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Technology Report

ABB Group Annual Report 1999

Brain Power.

en_TechReport 17.02.2000 8:00 Uhr Seite UG1

180

160

140

120

100

95 96 97 98 99

3,000

2,500

2,000

1,500

1,000

,500

89 91 93 95 97 98 991 1998 and 1999 figures not including Power Generation

Contents Key Figures

Group investment in Research and Development1

(US$ in millions)

Intensity of Innovation: Percentage of business based on products developed in the past five years

Increase of first patent filings since 1995(%)

Factory Automation

Power Systems

Distribution Products and Systems

Petroleum, Chemical & Consumer Industrial

High-Voltage Switchgear

Metals & Minerals

Industrial Service

85%

85%

75%

75%

75%

70%

65%

2 Highlights

1 Working in the economy of ideas

2 Growing ABB’s intellectual capital

6 Cutting edge

13 Laser beams and paper machines

14 Future factory

16 Coal mind

18 Intelligent microbes

20 Remote-controlled power

22 The new body shop

24 Power Distribution

26 Brain power

29 Fresh start

30 Fault finder

31 Sea change

34 New depths

36 Excellent connections

37 Academia

40 Power Transmission

42 Changing the variables

43 Tip driver

44 Composite revolution

46 Y2k

47 The little robot

48 Service standards

50 Connected

51 Nature’s way

52 The smart heart

55 Synchronize your switches

56 Green drive

58 Technologies in Automation

60 Technologies in Oil, Gas and Petrochemicals

62 Technologies in ABB Transmission and ABB Distribution

64 ABB Building Technologies

66 Glossary

68 Technology Management

Numbers given exclude the Power Generation business

en_TechReport 17.02.2000 8:00 Uhr Seite UG2

ABB Group Technology Report 1999 1

Ours is an era of exponential and fast change. Amid

the opening of markets that characterizes globalization,

new technologies mature and knowledge grows day

by day. Some people are uncomfortable with the

rate and speed of change. But there are untold new

opportunities in among the challenges that change

brings. At ABB, we see new technologies as a way to

seek solutions today that will benefit our customers,

and society, tomorrow. Higher efficiencies, better use

of natural resources, higher productivity, less impact

on the environment, remediation: technology,

prudently used, will make it possible.

Another important part in the big picture as we enter

the 21st Century is that we are increasingly living in an

economy of ideas as well as an economy of physical

things. This is creating totally new ways of defining

value and of adding value.

It is against this backdrop that we are transforming

ABB into a knowledge-based company. We are

reshaping our business portfolio in order to lessen

our dependence on heavy assets and to increase

our reliance on intellectual resources. The combined

brain power of our 165,000 people in more than 100

countries is our future. We build knowledge to inject

more creativity, innovation and ingenuity into every

aspect of our business.

As this report shows, technology plays an important

role in this process of change. It also demonstrates our

strong emphasis on achieving significant technological

breakthroughs to maintain our position at the cutting

edge. The results of ABB’s global R&D that are

represented here are very encouraging.

In the economy of both physical things and ideas,

ABB is moving up a value chain from electricity

through electronics to software and beyond. Much

of the value added we obtain from technology comes

from infusing new knowledge into traditional

products, giving them more functionality through

added software, making them smarter with microcir-

cuit brains. By making products, systems and whole

ranges of solutions more intelligent, we add

managability to functionality, and predictability to

reliability.

Another strand in our value chain places us squarely

in the economy of ideas, linking our technological

offerings to efficiency and productivity gains. How?

Through new behavior. Through working so closely

with our customers that we become part of their

business, and they part of ours.

In the realm of technology, in R&D, cooperation has

always been the key. Our relationships with technology

partners and customers seeking new solutions are at

the heart of ABB’s success.

But it is people who drive innovation. Our thousands

of scientists and engineers, with their dedication,

creativity and ingenuity, form the core of our most

precious asset as a global company – the brain power

of ABB.

Working in the economy of ideas

Göran Lindahl

President and Chief

Executive Officer

Göran Lindahl President and Chief Executive Officer

en_TechReport 17.02.2000 8:00 Uhr Seite 1

2 ABB Group Technology Report 1999

ABB is in the midst of a dramatic transformation. We

are expanding in businesses where we can combine

our knowledge of the markets with our latest tech-

nology to provide our customers not simply with a

product, or a system, but with greater competitive-

ness. We are reducing our dependence on businesses

based on heavy assets and fixed capital, and growing

fast in new and flexible businesses based on intel-

lectual capital.

At the heart of ABB’s intellectual capital is research

and development. Only by cultivating outstanding

ideas, focusing them on the needs of our customers,

measuring their impact and protecting them as a

source of value creation can we assure that ABB will

continue to be successful as it grows in what we call

the knowledge and service economies of the future.

In this report, we want to share with you some

of our good ideas and recent major achievements,

introduce you to some of our people, show you how

we manage R&D, and talk about some of the many

challenges that lie ahead.

Making breakthroughs happen

ABB spends some eight percent of its revenues on

research and development, a high level for the type

of industry we are in. We make this investment

because we believe it is the foundation for our future

growth and profitability. Through it we keep our

products and systems competitive, develop

innovative solutions for our customers and make

technological breakthroughs that change the rules

of the game in our industry, while creating value for

our customers and, ultimately, our shareholders.

Let’s take some examples of breakthroughs and how

we make them happen:

■ Imagine being able to log on to a Web site, use

some simple pull-down menus to design a product

like an electrical transformer to meet your particular

requirements, then click the mouse to have that

product manufactured by a team of robots and

delivered within a matter of hours. ABB has created

a factory using the power of the Internet and our

knowledge of robotics and flexible manufacturing

to make it possible.

■ Measuring the quality of water is a tedious process

today. You need to collect samples, bring them to

a properly equipped lab where technicians carry out

the analysis. We have created a smart alternative –

a complete and self contained free-floating lab that

uses the latest micro-technologies to collect and

analyze water automatically, then makes the results

immediately available to the customer online.

■ What if you could engineer or build things from

scratch by manipulating molecules? For example,

what if you could develop a new catalyst by creating

a microscopic grid structure into which you could

place tiny catalytic particles? With the right surface

and coating, the chemical reaction is much more

efficient and easier to control.

By working with these so-called nanotechnologies,

we will be able to engineer materials exactly the way

we want them, with the properties we need, like

conductivity, flexibility, robustness or resistance to

heat and pressure. This will have a tremendous

impact on chemical processes, insulation, magnetic

materials and coatings, and other areas.

As exciting as such breakthroughs are, you can’t

plan them. You need instead to create the kind of

environment in which new ideas have room to grow.

Management plays a vital role to guide the thinking

of researchers, set ambitious goals, and stimulate

people to go for leapfrog innovations. A must is to

Growing ABB’s intellectual capital



Markus Bayegan



make funding available to original research or high

risk research that has the potential for a high reward

– 20 percent of our corporate resources are allocated

to exploration, experimentation and pre-studies.

But other incentives are also key: setting targets that

stretch peoples’ imaginations; understanding the

valuable lessons to be learned from making mistakes;

and recognizing people with both financial and non-

financial rewards when they succeed.

Supporting ABB’s strategic goals

ABB’s shift into more knowledge and service-based

businesses means software has become an increas-

ingly significant constituent of our products. In fact,

we cannot maintain our technological leadership

without a strong position in software technology.

Today, ABB has thousands of people developing

software and embedding it in our products, making

them faster, able to do much more, communicate

with other products, monitor their own operation –

in short, software makes our products smarter. In

R&D, we focus not only on the

software itself, but also on the ways

we create software. Our goal is to

improve the quality of our software

products and reduce the time and

cost of development.

But we are also monitoring the

development of emerging software

technologies, such as gesture

programming, component technology

and robust software technologies.

Several pilot projects are under way

and look very promising.

The global market is changing

rapidly, in part because the frontiers

of technology are expanding so

quickly. In this environment, successful companies

are those that are fast and flexible, that know their

customers’ markets and needs better than the

competition, that focus on building and protecting

their intellectual capital so they can deliver complete

business solutions. This is the strategic approach

that guides the direction of R&D at ABB.

That’s also why knowledge management – creating,

organizing and applying knowledge – is an integral

part of what we do. This is knowledge about our

customers, their processes and needs, about state-

of-the-art technology, about what the future holds.

Through our Engineering System Integration

program, we ensure that knowledge management

is integrated into our engineering processes.

We also have to maintain our strength in

manufacturing, a particular challenge for ABB

where, because we serve so many industries, the

scope of our manufacturing capabilities is so wide.

We manufacture products in lots of millions, and



highly customized products that are virtually one of

a kind. At the same time the very nature of manu-

facturing technology is changing under the influence

of information technology, for instance, the Internet.

So one of our R&D goals is to find new ways of

manufacturing that make us more cost-efficient while

delivering ever-higher quality and functionality.

The advances of science and technology are

premised on cooperation within the global scientific

community. We consider ourselves very much a part

of that community. Together with leading and inter-

nationally recognized universities we follow the

latest technological developments. Already we see

that recent advances in several areas, such as the

micro-engineered catalysts described above, have

the potential for more breakthroughs in the future.

Delivering value

While we aim to deliver world class R&D, our

ultimate goal is to add value. That, in turn, means

we also have to be able to measure this value. Our

continued attention to value creation through R&D

is supported by several measurement systems.

Obvious in this regard is the number of patents

and invention disclosures, which again showed

a good increase in 1999. Since January 1999 we also

look at the intensity of innovation in our business

areas, measured as the proportion of each area’s

annual sales derived from products developed during

the last five years.

We feel confident that in 1999 major progress

was made to realize our vision for ABB’s R&D.

The measurement of return on investment clearly

underlines the significant role R&D plays in creating

business for ABB and value for shareholders. Our

systematic approach to creating protected positions

within important technology areas lays the

foundations for our future growth. And finally,

beyond this vision we have the working reality of

a goal-oriented, fast-acting R&D team of thousands

of dedicated scientists and engineers who make

it all happen.

H. Markus Bayegan

Senior Corporate Officer, Group R&D and Technology


CuttingEdg



ABB has always prided itself on the level of invest-

ment and the amount of effort it puts into research.

Whether it be short-term, market-driven development

of products or long-term blue sky research, ABB

works on the belief that constant, well-funded

innovation is vital to maintaining its lead as a techno-

logy company serving its customers and shareholders.

But innovation in a vacuum is of little inherent value.

There has to be a precise focus for research and

development. At ABB the focus is clear. It is to create

products that have the potential to change markets –

products that will set the standard for future

generations.

Easy to say; harder to achieve. Harder unless the

determination to break new ground is backed by

three vital elements: a willingness to take risks; a

determination to set ambitious targets around long-

term visions; and the will to invest adequate corporate

funds to make those long-term visions a reality.

No technology company, however inventive or well-

resourced, can do it alone. ABB has always recognized

the importance of building partnerships with the

world’s leading universities and research centers to

create an outward-looking network of innovators.

This combination of core research expertise and

cooperation with other institutes helped us achieve

a number of breakthroughs in key areas of corporate

research.

Automation Technologies

Fully-integrated manufacturing – Today automation

can mean solutions from a single robot through to a

full production line. The trend among manufacturers

in the recent past has been to concentrate on indivi-

dual pieces of robot equipment. But that is changing.

Now firms are looking for systems that make a whole

production process work together – full manufactur-

ing solutions, including software and hardware.

ABB has developed a simple solution. The Basic

Integration Platform for Flexible Automation is,

in effect, the hub of an automated manufacturing

system. Companies can plug in their specific

requirements to this platform and perform the tasks

of control, network communication and information

management in a distributed control environment.

gEdgeResearch risks today that make a difference tomorrow



Electric Power

Technologies

is looking into ways to

improve the distribution

and transmission of power.

ABB’s main expertise in

this field is in insulation,

current conduction,

limitation and interruption,

electromagnetic interfer-

ence and electrical systems

engineering.

