Each phase of the replacement work was completed within a short shutdown window, with eight air circuit breakers replaced in seven hours. This enabled the facility to maintain its normal operations while gradually modernizing its electric-power protection system.
From a financial perspective, retrofit service also allows customers to make new investments in stages rather than as a single, large investment.
Where there is a large installed base, staggering the retrofits over time will help to optimize capital expenditure as well as enable the installations to be made during shorter production breaks and ideally within normal planned maintenance downtime periods.
Improving safety and accelerating decarbonization
For other sectors, including transportation, the focus over recent years has been improving safety standards and decarbonizing. These were both key priorities for the Beijing Fentai Railway Station[4], which underwent a multi-year renovation process before reopening in April 2022.
Amongst the most important transportation hubs in Beijing, it has the capacity to handle 14,000 passengers. Its new, improved low voltage power distribution system, therefore, had to ensure smooth, safe, reliable operation.
ABB’s retrofit solution included new Emax2 air circuit breakers and new Tmax XT MCCBs (Molded Case Circuit Breaker), as well as other electrical products. The newly installed technology guards against overload, short circuiting and ground faults, as well as providing indirect shock protection, contributing to a higher-performing, lower-risk electrical system.
The new station, which links Beijing with other destinations in China, including Tianjin and Hebei, is also part of China’s drive to encourage resource sharing between cities and build a circular economy. ABB’s solution increases the efficiency of the railway infrastructure, creating a safer, greener commuting environment for passengers.
The bottom line is that running a piece of equipment to the point of failure could cost up to 10 times more[5] than investing in a program of regular maintenance, not to mention the environmental impact of buying new equipment. At a time when industry is being compelled to raise safety standards and take tangible action on climate change, the question isn’t how can we afford to prioritize retrofitting but rather how can we afford not to?
[1] https://campaign.abb.com/energy-insights-report-2023
[2] https://new.abb.com/news/detail/5328/stockholm-wastewater-treatment-plant-makes-a-clean-switch
[3] https://new.abb.com/news/detail/19855/abb-circuit-breakers-reduce-critical-downtime-for-major-singapore-hospital
[4] https://new.abb.com/news/detail/66537/abb-supports-beijing-fengtai-railway-station-retrofit-promoting-the-coordinated-development-of-beijing-tianjin-hebei-region
[5] https://assets.kpmg.com/content/dam/kpmg/au/pdf/2020/potential-economic-pay-off-circular-economy-australia-2020.pdf
Print this articleFor more information, please contact:
Eva Ford-Murphy
Global Head of External Communications,
Electrification Service
ABB Ltd
Tel: +61 439 341 812
Email: eva.ford-murphy@au.abb.com
Web: solutions.abb/electrificationservice
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