Power Electronics

The development of

breakthrough technologies

in the critical area of power

semiconductor chips and

power modules form the

backbone of this research.

The platform is an integral part of the move to

Industrial Information Technology. The advantage

to industry is that firms no longer have to order

isolated bits of high-tech equipment and try to inte-

grate them. Now companies can order a seamless

manufacturing plant, which is already fully-integrated.

Sensors and Communication

Radio wave control – Automated factories and

workplaces depend on accurate control systems

to make them work smoothly and efficiently.

The control system is like the nervous system of

the body, making everything work in harmony.

When ABB came to design a new range of control-

lers it decided to make thorough changes. It went

to the heart of the controller; the communication

system for on-site programming and testing of the

controller.

Traditionally, communications in this field have

relied on wireless infrared. Cheap and robust, this

has done the job well. But it has shortcomings. For

instance, infrared requires a direct, uninterrupted line

of sight and this is not always easy to achieve on a

busy shopfloor or workspace.

ABB’s search for a better solution led the company

to look at innovations being pioneered by radio

specialists. In particular, it looked at the Bluetooth

collaborative project between Ericsson, Nokia, Intel,

IBM and Toshiba to produce a world standard in

radio communication between office equipment,

networks, portable PCs, and mobile phones. Nearly

all PCs and cell phones are expected to have this

new technology fitted as standard by the end of

the year 2000.

ABB has integrated Bluetooth into its next-generation

controller. Extra equipment has been added includ-

ing a transceiver, an internal antenna, a matching

network and a connector for an external antenna.

Bluetooth drivers and software have been imported

to the new controller’s operating system.

Automation

Technologies

is a key area of research

dealing with the improve-

ment of production process

efficiency. It is concerned

with simulation, control and

optimization strategies, the

interaction between people

and machines, embedded

software, mechatronics,

monitoring and diagnosis.

Sensors and

Communication

is changing at a rapid rate.

The trend is towards

replacing electro-magnetic

devices with electronic or

micro-sized optical and

ultra-low power solutions.

Rapid progress is being

made thanks to important

breakthroughs in sensors,

micro-engineered

mechanical systems and

wireless communication.



The result is the world’s first integrated Bluetooth

short-range communication link for industrial

applications. It allows ABB controllers to link a range

of office systems into a single network.

Electric Power Technologies

(Un)common capacitor – ABB is developing a

common capacitor for AC and DC applications which

is safer, cleaner and cheaper to use. The DryHED

capacitor is an oil-free system.

ABB technicians are concentrating first on building a

DC capacitor to prove the dry technology approach.

The first DC DryHED will be built for use both in

trains and in power systems like ABB’s HVDC Light™.

In the second phase the development team will turn

to an AC capacitor. ABB believes that environmental

demands will create a large market for AC systems as

well as DC versions. Having a common production

line for both will make it cost-effective to meet that

market demand.

A prototype is installed in a Danish HVDC Light™

station and development work has proved the

novel design concept behind DryHED. One of its

outstanding features is that it comes in two formats –

a flat design for traction applications like trains and

a cylindrical design for power stations.

Another unique feature is its inexpensive modular

make-up – the system is divided into tightly wound

elements called “cheeses” (measuring only 150 mm

by 180mm) which are stacked on top of each other

and can be added until the required voltage level is

reached.

ABB calculates that the new DC system will also

deliver space savings of up to 25 percent. In AC the

benefits should be just as dramatic.

Digital sweeper – Low-voltage electricity

networks are regularly distorted by harmonics –

the interference that originates from a multitude of

electrical devices working in close proximity. The

effect can pollute the network with high frequency

currents and wipe out energy savings.

Manufacturing

Technologies

Changing the way things

are made can have a

dramatic effect on their

performance. But the best

changes are those which

also cut the cost of

manufacturing and the time

it takes for a product to get

to market. Investigating

highly productive, flexible

forms of manufacturing is a

bedrock of ABB’s research

effort.

Engineering Systems

and Software

Engineering

One of the key challenges

ABB faces is to harness

the power of software and

information technology to

make its own engineering

systems more responsive

and efficient. The search for

new ways to do business is

constant and a core activity

for ABB researchers.

Oil, Gas and

Petrochemicals

ABB has been a pioneer

in developing high-tech

solutions to aid the extrac-

tion of oil and gas from very

deep waters, increasingly

the main area of operation

for the petroleum industry.

Due to the nature of the

environment in which oil

companies are now

working, the development

work is often, if not always,

groundbreaking.

Mechanics

Smart materials, advanced

rotor dynamics for high-

speed machines,

lightweight design, noise

and vibration control –

these are technologies

relevant to almost

everything ABB does.



ABB has developed a fully digital system for sweep-

ing away unwanted harmonic disturbance from

networks. It is a far more efficient and less risky

method than any comparable analogue sweeper

currently in use.

The Power Quality Filter employs high-speed digital

signals to scan for interference. Compensating

currents are then generated digitally and injected into

the network to clean up the electrical pollution. The

system wipes out the risk of overload associated with

analogue systems. It is compact and easy to extend.

A deliberately simple design means the system is

cheaper to operate and easy to install in a smaller

amount of floor space.

Power Electronics

Soft switching – ABB has tackled a key part of

the electronic work chain to develop an extremely

efficient, high-power converter from motor drives

higher than five megawatts (MW). The individual

power semiconductor chips which make up these

complex systems can be turned on and off at

precisely the most efficient time.

The concept seems simple enough. The idea was

to develop a converter that could minimize switching

losses – one major cause of unwanted heat dissipat-

ion in these systems. But the results have been

dramatic.

Combining this new concept with the innovative

IGCT – a thyristor, or high-power valve that can be

switched off without the use of auxiliary filters – has

substantially reduced switching losses. The technique

employed is called Soft Switching. It turns the power

valves on or off only at moments when either the

current or the voltage is zero.

Oil, Gas and Petrochemicals

All-in-one – Subsea processing calls for compact

solutions. The main drivers for improvements to

existing equipment and new concepts are size,

weight and footprint (the area occupied by the

facility on the ocean floor). Reducing these leads to

significant cost savings on topside and subsea

processing plants.

Sand contamination is an increasing problem during

oil production, where many installations have been

designed without accounting for the amounts of sand

following the well stream. This has often led to

erosion problems in piping, valves and other devices

directly in contact with the well stream. Sand can fill

various process units such as separators and heat

exchangers, reducing their efficiency.

A Compact Concentric Cylindric Cyclone (4C) utilizes

moderate gravity forces to make the internal flow

path geometry suitable for gas/liquid and sand

separation, all in one unit. It features one cylindrical

unit placed inside another, where the outer cylinder

serves as pressure containment and volume buffer.

Special emphasis has been put on smooth handling

of the oil/water mixture to avoid severe droplet

break-up and stable emulsions downstream of the

cyclone.

The 4C fits particularly well with development of

deepwater gas fields far from existing infrastructure.

Mechanics

Fanplastic – Ongoing demand for improved

performance and efficiency, coupled with lower

costs, has led manufacturers of high-speed rotating

machines such as fans and impellers to improve the

properties of the materials used. Fiber-reinforced



composites fulfill these requirements better than

standard materials, such as steel, aluminum or

titanium alloys, because of their extraordinary

strength-to-weight and stiffness-to-weight ratios.

While many types of composites exist, the most

mature and promising materials are those based on

carbon fiber-reinforced polymers. The challenge

involved in manufacturing structures made with

these materials lies in the need to orient continuous

fibers in multiple directions.

The process, called robot-based thermoplastic fiber

placement, overcomes existing technology hurdles

by using impregnated thermoplastic tape, which is

heated and then consolidated in situ under pressure.

ABB has implemented the process with a 6-axis

robotic system and has used it to develop fans to

cool vital systems, for example, in locomotives.

Now it is possible to produce impellers efficiently

and cheaply from the point of design through to

rapid thermoforming, robotically controlled

composite preforming, and on to assembly line tasks

such as bonding and welding.

Manufacturing Technologies

Forward-looking factories – New design processes

need to be both simple and adaptable to meet

the needs of industrial customers demanding much

shorter lead times and higher productivity levels.

To accomplish this, ABB is employing what it calls

Agile Manufacturing – a new approach to the whole



manufacturing process, production control and

logistics.

The goal is to create manufacturing technologies

designed for variation according to customer needs.

The new integrated fan is one such technology. It is

built on an automated production system from a set

of modules. Interchangeable components can be

switched quickly so the production process can be

varied on short notice. If a customer calls for a

certain model it can be turned out quickly, as part of

a manufacturing process built to be responsive to the

customer’s immediate needs.

Couple a system like this with an Internet-based

order and invoicing system and it provides the

customer with the sort of flexibility that until now

has been unachievable.

Engineering Systems and Software Engineering

Shifting gear – SHIFT is a research project aimed

at ensuring that ABB gets its most important relation-

ship right – the relationship with the customer.

Project SHIFT has three vital components.

■ Web-based software for custom-built

communication with customers

■ A suite of computerized analysis tools to

determine precise customer needs

■ Radically changed business processes to support

customers both before they order and after they

have taken delivery of goods

SHIFT has already proved its ability to make ABB

more responsive to customers. A system that allows

ABB products to be modeled in 3-D over the Internet

speeds up the ordering process.

Software jigsaw – ABB relies more and more on

one key element – software. ABB is a software

company. It is a leader in bringing the power of

software to a multitude of industrial applications.

The companies that succeed as the software

suppliers of the future will be those that can best

integrate diverse pieces of individual and highly

marketable software – the components – into

integrated systems.

This new way of working in software development

and distribution is called Component Technology.

Feasibility studies are underway with leading

European universities to test the potential of software

component technology in ABB’s different software

domains. The research tests individual components

and how they fit with others already supplied to

customers.



Have you ever had paper jam in a

copying machine? Or the bottom rip out

of a paper bag, embarrassingly spilling

your groceries? Have you ever seen a

photo in a magazine printed so blurry

you could hardly tell what it was?

These common problems are often caused

by bad quality paper, poorly formed while

being made on a paper machine. These

small problems become very big problems

for papermakers when customers

complain and return shipments.

To avoid these problems, papermakers have attemp-

ted to measure paper quality in a process known as

“fiber orientation.” This process detects how micro-

scopic pulp fibers are placed as the paper is being

made. But, in conventional systems, by the time a

problem is discovered many tons of paper may have

already gone to waste.

This year, ABB unveiled the world’s first online and

real-time measurement of fiber orientation using laser

beams and advanced sensor technology. The new

technology provides the pulp and paper industry’s

fastest measurement of fiber orientation.

Launched in March 1999, the “AccuRay Fiber Orient-

ation Sensor” measures fiber orientation on both sides

of the sheet with 36,000 high-speed measurements

per second. Measuring both sides of the sheet is

crucial because poor fiber orientation on one side

can lead to an overall bad sheet.

The important technology leap for ABB came when

a physicist discovered that a laser directed along the

“grain” of fiber orientation (that is, with all the

fibers pointing in one direction) results in an arced

reflection. Conversely, if the laser is directed against

the grain, a vertical reflection occurs. So, you can

accurately determine the orientation of fibers with

lasers and detectors placed on both sides of the

sheet.

Measuring these parameters in real time allows

papermakers to control the quality of paper while

it is being made. Eliminating problems early allows

for more high-quality paper at a lower cost.

ABB chose a special high-grade laser for its ability to

withstand harsh paper machine environments. Three

lasers on each side of the sheet pulse at high speeds

while synchronized to avoid interference with lasers

on the other side of the sheet. Any disturbing

patterns of reflection are immediately noted online.

Twelve of the dual-sided sensors have been sold

since its introduction. According to customers,

payback for the sensor is less than one year. ABB

is also developing software that will automatically

control various elements of the paper machine as a

problem is detected. When this software is released,

payback will be even better.

Laser Beams and Paper Machines

Perfecting the papermaking process



ABB has harnessed the fast-expanding power of

technology by using eCommerce to seamlessly

initiate a product order process and carry out the

manufacturing in a factory fully-operated by robots.

This factory of the future is linked to both ABB’s

sales force and materials suppliers at all times.

By combining the best elements of advanced

robotics with an automated ordering system, ABB

can slash labor costs by half, cycle times by 90

percent and floor space in the manufacturing area

by 60 percent.

The test factory in the U.S. is producing electrical

transformers used in power distribution networks.

These transformers alter voltage and current so that

the electricity is useable in the home. The highly-

innovative plant uses automation from the point of

ordering, through production and on to dispatch of

the finished product.

Savings are built in to the system from end-to-end.

The new ordering system and its manufacturing

processes are able to make products economically

in batches as small as units of one.

The process begins with a salesman or customer

entering the product specification online. The

“product configurator” is linked to the Internet,

allowing a wide range of potential customers to

access ABB’s product range anywhere in the world.

Working on a computer or laptop linked by mobile

phone to ABB’s host systems, the sales personnel

price the products, select the quotation documentation,

and enter the order in one simple operation.

To avoid mistakes and simplify the operation, the

system uses pre-loaded customer specifications and

questions the user on-screen to arrive at a description

of the desired product.

The system is seamless and requires very little

human intervention once an order has been placed.

The very process of negotiating the order on the

computer creates the bill of material, which is then

released online to the factory floor.

The manufacturing process is already scheduled

within seconds of the order having been placed. The

project then mates this highly-sophisticated order

and scheduling system to one of the company’s most

advanced “lights out” factories.

The plant uses an advanced manufacturing cell

to make the tanks, or casings, that house the active

parts of distribution transformers.

The cell is highly-automated, including seven robots,

two press brakes, a laser cutting system, and various

welding machines. It is more than a first for ABB.

It is also the first cell in the U.S. to use a robot rather

than a human being to manage the press brake and

laser system in the handling of large steel sheets.

The robots move the casing materials and compo-

nents around the cell, carrying out tasks that were

previously done by people. At each stage the robots

stop and add holes, bend the metal, and oversee and

carry out welding operations. The cell uses unique

By combining advanced roboticswith an automated ordering system,ABB can slash labor costs by half,cycle times by 90%, and floor spacein the manufacturing area by 60%.

Future Factory:End-to-end automation



technology to weld threaded studs to the outside of

the casing.

The assembly line, which brings together the

intricate parts of the transformer itself, is also highly-

automated. Winding machines download design data

from the system and produce the transformer

windings without any intervention by human

operators. The test cells carry out a series of rigorous

checks in just 90 seconds under the control of the

factory’s production system.

The new plant represents a huge leap forward in

manufacturing systems. ABB is planning to add

another robot to the end of the assembly line to

weld a cover to the casing, sealing the transformer in

and protecting it from wind and rain. Other robots

will be added to the paint line. The result will be a

transformer built from scratch solely by robots.

The factory is already one of the most highly-

automated in the world, overseen by just two or

three people. But it is the flexibility that counts. In

the past, automated systems took time to reconfigure

for different products – and that in turn meant long

production runs were best to keep costs down.

The combination of this advanced manufacturing

technology and the new dry-type cable transformers,

designed for easy manufacturing, will generate the

next breakthrough in this area.



Coal may be one of the world’s most plentiful fossil

fuels, but it is still a valuable and irreplaceable

resource. As long as it is used to create energy,

power station operators need to be sure they are

burning the coal as efficiently as possible.

One persistent problem for power utilities has been

that relatively large quantities of coal often fall

through the boiler and are buried in fly ash –

unused. This wastes energy and boosts fuel costs.

But the cost burden is not just in the loss of energy

production. Fly ash contaminated by coal is not re-

usable and has to be buried in expensive landfill

sites. Fly ash untainted by high levels of carbon, in

contrast, is a vital raw material for the concrete

making industry and is a valuable source of extra

income for the power station operator.

As operators strive for less polluting forms of

power generation, they also rely on close

monitoring of carbon in ash (CIA). ABB has

developed a new system to very precisely detect

carbon in ash. The measurement system uses

online technology to deliver real-time readings

of how much coal remains unburned in the boiler.

Integrated into the power station, the system

guarantees lower emissions and a stream of valuable,

recyclable fly ash.

The old method of measuring CIA included physically

taking a probe from within the boiler cavity. This is

CoalMindMeasuring fuel combustion in boilers


time-consuming and costly. ABB created a system

that measures CIA by using a microwave diagnostic

system.

Basically, microwaves are absorbed at varying rates

by different materials. In this case, a pulse of micro-

wave radiation is blasted inside the boiler and sensors

analyze the signals that come out of the cavity. A

high level of CIA will reflect differently than a low

level. Sensors detect the different levels and show the

measurement on a computer screen. If there is too

much carbon, the combustion can be changed, and

if there is too little, the operator can react

accordingly.

To get an idea of the extreme sensitivity

of the measurement system, think of

a computer screen made up of one

million pixels. This system can

measure down to the equivalent

of five pixels.

Building such a system posed a number of significant

challenges to ABB engineers. It needs to be highly-

sensitive and rugged at the same time.

The instrument has to operate in an incredibly hostile

environment. Temperatures inside a modern boiler

rise as high as 400 degrees centigrade. In addition,

the conditions are dirty and the measuring system

must be able to operate efficiently when fouled by

high levels of fly ash.

The system has been operating successfully for the

past year of uninterrupted performance in a trial at a

U.S. utility. ABB plans to integrate it into a closed-

loop power station control unit.




Measuring pollution in rivers, sewage works or

factory inlets is a vital but expensive and labor-

intensive task. Current technology also makes it

an inexact science.

Measuring equipment is expensive to maintain and

complicated to use. Even state-of-the-art equipment

requires tests to be carried out on-site by technicians

who then have to carry samples back to the

laboratory for analysis. This means high costs and

unreliability in an age when tough environmental

regulations require regular and accurate tests at an

affordable cost.

Using highly-innovative micro-engineering

techniques, ABB has developed a fully-automated

micro-lab – no bigger than a football – which can

monitor water pollution levels autonomously and

continuously feed back test results online, all with

minimal maintenance.

The challenge in this groundbreaking piece of

technology was to find a way to integrate an entire

chemical laboratory onto one small chip and

ensure that all the microelements of the systems

functioned together. The system will cut operating

costs dramatically, strengthen analysis and

increase environmental efficiency.

The system is called BODNAP because it measures

biological oxygen demand (BOD) and levels of

nitrate, ammonium and phosphate (NAP) in water.

The accurate measurement of BOD is particularly

important as it indicates the organic load in the

water, and therefore, the levels of pollution. The

A smart way to cleaner waterIntelligentMicrobes



organic load is what microorganisms in the water

feed off. If the load is high, these microbes will

swell and consume more and more of the oxygen

on which plant and fish life depends. The greater

the load, the greater the risk that plants and fish

will die. So the organic load has to be kept low

in natural waters.

BODNAP is a small, free-floating buoy, which has at

its core a microfluidic system built on a silicon wafer

containing pumps, channels, flow resistors and

mixing chambers. In simple terms, the buoy contains

a silicon wafer – only about four inches in diameter

– which has a built-in, miniature chemical analysis

laboratory.

Water is pushed by microscopic pumps down

channels no larger than a human hair. The channels

contain living microorganisms. Flow sensors ensure

that precisely the right amount of water is pumped

through the channels.

A chemical reaction occurs when the water passes

over the microbes within the channels. The water

color is changed and electronically detected by

optical sensors. The color reveals water content and

the precise levels of pollutants. The results of this

complicated piece of microanalysis are fed back to a

monitoring station via a cable linked to a standard

computer interface. The system provides continuous

real-time testing and monitoring.

The smart measuring equipment in the BODNAP is

contained in a removable cartridge. The cartridge

needs changing only once every three months,

making the system as easy to use as an inkjet printer.

Between cartridge changes, the system can be left

alone to carry out tests and to transmit a stream of

continuous online data back to the laboratory for

computer analysis.

ABB also overcame the challenge of incorporating

two unique features: a self-cleaning sampling system,

which means the system can operate in even the

dirtiest water without extra maintenance, and a

bioreactor, which actually incorporates living micro-

organisms used for measuring organic pollution.

BODNAP promises to offer customers water-testing

equipment which is smaller, smarter and cheaper

to own and operate. The system is in trials with 10

customers around the world.



With the move to deregulated electricity markets, power

companies are constantly looking for more efficient ways to

supply power to customers. More often than not, that means

better managing the operation of their systems and the

distribution of power.

Increasingly, the key to greater efficiency lies with automated

systems and demand side management techniques that allow

utilities to control demand for power through different pricing

for different users at different peak and off-peak times. These

tools require powerful, high-tech solutions and intelligent

communications systems running the length and breadth of

electricity networks.

ABB tackled this issue by pooling its expertise in the

electricity sector, developing a fast, new way for power

utilities to control their distribution systems remotely. The

DartNet™ system is now the world’s fastest communication

system for use on medium-voltage power lines. The

system infuses new technology into traditional thinking.

It allows power companies to carry out vital tasks like opening

and closing circuit breakers and switches, reading voltages

and current levels, managing load levels and reading meters

remotely with far more efficiency. Most current distribution

systems require manual switching when there is a fault, which

is slow and labor-intensive. Competing systems that employ

automated switching are still far slower than DartNet™.

The starting point was to develop an effective communication

system that stretched to every corner of the power distribution

system. The obvious way to ensure complete coverage was

to use the same medium-voltage power lines that carry the

Remote- controlled power

New ways to run powerdistribution networks



power. Then, controlling signals and data would automatically

reach all the right parts of the system.

But there was an obstacle to making this idea work. Power

networks work on low frequencies, while communications

systems require much higher bandwidths to transport data and

signals. In normal circumstances, the two do not mix very

well and when they do, they are susceptible to disruption and

noise interference. The challenge was to achieve the best

performance for both with minimum disruption.

One goal was to ensure that the commissioning, operation and

maintenance of the finished system would be simple.

The idea was to allow the system to be integrated into an

electricity network easily. It also had to be simply extended

when new components were added to the network.

For example, ABB designed a registration process, similar

to the “plug-and-play” concept used in home computers,

to automatically log the presence of a new communications

device when it is installed – for instance, when a new

household or industrial connection is added – without the

need for an operator to change settings.

Any changes in the topography of the distribution system –

for example, when switches are made between substations

or there is a fault – will immediately be registered and the

system will select the best alternative path for communications,

just as it does for the power signal.

Features like this make DartNet™ highly reliable and robust.

The new technology has been proven in live trials with a

leading Swiss utility.



A car factory in full production conjures images of

sparks flying around the most advanced automation

systems. Heavy body framing systems and robotics

combine to build sleek machines of pleasure and

comfort. In the end, a steady stream of identical

vehicles pour from production lines into lots where

they await shipping in perfectly aligned rows.

These automation systems come at a price. There are

some tasks, such as welding, that require great

precision and strength at the same time; factors that

dictate the use of so-called hard automation. More,

the machines used in production are controlled by

mechanics rather than programmable software,

making them inflexible and expensive.

As a result, car manufacturers are forced to make and

sell the same model for as long as possible to

recuperate their tooling investment. The inability to

alter model range is incompatible with consumer

demand. Consumers want an ever-changing selection

of new cars. This puts a premium on shop floor

flexibility.

Hard automation is extremely reliable for producing

the same vehicle over and over again, but it is slow

to adapt. ABB has developed a new body framing

system that uses flexible robots to hold the car

pieces together during welding. It is far more flexible

than its predecessors and speeds up the process of

delivering new model variants to market.

Traditionally, car body framing needed large and

heavy machinery to operate large and heavy tooling.

Stiff frames for holding car body panels in place

were needed to deliver very precise welding by

TheNewBodyShopShowing the way in automated manufacturing



robots. The precision is crucial: if parts are out of

place by less than a millimeter, quality suffers, and

major components like doors and windows will not

open or close.

ABB has replaced this heavy machinery with three

flexible robots, which take the panels, place them in

position and hold them tightly while the welding

robots apply the welds.

The software tells the robots what to do. Different

body panels and frames can be programmed into the

system as required.

The system is designed for extreme precision and

consistency, and like its predecessor, can resist the

jolt of the welding process.

The result is a much more advanced framing system

that uses tooling a quarter the weight of conventional

systems – while being as stiff as needed.

And, those perfectly aligned rows of new cars will

vary in make, model and size, the way consumers

want them.



Like power transmission, the electricity distribution

business is going through fundamental changes.

Deregulation, aimed at creating new efficiencies

while lowering the cost of power to the individual

consumer, is driving major changes in the way

power companies go about their business.

In power distribution markets, the changes are felt

everywhere. Still, around 60 percent of utilities

worldwide remain vertically integrated, which means

they own both transmission and distribution grids.

But the trends point to increasing separation of

ownership, with some utilities owning the long-

distance transmission grid and others owning the

distribution network in cities, industrial and

commercial areas.

The new distribution utilities emerging from this

process will operate in a new and different business

environment. They will compete – or join forces –

with service providers from other business sectors

such as financial services and retail. Big global service

providers will own regional distribution utilities.

Globalization, already evident in the electricity

market, is highly-visible in the distribution business.

Information on products and systems is available and

comparable through the Internet. Globalized power

suppliers are questioning the need to have country-

specific solutions because experience in other regions

shows similar functionality available at lower costs.

In developed and developing nations alike,

distribution grids need to be upgraded. Outdated

equipment operates at or beyond its limits, producing

high losses, disturbances and failures.

Distribution providers also serve big individual

customers in industry, large commercial complexes

like airports and other niche markets. As a result, the

product portfolio in distribution needs to be diverse.

ABB has answers for all of these issues. At product

level, the main strategy of ABB’s distribution segment

is to standardize technology platforms and products

based on best practice. Customer-specific solutions, if

needed, are adapted locally but based on one

technology platform. As a result, high quality is

available everywhere.

For example, when ABB’s distribution transformer

factory was developed, all processes were

standardized – from ordering through engineering to

manufacturing. The result was a highly integrated

Internet- and robot-supported business stripped of

everything that does not add value.

ABB continues to integrate electronics into

equipment to improve power quality and reduce

operational costs. For example, the Intelligent Ring

Main Units launched this year can communicate

with SCADA network control systems, enabling

monitoring and remote control of switches.

Another example of this more sophisticated

approach is Integrated Power Quality in distribution

systems. ABB now uses such power quality

technology as standard in all medium-voltage

equipment, like the power factor controller and

the fast transfer switch, both of which reduce

power quality problems in areas most vulnerable

to disturbance.

Power DistributionGlobalsolutions for localmarkets



ABB’s efforts to promote cost-effectiveness and

efficiency does not stop at the design of new

equipment incorporating the latest technological

breakthroughs. It extends to the creation of

innovative systems to support customers.

In recent decades, the focus for innovation was on

large-scale power generation, transmission and

distribution of electrical energy. Behind the scenes,

small-scale distributed power – small power plant

located directly in a customer’s factory or other

building – has slowly taken a substantial share of the

market. In a joint venture, Volvo of Sweden and

ABB are now introducing a new, highly-efficient gas

microturbine, the T100, a 100 kW engine. More

than 10 years research and development have gone

into this highly-flexible, economical and efficient

alternative to conventional power generation.

Thanks to its range of products and system

components, ABB is now in a position to define

the optimal solution to any problem.



BrainpowerOur people’s ideas are our most important asset

atarina Lundblad Vannesjö is in no

doubt about the scale of the challenge

she faces every day of her working life

as ABB’s head of Intellectual Property. “For a tech-

nology-based company like ours, the intellectual

capital generated by the employees is perhaps our

most important asset,” she said.

Katarina and a global team of about 90 people

play a key role in protecting ABB’s world-beating

technologies. In 1999, she and her team beat ABB’s

own target for registering First Filings – the crucial

“first disclosure” of a new idea – by 15 percent.

But getting scientists and engineers to cooperate in

this process is not always easy, as Katarina – herself

originally a material scientist who specialized in

nuclear fuels research – understands only too well.

“It is not uncommon for inventors to be reticent, to

believe that their contribution is really not so signifi-

cant and simply to refrain from filing an invention

disclosure,” she said.

To overcome this hurdle, ABB introduced a system of

incentives to encourage the submission of disclosures

as part of an active and continuous policy to press

its innovators to register their breakthroughs.

Major drivers in the invention process are ABB’s

Corporate Research Centers, which generate some

40 percent of all invention disclosures.

K



The centers are known as “invention engines” and

the research director at each one puts a huge

emphasis on encouraging innovation in all members

of the research team. They will meet each inventor

personally to go through their ideas to help track

developing ideas and to push concepts through to

disclosable breakthroughs.

“We experiment with the idea generation process

to find the best ways of encouraging our inventors,”

Katarina said. For example, ABB introduced a rapid

response process called “IdeaCare” in one country.

With this process, ideas are transformed into proper

invention disclosures within 24 hours and can end

up in First Filings in less than five days.

Katarina emphasizes why such speed is vital. “We are

in a race with our competitors to inject our enormous

knowledge directly into our well-proven products,

making them more intelligent and also offering this

know-how in the form of software products to the

market. This intellectual capital is invaluable and it

needs proper protection,” she said.

ABB’s patent service organization has a multi-

national reach, operating in nine countries – Sweden,

Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Finland, Norway,

Poland, Japan and the U.S. Staffed by patent and

trademark attorneys, specialist researchers, translators

and patent administrators, Katarina’s service actively

supports the corporate research centers and the

operating companies to secure proper protection for



ABB’s R&D successes. With the group putting

increasing emphasis on software and intelligent

solutions, special training in handling software-

related inventions is an important part of educating

these key members of staff.

But training is also offered to the inventors them-

selves. “We have a number of training programs for

our inventors to make them aware of the huge value

in protecting ABB business,” said Katarina.

Katarina stresses that the process of perfecting the

patenting system is one that never stops. “It is

characteristic of learning organizations like ABB, that

we are never satisfied with the results we achieve,”

she said. “In the field of intellectual capital we have

major challenges ahead of us that we have only

really started to attack.”

She highlights that in 1999 access to the company’s

own knowledge bank has been made much easier

by creating a patent register. The register contains

more than 20,000 patents structured so researchers

can quickly retrieve the information they need.

Alongside this the company has created new and

efficient ways for researchers to search public

databases to research competitor patents, those of

customers, those held in universities and many more,

so that they can track the patents of ABB competitors

and general market activity.

“We are sharpening up the methods we use to assess

the value of our intellectual property at any one time

so we can make the necessary business decisions,”

said Katarina. “This is also helping us to detect and

follow up any infringements of our own intellectual

property.

“The more ABB develops into a company whose

products and systems are leveraged by information

technology, and the more it extends its reach into

the knowledge intensive service business, the more

this ability to manage intellectual property will be-

come a core competence of the company,” she said.

Knowledge engines enhance brain power

Corporate Research designed special knowledge engines to get the data they need

for the professional set up and execution of research projects. Harsh Karandikar,

Manager of the Engineering Systems Program, designed this engine with a team of

knowledge experts.

One important set of data integrated into this engine is the ABB patent portfolio. The

portfolio has more than 20,000 patents structured for easy retrieval. Search engines

provide competitor patents, customer information, university projects and more.



FreshStartElectrical motors are the workhorses of industry

worldwide. Millions of them are used in everything

from making cars to toothpaste. So, making a

better motor, or finding ways to make them more

efficient, can save customers a lot of money. It

also cuts the amount of electricity needed in

manufacturing, which benefits the environment.

That’s why ABB is committing time and money to

putting the latest technology in some of the most

humble devices.

Starter controls for electric motors, for example,

have been around for almost as long as the motors

themselves. Starter controls protect motors from

overload and short circuits. They also prevent the

motor from being damaged if the system becomes

blocked.

To visualize a potential system block, picture a pulp

and paper mill running planks of wood along a

conveyer belt. If a large object dropped into the belt,

it would become blocked, raising the current and

threatening the system. A starter control would shut

the system down before this happened. Unfortunately,

traditional starter controls demand time and operator

analysis of the problem.

ABB engineers have been working hard to develop

new versions of the controls using smart technologies

so customers can improve the efficiency and safety

of their factory processes.

Traditionally, customers have been faced with an

array of control devices for handling motor problems.

There is a circuit breaker to protect the motor from

short circuits. There is a unit designed to protect the

motor from overload. And there is also a manual

disconnect device.

An operator has to choose the appropriate combina-

tion of devices when a problem occurs. This takes

time and is expensive because the devices have to

be connected and mounted together in the factory.

ABB decided a more efficient way forward was

possible after examining the total cost of this time-

consuming process. The company decided to

develop an integrated control unit for medium and

high-power motors.

The new starter control combines devices, reducing

the time needed to remedy a problem. More, the

starter control ensures factory safety by intervening

whenever a disruption in the system takes place.

It immediately alerts operators to the problem. The

alert can then be investigated before the problem

becomes acute and dangerous.

The bottom line on this product is that it is smaller,

more efficient and easier to use. The increased

functionality it offers breathes confidence and new

life into some of the most traditional operations.

Revitalizing motor controls



Engineers have always faced a dilemma when

designing systems to detect faults in electric grids:

speed versus keeping up the service level.

Conventional protection systems have not been able

to detect individual faults at high speed. This is

difficult because power must be shut off to the faulty

part of the system before short circuit current raises.

And, the rest of the system must continue running.

ABB has found a way to make a series of circuit

breakers communicate with one another and detect a

fault within a fraction of the time taken by conven-

tional electrical protection systems. The new system

is called Early Fault Detection and Prevention (EFDP).

It works like a high-speed search and rescue team.

Much like a team of men and women scouring

mountainsides from helicopters in search of avalan-

ches and potentially trapped hikers, EFDP is always

at work. This constant monitoring offers power

suppliers unprecedented levels of safety and far

greater network efficiency. Faults can be detected

and the appropriate circuit breaker alerted within

microseconds.

The move away from a single circuit breaker

model to a global approach involving a number

of intelligent circuit breakers is a significant

step forward in the process of fault detection and

protection.

EFDP can be used in any size of installation. A huge

number of circuit breakers can be linked together

and made to communicate and operate in cascade.

Like that search and rescue team, each bit of infor-

mation or messaging passed through the system

benefits overall performance.

The new system offers many advantages in safety,

efficiency and network integrity. EFDP reduces both

the loss of high service levels and the risk of plant

damage.

EFDP is a discriminatory system. This means power

outages remain localized to the part of the installation

where the fault occurs. They do not further interrupt

power flow or impact the rest of the network.

Another overall benefit of the system is that it

improves overall quality of power on low-voltage

networks. It does this by cutting down the cumula-

tive faults, short circuits and shutdowns that cause

damaging dips in voltage across networks.

EFDP will be a key ABB product for companies

wanting to upgrade and modernize their networks.

Integrated with conventional power supervision and

control equipment, EFDP ensures safe power

delivery with greater continuity.

Fault finder A safer, faster way to protect power



ABB is at the forefront of the race to develop

technologies that can make huge leaps forward in

underwater technology. New technology must

carry out more complex tasks at a lower cost while

abiding by ever-increasing environmental standards.

The price of a barrel of oil is the same regardless of

whether it comes from a Texan backyard or a well

thousands of meters under the North Sea. The

industry cannot look to the future for comfort: oil

prices are likely to stay stable at relatively low levels.

At the same time, geologists are faced with looking

for oil and gas reservoirs in more difficult locations.

Most of the large and easily-accessible offshore

fields, for example, have already been developed

and are past peak production.

So the fields of the future are smaller, more remote,

with a mixed potential yield. The water is deeper.

The locations often lack supporting infrastructure.

And to cap it all, the composition of the fluids in the

reservoir will be more challenging.

Knowledge becomes the new raw material in oil and gas production

SeaChange



The answer? To shift away from an industry based on

labor and hardware, such as enormous offshore

platforms manned by huge crews, towards technology

and knowledge.

Only a few years ago engineers prospecting for oil

knew they could not deal with water deeper than

1,000 meters, reservoir pressures greater than 700 bar

and fluid temperatures higher than 100 degrees

centigrade.

But these boundaries are constantly breached. Now,

the talk is of production at depths of 3,000 meters

and pressures greater than 1,000 bar, and tempera-

tures higher than 200 degrees centrigrade.

To cope with such conditions, tomorrow’s industry

will use intelligent production and processing

systems operated by remote control. The new

technologies are already under development. In the

near future ABB will be able to monitor the behavior

of the reservoir and the well in real time.

Engineers will combine this information with

computer models that simulate the reservoir’s

conditions. The reservoir can then be carefully

controlled so the flow of hydrocarbons is handled

to best effect, all the way from the reservoir itself,

to the point where they are exported.

The new systems can control the flow and

generate and process data in some of the most

inhospitable places on earth, even deep inside the

well. The technologies include sensors, data

acquisition systems, flow control devices such as

remotely-operated choke valves, and systems to

both separate water from the hydrocarbons and

reinject it into the reservoir as needed.

ABB provides reservoir engineers with knowledge of

the well conditions. Real-time logging of the reservoir

temperature, pressure and flow conditions means

placing permanent probes and sensors into the well

– practical on land, but not deep beneath the waves.

ABB is developing new instrumentation capable of

surviving these harsh conditions as part of its

Advanced Downhole Monitoring And Reservoir

Control System (ADMARC) project.

ABB has designed an electronics module that uses

silicon carbide and silicon on insulator technology.


The module combines integrated circuits with sophis-

ticated packaging. The company has a range of

electronics that can withstand temperatures as high

as 220 degrees centigrade over long periods of time.

ABB has also developed a passive optical sensor

that collects data over long periods with little risk of

failure. It complements the electronic sensors

because it operates at even higher temperatures.

ABB has developed cabling that withstands the rigors

of installation and high temperatures of the well, yet

is still cost-effective. Complete processing systems

will be placed on the seabed with compressors,

separators, pumping stations and chemical injection

systems.

Integrated with the next generation of control

systems, this seabed technology ensures that oil and

gas can be sent hundreds of kilometers back to

shore or to existing platforms safely and

economically.


New instrumentation and

components can now

control flow and generate

information in some of the

world’s most inhospitable

places.


The search for new underwater reserves of oil and

gas is driving petroleum companies to new depths.

The first generation of subsea oil and gas exploration

saw the industry employ cutting-edge technology to

reach reserves which were then seen as testing the

limits of science and technology.

But the exhaustion of these reserves has led the

industry’s search for new reservoirs of hydrocarbons

into much more difficult environments. This, in turn,

has meant far more stringent technological demands

on companies, like ABB, that are front-line suppliers

of equipment to the industry.

Already oil and gas companies are working at sea

depths undreamed of when deep-sea exploration

and production began. It is now quite common for

wells to be drilled in more than 2,000 meters of

water and it is expected that in the next five years

drilling will move into even deeper waters up to

4,000 meters below the sea’s surface.

Recent oil discoveries in the Gulf of Mexico and

off the coast of West Africa confirm the existence

of large and valuable reserves at such depths.

ABB, as one of the leading suppliers of high-tech

equipment to the petrochemical industry, recognized

early on that it needed to

provide the right

technology to support exploration into these new

territories. ABB Oil, Gas and Petrochemicals is

increasingly focused on this work and is determined

to be a leader in the field.

One of the main challenges thrown up by the move

into ultra deepwater oil and gas production is the need

to produce systems that will support a wellhead on

the seabed which can withstand a hostile environ-

ment, where pressure, for example, can reach as

high as 1,034 bar, or 15,000 pounds per square inch

(psi). Compare that to a normal ambient pressure at

the surface of 1 bar (15 psi), and the magnitude of

the challenge becomes apparent.

ABB has developed the Super MS700 wellhead system

and the Super HDH4 wellhead connector to meet

this challenge.

Stemming from existing families of ABB seabed

equipment, which are already industry-standard, they

operate at far greater depths and offer unprecedented

strength and reliability.

They achieve this performance thanks to a

sealing technology which takes

advantage of the

high pressures

ABB know-how leads deep sea discoveryNew Depths




at the bottom of the ocean. By choosing the right

materials and sealing concepts, ABB engineers

can actually fuse connecting surfaces together,

creating an almost perfect seal between wellhead

components that ensures the overall structural and

operational integrity of the system.

ABB’s strategy of focusing on this exciting new

area of exploration is paying dividends, as the

company has established an unrivalled presence

in the market. Some 75 percent of all deepwater-

drilling vessels currently use ABB’s super wellhead

connector technology.

ABB has also made rapid progress this year in

developing the advanced floating platforms needed

to support both wellheads and processing systems

used in deep water exploration and production.

Recognizing that an oil company’s requirements

for a platform will depend on the precise nature of

the field under development – its topography, sea

conditions, wind speed and direction – ABB decided

to create a portfolio of deepwater

designs.

ABB is well-recognized as the world’s leading

producer of one type of platform suitable for deep-

water, the Tension Leg Platform (TLP). This mature

concept was the cornerstone of successful field

developments in seven worldwide installations

during the 1990s, in water depths of up to 1,200 m.

In 1999, research initiated under corporate R&D

programs has resulted in three new offerings in our

deepwater platform portfolio.

All these designs serve a common purpose. They

offer ABB’s customers purpose-built floating platforms

for deepwater field developments at much lower

cost. These cost savings are hugely-significant for the

oil industry. With oil prices relatively static, companies

are looking for ways to cut production and operating

costs while offering their customers even better

performance.



Everybody knows electricity and water don’t mix.

Yet if the oil and gas industry had no way to deliver

high voltages underwater, it would be hard-pressed

to develop new subsea fields, especially as wells are

developed in ever-deeper water far away from

existing offshore facilities.

The problem of transporting power to equipment in

deep water is all the more pressing as the oil and gas

industry moves away from reliance on large rigs and

platforms on the surface of the sea to remotely

controlled oil installations on the seabed. Electrical

power connections in this environment are a

nightmare.

ABB’s calming solution is a high-voltage connector

designed to run safely and reliably over a design life

of 25 years. Typically, the insulating material around

the connector had to be replaced every two to five

years. This connection point in a cable is the most

critical point along the line. It is also the weakest

point and most prone to insulation problems. The

new MECON connector is a first for the market.

Already operational in the Troll Field, a Norwegian

sector of the North Sea, MECON can be retrieved

or serviced on-site by remotely-operated vehicles.

It incorporates a novel system for flushing out and

replacing seawater with a dielectric fluid. This seem-

ingly complicated process is actually quite simple.

When a high-voltage connection is made under-

water, the insulating materials are threatened by

the surrounding elements. At the precise moment a

connection is made, MECON flushes the connector

with this special dielectric fluid. The flushing allows

the connector to be sealed within an all-metal barrier

system, better protecting the high-quality insulating

equipment inside the system. In turn, the system can

handle the high-voltage loading needed at the seabed

while reducing wear and tear on the insulating

materials.

This technology allows high-voltage power to be

taken to new depths. Costs come down as the entire

seabed operation moves underwater.

ABB now offers MECON for 12 kilovolt (kV) systems.

Testing is underway to qualify MECON for even

higher voltages to meet the changing demands of a

relentless market.

MECON’s focus on function, reliability and maintain-

ability achieved international recognition with the

prestigious Woelfel Best Mechanical Engineering

1999 award from the American Society of Mechanical

Engineers.

Excellent ConnectionsPower under the sea



ABB places great value on the work done by

scientists and engineers in universities. Pioneering

academics drive the technology machine. Their

forays into uncharted intellectual territory pave the

way for many of ABB’s in-house breakthroughs.

As a result, strong links have been built between the

Group and the world’s leading institutions. Some-

times those connections bring academics to work for

ABB, where they can put their theories into practice

in a real industrial setting. Other times the benefits

go back the other way and industrial needs feed the

world of fundamental research.

Several of our top researchers give regular lectures

at universities. Some work part-time for ABB and

part-time for a faculty. It is a relationship based

on a carefully nurtured network of contacts and

cooperation with top universities all over the world.

In the past year ABB has worked to extend its relation-

ship with some 50 of the world’s leading technology

institutes, among them highly-respected universities

like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT),

Carnegie Mellon University, Stanford University,

California, and Cambridge University in the UK.

ABB usually works with common research programs,

joining our industrial research resources with the

brainforce of an individual university or a number of

academic institutions. But, the Group also participates

in network programs offered by places like MIT with

its collaborative “Leader in Manufacturing” program.

ABB also embraces remote education projects to help

keep our own software engineers up to speed on the

latest developments. One example of this is the

Software Performance Improvement program run by

Stanford University.

AcademiaABB’s links to world class universities:



The reason for maintaining such a sophisticated web

of academic contacts is simple: it allows ABB to respond

quickly to changing social and industrial demands.

Take, for example, the “intelligent eye,” a technological

dream for many years that is now nearing fruition.

This development will yield a whole range of benefits

for the automation industry.

Micro-engineered mechanical systems are also a

key area of interest for ABB. They will be a central

part of traditional techniques for measurement

and control, and open a range of applications for

technologies used in two important areas of interest –

power transmission and power distribution.

Nanostructured catalysts will be of huge importance

to ABB’s catalysis business. They will produce a

number of massive technological leaps within the

chemical industry.

Working with the world of academia allows the

Group to maintain a leading position in wireless

technology and its application in industrial automa-

tion. Front-end research in ultra-low power wireless

communication will benefit both sides of this winning

combination.

Some examples of these important research

initiatives are as follows:

Intelligent eye – The objective of this innovative

program involving ABB and Carnegie Mellon

University is to develop a new type of machine

vision sensor using CMOS integrated circuit tech-



nology. The project will enable ABB to build a 3-D

scanner at much lower cost with no loss of power

or performance. The program is built on the under-

standing that automation technology increasingly

relies upon 3D, full-vision scanning techniques for

vital tasks like visual inspection, robot guidance,

process monitoring and computer modelling. This

aids rapid prototyping and robot programming.

Lowdown on high-voltage chip – Standard

technology has micro-relays built on a chip in the

range of 50V and 200mA. The challenge is to

extend this to higher voltages and into the many

applications where low voltages are a prerequisite.

The program aims to combine high voltage and

high current on a chip which is still cheap to produce.

We are confident that an important breakthrough

will soon be achieved in this crucial area.

Future refined – Gasoline will soon be produced

from normal hydro-carbons that have been

restructured with the help of innovative new catalysis

methods. The key to this development is a catalyst

which does not produce unwanted by-products

at the point of chemical reaction and which does not

deactivate too rapidly. But where do such catalysts

come from? The answer is nano-sized, synthetic

catalyst design. Our research with MIT is proving this

to be a valid approach.

Un-wired – ABB believes the widespread use of

wireless communication in industrial automation is in

sight. For this to happen, a new technology platform

for ultra-low power wireless sensors and actuators

has to be developed. A research program with MIT

is tackling this challenge. The key to successful wire-

less communication in automation and control is the

power consumption of both the radio transmitter and

the receiver. Industrial acceptance of this technology

relies on a simple, but demanding, requirement –

up to 10 years of maintenance-free operation.

These are just a few examples of the projects we

are working on with the world’s top universities and

academic institutions. For ABB, external cooperation

of this kind is invaluable. It provides a source of new

ideas and highly talented people and acts as a motor

for major innovations.

Asgeir Sorensen is one of many recognized experts recruited to work for ABB. Asgeir completed

his doctoral thesis at the Department of Engineering Cybernetics at the Norwegian University of

Science and Technology and joined the ABB Automation group in Norway in 1993. With his

students, he shares the know-how he has accumulated in the fields of advanced control, power

generation and distribution, and electrical propulsion in the marine, oil and gas markets while

working at ABB.

So Asgeir currently has two jobs. He is a technical manager in ABB’s Automation Marine and

Turbo-chargers business and Professor of Marine Cybernetics in the Faculty of Marine

Technology at the university he himself once attended. “I like working as a part-time professor as

well as working for ABB. It is exciting to work with young people and to have a permanent contact

with the scientific community,” Asgeir says.



Electricity markets are changing rapidly. Privatization,

deregulation and public opinion have had an

enduring impact on the electricity business.

Electricity transmission companies demand new

technological solutions across the range of their

equipment. They want cost-effective systems that

allow them to maximize returns in a much more

competitive market while delivering power in a way

that has less impact on the environment.

New relationships are developing within the

electricity industry. Utilities are giving manufacturers

greater leeway to define the detailed specification

and design of systems. In return, they have much

stricter requirements for function, cost and

performance.

In short, the whole industry – from manufacturing

through to the production and delivery of power –

has been gripped by a new competitiveness.

ABB has been swift to recognize that the needs of

consumers – the customers’ customers – are changing

too. An indication of how much consumer demands

have changed is evident in the way public opinion has

swung so sharply against the use of visually intrusive

power equipment like overhead lines. Consumers

want alternatives which do not blight the landscape.

ABB is increasingly focusing its research on

developing discreet systems that are less visible and

often underground. It is also developing technologies

that use fewer materials, or that eliminate polluting

or hazardous substances such as insulation oil.

Last year, the new PASS range of intelligent substation

products was completed. The first large substation

based on this solution is now in service.

PASS – which stands for Plug and Switch System –

offers a complete range of products from 110 kV to

550 kV. It uses integrated breakers, disconnectors and

earthing switches, as well as sensors, electronic

actuators and optical fiber-based communications to

control and operate high-voltage switchgear.

With HVDC Light™ – a new range of High-Voltage

Direct Current transmission network equipment,

which has a fraction of the environmental impact of

large-scale, conventional systems – ABB cemented its

position as a provider of cleaner, cheaper electricity

systems.

HVDC Light™ is one-fifth the size of conventional

HVDC technology for the same rated power. We

foresee stations needing only 350 square meters

compared with conventional plants that require

10,000 square meters. Operators can achieve huge

economic gains, breaking even on much smaller

plants.

The first HVDC Light™ underground 80 kV/50MW

dry cable has been laid and successfully tested on

the island of Gotland, Sweden, connecting a remote

wind energy farm to the grid on the mainland.

SVC Light™ uses the same integrated gate bipolar

transistor (IGBT) technology to reduce flicker in the

power signal. An initial application in Hagfors,

Sweden, shows the flicker has been successfully

controlled.

Dryformer™ – a novel oil-free transformer design

using high-voltage extruded cable technology – has

been launched. Dryformer™ allows, for the very first

time, high-voltage systems to be sited, without risk,

in or close to densely populated areas where power

demand is highest.

Power Transmission New solutions for a changingmarket



ABB has also boosted its investment in AC and DC

cable technology. A new dedicated cable production

facility has been set up in Karlskrona in Sweden.

It produces the cables that will operate with many

of the new systems described above.

Even though going underground is an optimal

environmental solution, ABB is also working to

reduce size, visibility and electro-magnetic fields of

overhead transmission lines.

But, much work goes into improving mature and

conventional products. For example, ABB has

enhanced self-blast technology to apply it in High-

Current Generator Breakers for short-circuit currents

up to 160 kA. The new principle eliminates complex

rotating arc current interruption. This new breaker

uses disconnectors, earthing switches and a

generator for start-up and breaking.

The benefit of this innovation to big power stations

is that it allows the use of economical and light high-

current systems in the range of 500–700 MW.

ABB recognizes that new technological solutions

are required to meet fast-changing market conditions

in the power transmission sector. Work carried out

in 1999 will ensure that ABB remains ahead of its

competitors in supplying the right systems for a

cleaner and more efficient electricity future.



In the digital age, innovators are pushing for faster

and smaller designs for products ranging from

computers and cars to video games and phones.

Product designers and customers love the idea of

squeezing technology into ever-shrinking devices.

The mobile phone is a great example of technology

meeting consumer demand for a smaller device with

better performance. Similarly, industry is starting to

demand smaller, more efficient and flexible

machinery.

ABB has undertaken this process with one of the

most important devices used in the modern world –

the variable speed drive. Variable speed drives are

used in a huge number of applications to control

electrical motors. For example, they are found in

industrial power drills, locomotives and cement

plants.

The principle is very simple. A variable speed drive

is basically an electric motor fitted with electronics to

vary the speed of its operation. As more pressure is

applied to the speed button of a power drill, for

example, an electronic controller alters the flow of

electric current through the drive. This in turn alters

the speed.

Variable speed drives are used in many devices

because they are both versatile and reliable. But, the

electronic module controlling the speed comes in

many shapes and sizes.

ABB realized the supply chain for these modules was

fragmented. Customers were having difficulty

swapping parts. So, the company set out to develop

new module technology that would allow a greater

degree of flexibility.

ABB developed the LoPak™ module, a smaller,

sleeker version of the controlling device inside

traditional industrial drives. The LoPak™ module

uses new semi-conductor technology that takes up

less space and cuts overall drive cost while

improving performance.

The semiconductors needed to run an electronic

controller like LoPak™ generate heat. In the past,

smaller modules had difficulty controlling heat levels.

In worst case scenarios, the heat damages or

destroys the device.

The new LoPak™ module features a transistor chip

called the IGBT, or integrated gate bipolar transistor.

This module is the basic part of LoPak™. It is smaller

and more efficient. More importantly, it reduces

height. The module offers more power for the cost

of the part. And, it addresses the heating problem by

running cooler.

Though unseen by users, LoPak™ will play a crucial

role in many of the machines that drive our

industries and economies.

ChangingtheVariablesNew drives for a new generation



Craftsmen working with metal have always needed

simple fan mechanisms to blow air for cooling.

Today, fans are present in a wide number of indus-

trial settings, ranging from furnaces to ventilation

systems and cooling mechanisms.

The basic requirement of a fan in these settings is

simple – blow a set volume of air with as little inter-

ruption and noise as possible. The fan must take up

as little space as possible to make room for other

important factory functions.

ABB has developed a fan that doubles efficiency,

drastically reduces noise and size, and cuts costs

through energy savings.

This tip driven integral fan (TDIF) changes a basic

principal of fan operation. It builds the motor into

the tip of the fan’s impeller, or rotating blade. The

electrical motor driving a fan usually sits in the

airflow or beside the fan. In the first design, air

pressure is lost. In the second, valuable factory

space is lost.

Conventional fans link the motor to the impeller

by belts and gears. This transfer of power requires

extra parts and often incurs mechanical break-

down. The TDIF cuts these losses by streamlining

fan design. Literally, two key parts – the rotor and

the impeller – become one.

The technology driving this achievement is unique.

Magnets are embedded in the end of the fan blade.

The outer ring of the fan has a magnet motor

design. This motor creates a magnetic field to start

the fan moving. So, the motor has been moved

from within the body of the axis. An intelligent

speed control and frequency controller are also built

into the fan housing.

The TDIF can achieve the same output as a radial

fan in half the space. This frees room for other

essential tasks. For example, this new fan can

be fitted in an equipment cabinet and leave more

space for the actual housing of equipment.

More, the design allows the user to operate at

different fan speeds. For example, the fan can run

at lower speeds during off-peak production times.

This delivers further energy savings to the user.

Much smaller impellers can now be used for

many high-pressure tasks. This flexibility allows a

manufacturer to adapt the fan to suit a wide range

of needs. ABB can also easily alter the design to

address a specific need in a customer’s factory.

Tipdriver Changing the principles of fan operation



Composite revolution

The aviation industry has long used composite

materials in the building and design of high-

performance aircraft.

ABB has found a way to bring these light and incred-

ibly strong materials to another growing market. In

1999, the company introduced the first generation of

high-pressure fans for use in the train industry.

The move away from using steel in radial fans brought

a number of compelling factors to light. A composite

radial fan can withstand substantially higher-pressure

ranges. This means the customer can expect far

greater performance. The materials also allow engin-

eers to radically change the basic design of the fan

itself. With these changes come remarkable price

declines, a big plus to operators everywhere.

To fully understand this design achievement, it’s

important to first understand the main job of a fan.

A fan creates gas movement with its rotating impeller.

For maximum performance, the fan needs to deliver

high impeller tip speeds. This may seem obvious,

but, the higher the speed, the greater the centrifugal

force exerted on the system.

Conventional fans for high-pressure tasks have to

be incredibly robust to withstand this inherent stress.

When made of steel, they become very heavy and

cumbersome. Customers had to rely on special,

heavy-duty radial compressor impellers for big jobs.

This meant further high costs for a series of

components – like shafts and bearings – to support

the heavy impellers.

The ABB composite impeller is made of a carbon

fiber matrix and an epoxy resin. The company

realized the excellent strength to weight ratios of

Stronger, lighter fans



composite materials and applied it to a new design.

The carbon fiber laminates give the impeller its

strength and the epoxy resins are the glue holding

the fibers in place.

The biggest breakthrough came with discovery that

composite materials can be designed and molded to

withstand loads from different directions. This at first

seems complicated. But, it is quite simple.

Metal materials, like steel, can only be designed

to withstand uniform levels of stress. For example,

loading on one side of a steel slab will exert the

same amount of stress as it would if it were loaded

on the other side. Composite materials can build

strength into different areas of the fan.

ABB took advantage of this unique benefit and

reduced the weight of the fan by 80 percent. The

fan can reach tip speeds that are 25 percent higher.

And, pressure can be increased by 50 percent without

needing bulkier and more costly bearings and shafts.

The composite fan itself can be thickened to operate

at pressure ranges common for compressors while

using low-cost impellers and bearings.

This new technology will not only replace conven-

tional fans, but will also allow building of composite

high-pressure fans to replace compressors.

The new fans reduce energy consumption by 27 percent,

noise by seven dB (A), weight by 27 percent and size by

20 percent. They are 20 times more resistant to fatigue.

As a result, they last longer and need less maintenance.



The millennium bug posed a vast challenge to

businesses around the world. Both large and small

operations raced to achieve Y2k compliance as the

clock ticked down to January 1, 2000.

ABB’s installed base of 30,000 plants successfully

made the transition to the new year. The company’s

high-quality products and systems were a big part

of the success. More importantly, ABB worked with

customers for the better part of two years in advance

to remediate any potential problems.

ABB decided to offer customers an additional safety

net for the transition. Plant operators with concerns

or questions were connected with experts within 30

minutes. ABB did this by linking customers to more

than 280 call centers around the world. The service

was available for all products and systems, regardless

of when they were delivered.

This was done to ensure customer support during the

whole life cycle of our products.

The call centers allowed customers to access tailored

service in their own language. The main element of

the centers is a service called SolutionsBank. This

Internet-based database takes information for servic-

ing products and systems and stores it in simple,

searchable areas.

So, when a customer calls with a concern about a

specific product, a powerful search engine tracks it

down and provides a solution to the problem. More

serious problems were transferred to ABB engineers.

ABB developed another unique tool for processing

these situations. SupportLine, a Lotus Notes-based

system of eight databases, was created for easy

searches to access product and plant experts. All of

these situations were logged in SolutionsBank to

better assist future queries later in the rollover. More,

the database will be maintained on an ongoing basis

to answer simple questions or remedy seemingly

complex problems.

During the two-day Y2k transition, ABB received

283 customer calls. Most calls were for information.

About 10 percent of calls merited escalation to a

support center. And, all calls were directed to the

right expert within 30 minutes. None of the calls

posed a risk to customer processes.

Knowledge-based online support for customers will

continue to grow at ABB. The support service and

SolutionsBank are now a powerful tool to assist

customers in the future.

Y2k–Turning a problem into an innovative customer care program



The benefits of robotics in manufacturing are

spreading quickly and will soon be available to the

smallest companies.

ABB is launching a “little robot” to serve manufactur-

ers of small metal parts. The IRB 140 is a powerful,

low-cost arc-welding cell. This highly mobile machine

is no larger than a bed. It can be moved to perform

welding tasks wherever required on the shop floor.

And it provides an adaptable, ready-to-use, plug-and-

play solution for the automation needs of small

companies.

The big challenge entering this market was to design

a flexible robot that could deliver the cost and

quality benefits of a mass-produced solution.

Small companies are faced with many of the same

demands as large companies. They are constantly

searching for a better and more economical way to

deliver parts. At the same time, the parts need to

have excellent tolerances in modest quantities.

The IRB 140 has a front arm formed with a single

strut instead of the two-strut design common to large

robots. The two-strut design is reinforced to cope

with much higher mechanical forces. This cumbersome

design is what prevented smaller industries from

taking advantage of automation technology.

The “little robot” single strut design enjoys a much

larger degree of movement. The welding gun is

precise and fast. And, like bigger robots built by

ABB, the new system is easy to operate. It features

windows-style communications, with pull-down

menus, function keys and on-screen messaging.

More, the robot-welding cell has its own metal base

plate. No foundation is required in the factory. Its

bed size dimensions are 2.1 by 1.3 meters, so it can

fit into the smallest of shop floors.

In the past, small firms were forced to install a fixed

welding cell within the factory and adapt the

production line accordingly. Now, the “little robot”

can be moved by forklift truck to another location

and configured to do another, very different job.

The new robot can also be used for aluminum dye

spraying, injection molding and small parts assembly,

among other applications.

Variants of the system will be available to suit

different types of environments. For example, special

protection can be built into a model made for use in

a foundry. ABB expects the “little robot” to add more

than 10 percent to their share of this very important

market.

Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are

expected to develop their own equipment on the

foundation of ABB’s globally-acknowledged lead.

TheLittle Robotcomesto theSmallFirm



n 1999, one of the largest companies of

Outokumpu, the Finnish metals group with

global sales of US$ 3 billion, agreed to a long-

term partnership that sees ABB managing its plant

maintenance operations.

The company, a metallurgical business focusing

on base metals production, stainless steel and copper

products, required a service provider with a strong

commitment to reducing maintenance costs and

improving production.

Jukka Järvinen, the company’s managing director,

said: “Our core competence is the art of producing

copper and nickel. Our expertise is the process of

metal production and we require 100 percent reliable,

high-performance equipment. We rely on our partner

to make sure that our machines and infrastructure

operate at peak efficiency at all times. We are

delighted that ABB, a world-class professional in

industrial service, is that partner.”

The deal is one example of ABB’s ability to provide

knowledge-based plant management expertise every-

where around the globe.

The ABB service offer revolves around the powerful

Computerized Maintenance Management System,

Maintech, and harnesses the company’s expertise

in knowledge management.

Computer-based tools are used to automatically

analyze the overall effectiveness of equipment in

a customer’s production plant. Data for this sophis-

ticated analysis is taken from the client’s existing

automation system or, if not available, from

individual machines.

Efficiency levels of a factory can be constantly

monitored on-site, or remotely, from an ABB expert’s

desk via the company’s online worldwide service

network. Either way, any reduction in efficiency is

immediately and automatically pinpointed, and

returned to full performance.

ABB’s knowledge of rotating machinery allows the

system to monitor performance of motors, generators,

gears and so on. Once alerted to any malfunction or

reduction in efficiency, the system automatically

IService Standards

ABB shows the way to best performance


registers a problem and, where possible, provides

data for preventive maintenance work. As a result,

the cost of maintenance is reduced significantly.

A major advantage to ABB’s customers is that

Maintech opens a window to a whole industry by

providing a permanent comparison of equipment

efficiency against ‘best-in-class’ performers. As well

as data from the customer’s plant itself, hundreds of

failure mode models are stored electronically in the

system, representing knowledge of the whole

industry relevant to the plant concerned.

There are features of the system that are unique

to the industrial service market. First, it is operated

by “maintenance methodology centers” located

around the globe. Experts in the different subsystems

of a production line collect the performance data

and put it, enriched with their own user-specific

knowledge, in the Maintech. This allows the

knowledge of the best specialists to be available

and globally-accessible at any point in time. More,

the system gets data from a number of plug-on

devices for monitoring individual machines at a

customer’s plant.

Best practices like these in professional plant main-

tenance are equally relevant to effectively manage

buildings and their infrastructures. Managing and

operating buildings is another ABB specialty because

the process shares a common technology platform

with the industrial plant maintenance service.

Service personnel for facilities are equipped with a

personal computer linked to the facility management

system. For example, the data for performance

and service requirements on a ventilation and climate

system are immediately available – a system tailor-

made for travelling servicemen.

This is a good example of why ABB is a global

leader in the installation of systems for buildings of

all sizes – ranging from private houses to extremely

large complexes such as shopping centers and airports.

ABB Group Technical Report 1999 49



Connected

The process of wiring large buildings for power is

complicated by the need for detailed electrical design

work and complex connections between the power

source and outputs within a power distribution

board.

Electrical installers have a wide range of choices

to deal with when they start their task. The wiring

and plugging in of many devices is both tedious and

time-consuming. Entire wall systems must be cobbled

together from an array of parts.

ABB has designed a system that packages all of these

parts together in one unit. The Connect System™

is a self-contained distribution board. It is basically a

flush-mounted wall box filled with solutions.

The system eliminates the need for complex connec-

tions between the power source and outputs within

the distribution board. Where an electrical installer

once had to choose parts and arrange them to feed

power from the outside, now the installer has all

parts and plugs in one place.

The speed of process this new system offers will

save time and bring greater value to the customer.

The all-in-one solution offers electrical installation

companies the chance to think in new ways about

how they power up their home and commercial

buildings alike. They will be able to rethink how to

plan, how to cut time and costs, and how to improve

safety and functionality on-site.

The Connect System™ comes in six basic units.

They cover a wide range of domestic electrical

installations and can be used in many commercial

settings. For example, they can be used in detached

houses, blocks of flats, apartments, office buildings,

shopping centers and laboratories.

The new plug-in Safe Connect System™ has under-

gone successful trials in a key European market.

The concept defines a new way of thinking about

traditional installation markets.

An all-in-one power installation for the home



After a century of sturdy service, the conventional

power transformer is facing a radical challenge.

ABB has developed a successor that is safer, more

efficient and friendlier to the environment. It

has been created in two forms: the Dryformer™,

for power transmission applications, and the

Boosterformer™, for electrical railway applications.

The revolutionary Dryformer™ is a high-voltage

trans-former that minimizes the risk of fires,

explosions and oil leaks because it does away with

conventional oil insulation. More, it is safe enough

to operate in or near dense urban areas to deliver

high-voltage power where it is needed most with

minimum energy loss.

The Dryformer™ builds on technology developed

last year for Powerformer™, ABB’s unique high-

voltage generator that returned to the optimal electric

field distribution of round conductors. Powerformer™

reduces the total cost of power generation over the

life cycle of a power plant by 30 percent. Before

Powerformer™, engineers refused to move away

from rectangular shapes in building key components.

To make a long story short, ABB uses cables instead

of rectangular copper bars. The cables have a cross-

linked polyethylene-insulating sheath coated with a

semi-conductive layer. This unique safety shield does

not affect the magnetic field, allowing Dryformer™

and Boosterformer™ more efficient power transfor-

mation without risk of sudden arcing and breakdown.

The concept for Dryformer™ is a blend of conven-

tional high-voltage cable technology and traditional

transformer technology going back 100 years. The

result promises a new generation of oil-free, air-

cooled, high-voltage devices, which will set industrial

and environmental standards for the new century.

The real breakthrough comes in the transformer

windings. Conventional construction uses paper-

insulated coils for the windings, which are immersed

in flammable oil. Dryformer™ uses air-cooled, dry

polymer-insulated cables, which, in the event of

internal arcing, minimize any risk of fire or explosion.

The system can also be coupled to underground

transmission cables – the common form of distribu-

tion in urban areas. This frees electricity distribution

from a dependence on overhead power lines.

Another type of transformer is mainly used in railway

applications to recuperate electrical energy from loco-

motives. It is called the Booster transformer. Here

ABB’s cable technology leads to very efficient, compact

and reliable transformer types, called Boosterformer™.

These unique power transformers apply ABB know-

ledge to the ever-changing demands of growing

markets.

Nature’s way The transformer transformed



ABB’s move to a technology-based company has

put software at the core of many traditional business

practices.

The company’s engineers are making it a priority

to capture digitally all the Group’s knowledge and

expertise. As a result, Internet technologies and

eCommerce has grown tremendously. Applying

the business tools is both challenging and exciting.

The automation business, for example, is undergoing

a major transformation. ABB’s growing use of

software and combined software/hardware systems

reflects that change.

Software plays a key role in all ABB operations –

from applications that boost the quality of in-house

product designs and get them to market faster, to

embedded software for production of smart

products. Pure software applications are now tailored

to customer needs.

Investment in what ABB terms a ‘virtual product design

laboratory’ is a good example of software in engi-

neering design. For example, ABB has re-engineered

the design process and established integrated soft-

ware tools in areas such as rotating machines and

electrical switchgear. As a result, the design cycle of

complex machinery was accelerated by a factor of

four. The open framework of such tools permits

them to be used in a range of design applications.

The marine oil and gas market increasingly uses

floating concepts for deep sea drilling and shuttle

tankers. Due to ABB’s unique position as a supplier

of advanced software solutions and electrical power

equipment, a new real-time simulator for power and

TheSmartHeartSoftware drives ABB’s business



automation systems was established. This so-called

Integrated Vessel Simulator enables fast, in-house

verification of new concepts and control strategies

without expensive full-scale trials.

Embedded software adds functionality and flexibility

to many ABB products, reducing the need for hard-

ware development and significantly lowering costs.

Software now provides customers with convenient

24-hour access to ABB products. If you need a low-

power electrical drive, visit the company’s specialist

AC site (www.comp-ac.com). The drive will be

delivered within hours.

Even when a product has been commissioned and

delivered, software solutions and Internet technolo-

gies enable ABB engineers to provide cost-effective

online support. For example, after modifying an

automated pulp and paper plant, ABB engineers can

remotely monitor performance and adapt controller

tuning to optimize productivity.

ss



Furthermore, outage restoration crews with service

work (e.g. meter connect and disconnect, emergency

calls, gas, and water) are interconnected and brought

together with the new ABB Mobile Crew Management

System. The combination of various communication

media (voice, data and positioning) enables real-time

two-way transmission of service calls, equipment and

customer data; event-based audio and visual alerts

and confirmations; dynamic map generation and

delivery to crews over wireless networks; as well as

crew vehicle tracking by GPS support.

Some areas of ABB are software-only operations for

which external software license sales and mainten-

ance agreements are the main revenue source. For

example, when the California electricity market was

liberalized in 1998, ABB and two partner companies

were able to provide an Internet-based energy

trading floor which became the heart of the market.

Similarly, the ABB software product GimsPlus™, is an

enterprise asset management system designed to

enable a Generation Company to operate effectively

in a competitive wholesale energy market. Another

example is the ABB software product MerchantPlus™,

which enables an Energy Service Provider to trade

in the competitive market for retail electricity and

facilitates management of the risks of the retail

trading operation.

This year ABB set up a company-wide initiative to

encourage innovation, speed-to-market and high

quality standards in recognition of the vital nature of

software development. The resulting ABB Software

Process Initiative (ASPI) aims to capture best

practices in software development by creating formal

channels of communication between the group’s

managerial, engineering and support areas, and the

shop floors of individual ABB software-focused

companies.

ABB’s automation business benefits from a common

process model for software research and

development projects. Internally this is dubbed Total

Optimization of Processes (TOPs). The aim is to

make software projects easier to plan and track, to

increase productivity, and to radically reduce

postrelease errors.

In parallel ABB uses ‘experience factories’ to boost

software development practices throughout its

companies. These are groups of software engineers

who work separately from product development.

Their role is to regularly study software development

projects, package experience to good practices and

manage the exchange of software engineering

knowledge. Evaluations are based on the Capability

Maturity Model (CMM) for software development

established by Carnegie Mellon University.

Through CMM, groups can identify ways of

improving software development processes and

enhance software quality.

In addition to Carnegie Mellon University, the

University of Maryland, Stanford University and

RWTH Aachen provide software process knowledge

and training for ABB engineers. External consultants

provide advice to reduce business risk in software

product development.

ABB is also a member of a software engineering

center consortium, in conjunction with the

Fraunhofer Institute, Motorola and Daimler-Chrysler.



Standard circuit breakers are very reliable for

opening and closing a switch on a power grid.

Unfortunately, this process creates overvoltage and

high current transients in the system. In simple terms,

these peaks, often termed “electric noise” in a power

grid, lower system efficiency. It is a problem we have

lived with for many years. The peaks cause undue

wear and tear and stresses the overall system,

increasing costs and safety concerns for operators

and the public.

ABB has solved the problem caused by randomly

distributed switching moments by creating a

synchronous circuit breaker (SCB). Based on earlier

magnetic actuator technology, it is an intelligent

breaker providing operators the unique feature

of being able to control the point in time a switch

makes or breaks the current. This all sounds very

complicated. But, switching moments are already

controlled to the microsecond in very special cases.

It has until this point been too expensive to

duplicate for more general use.

By controlling the switching moment,

transients and contact wear are reduced.

Also, operating and maintenance costs are

decreased as the system is simplified,

helping to reduce overall power system

costs.

The SCB is a plug-in, multi-purpose

device designed to work within all

medium-voltage switchgear.

A controller permanently computes the

optimal tripping instant for the SCB by

analyzing preset network characteristics

and the components to be switched.

The speed of the electric contact is then

adapted to suit this specific switching operation.

Currently, if the switching takes place at the wrong

time, the system becomes infected. In turn, power

supply is poor and the system is prone to surges

and damaging restrikes. Equipment needs frequent

maintenance and monitoring. The SCB ensures the

right conditions prevail to deliver “clean electricity”

in the most efficient and least costly fashion.

The SCB is also simple to use. The operator selects

the type of switched load and the optimal switching

sequence is automatically selected. Synchronized

switching means the disturbing peaks and troughs,

so-called “electric noise,” are removed.

Tests reveal that the SCB reduces current interference

by a factor of 10 and switching ambients to negligible

levels.

Synchronize yourswitchesMaking intelligent breakers



Environmental performance is a key consideration

when developing new technologies at ABB.

Last year, President and CEO Göran Lindahl

introduced the idea of developing Environmental

Declarations – clear quantified environmental goals

and programs for core products and strategies.

This year, the idea has come to fruition. In line with

ABB’s global ISO standards, the company has based

all technology developments on Life Cycle

Assessment (LCA) studies. The studies carefully

measure the environmental impact of ABB products,

from design and manufacturing to operation,

eventual disposal and recycling.

For example, in China, ABB has set up an alliance

with several universities and institutions to study

ways of reducing the environmental impact of energy

systems in Shandong province. This area remains

heavily-dependent on fossil fuels for expanding its

energy needs.

ABB is taking the declarations principle to all areas

of business, including:

Automation – increasing the efficiency of diverse

industrial processes; cutting raw materials, energy

consumption, emissions and waste from the

production of food, pulp and paper, chemicals,

cement and power, among other things.

ABB’s control systems have an impact on economics

and, in turn, environmental performance. For

example, new systems for paper machines allow

settings to be changed faster. A 70 percent time

reduction eliminates a great deal of wasted paper.

The world’s first sensor for online measuring of

carbon content in fly ash reduces power station

emissions. And, new soft switching technology

reduces power losses in converters by 50 percent.

Oil, Gas and Petrochemicals – reducing the impact

of offshore oil and gas production. ABB is

developing systems to extract from subsea reserves

without disturbing the environment.

For example, SUBSIS equipment separates water

from hydrocarbons at the seabed and reinjects

separated water at the well. Efficient processes like

GreenDrive

Environmental performance is a key business goal



this, alongside later natural gas treatments, bring

resources to the consumer with less environmental

impact.

Petrochemicals need just the right catalyst for

improved conversion. ABB is developing new

catalysis procedures aimed at reducing the amount of

waste produced.

Transmission and Distribution – developing new

technologies to make DC transmission more efficient.

ABB is driving down basic transmission costs to

make alternative and renewable sources of energy

more plausible. At this point, these alternatives are

more expensive than conventional power generation

systems.

Two key examples of technology leaps in this area

are: ABB is working with new materials like silicon

carbide to reduce energy losses in transmission

networks; and ABB is eliminating the need for

overhead power lines by moving them underground.

More, the power lines needed for overhead

productions have been reduced in size to lessen

environmental impact.

Several new transformer types have been developed

this year. The Dryformer™ builds on last year’s

Powerformer™ technology to produce high-voltage

power without using flammable insulating fluids.

In more conventional transformers, ABB developed a

new biodegradable insulating fluid called BIOTEMP®.

The fluid also has safety and thermal properties far

superior to traditional mineral oils.

Noise control is an important area for ABB.

Innovative new fan and motor designs are drastically

reducing noise levels in factories and workspaces

around the world.

Traditional systems are being redesigned with

superior sound buffers. Air-friendly buffers are

replacing mineral-wool sound insulators – long the

bane of the industry because of particle build-up

inside the system.

These technological leaps will shape energy

production for years to come. To learn more about

ABB and the environment, refer to the Environ-

mental Management Report.



Technologies in ABB Automation

Lars Krantz

“We have the broadest range of automation

equipment and technical solutions of any company

in the world,” reflects Lars Krantz, ABB’s Senior

Vice President for Automation Segment Technology.

“What we’re seeing increasingly is the client’s need

to optimize every asset in the plant over the whole

life cycle, from design to operation, servicing, up-

grading, optimization and continuous improvements.

That means a lot of advanced control, simulation

and services opportunities.”

ABB Automation is the biggest of the company’s six

business segments, accounting for about 33 percent

of ABB’s revenues last year. It has evolved from

ABB’s pioneering developments in control and

robotics in the 1970s. Today it is a US$ 8.3 billion

business that spans a broad spectrum of industries.

“We see it as the sector with the greatest potential

for growth,” said Lars, a Swedish engineer of 48 who

brings to the technology long experience of ABB

business management in automation.

ABB has a large international portfolio of technology

developed in the last two decades to meet many

automation needs. It serves industries as disparate as

electricity generation and distribution, sub-sea oil and

gas recovery, refining, chemical and pharmaceutical

processes, consumer goods, metals, pulp and

papermaking, marine propulsion, robotics and manu-

facturing technology. “Our aim is to try to repackage

the best into reusable solutions for the industries we

serve,” Lars said.

It’s an ambitious challenge, demanding extensive

innovation in both electro-technology and software

engineering. The goal is to achieve the flexibility

and versatility required to design generic products

and systems, while continuing to add solutions and

services on top. For example, new technical oppor-

tunities are showing up in model-based control,

microminiaturization and nanotechnology.

In addition, the wider use of Commercially Off The

Shelf (COTS) products like PC’s, related software and

Internet technologies in automation is changing the

delivery of many products and systems.

The Automation segment has a vision of what it

calls “Industrial IT,” or enterprise automation, where

products are integrated into advanced systems using

these new information technologies. “Industrial IT”

runs right through all processes – from automation

to production management and everyday business

systems. The future of the segment will see the

boundaries of each process disappear, blending

together in one seamless operation.

“We’re changing the rules of the game,” are words

often spoken in ABB. Take the “Factory of the

Future” (see also page 14), a highly-automated,

Internet-based system for processing orders for

distribution transformers.

The factory was designed and assembled as a full-



scale demonstration of just how versatile the latest

ABB automation technology can be in terms of coping

with many different product specifications. It is one

of the High-Impact, High-Risk (HIPS) projects ABB

runs to boost innovation. “It’s a good example of the

capability of ABB in designing and delivering an

automation solution,” Lars said.

The pulp and paper industry is another good example

of ABB’s supplier reputation. “We have a fantastic

combination of automation facilities working in

China this year,” Lars said. At Dagang near Shanghai,

ABB Automation has completed what he believes

is the world’s biggest composite contract for a pulp

and paper mill for Asia Pulp & Paper.

Another burgeoning area of automation for ABB

is marine propulsion, where Lars believes new

concepts for energy optimization on ships can yield

dramatic savings. Automating the propulsion of

cruise vessels, says Lars, is one of ABB’s fastest-

growing activities. “It’s a good example of how we

see ABB Automation growing.”

The Automation segment’s vision of “Industrial IT”

for enterprise automation requires a major manage-

ment effort. The transformation to a knowledge and

software-based company requires a global initiative

to protect intellectual property and integrate R&D

into software engineering.

The Elsag Bailey acquisition strengthened ABB’s

software capabilities considerably. In addition,

the Automation segment has three major centers

of software development: in Sweden, Germany and

the U.S. and several other smaller centers. “We are

making this activity truly global and transparent –

global R&D, global products, global sourcing. It’s not

easy to run because of inherent differences between

countries and cultures, but it gives us an unmatched

opportunity of experience, skills and customer

relations,” said Lars.

“Our job,” Lars said, “is to take our technology and

harden it to run round-the-clock, 365 days a year, in

an industrial environment, with maximum payback

for the customer.”

Examples of major product launches 1999

■ Oil Production Management SW Suite

■ C-MAC Terminal Management SW

■ Global Function Packages for Flexible Manufacturing, Flex Arc, FlexBender, FlexPalletizer®, RoboDeflusher

■ High Duty Petrochemical Control Valves (AB2000)

■ Pulverized fuel meter for utility applications

■ New generation of Medium Size Induction Furnaces based upon ACS600

■ Automatic off line Rolling Mill Drive tuner

■ Turbochargers with variable turbine geometry

■ Dynamic Pulp & Paper Process Simulator

■ ULMA Nti, Gray scale imaging

■ Integrated Air Control for Paper Machines

■ Synchronous motor drive with IGCT and DTC for Metals and Mining applications

■ New DC motors in the range 30–600 kW

■ Unitrol 5000® – new static excitation system

■ RADAR – System for remote diagnosis of Power plants

■ S.P.I.D.E.R. Emergency Control Center

■ RANGER Neural Network Load Forecast

■ Mobile Crew Management System (MCMS)

The interviews in this section were conducted by David

Fishlock, who writes and publishes R&D Efficiency, an

executive letter for research managers. He was science

editor of the Financial Times from 1967 to 1991.



Rune Strömquist

“The winning move of the future is to get paid by

the value we add to the client and not by the hour,”

says Rune Strömquist, Senior Vice President

Technology, for the Oil, Gas and Petrochemicals

Segment. “The future of ABB is as a solution

provider. It’s our ability to provide a total solution

that we want to sell.”

Rune, 45, is a naval architect who has spent his

career in the oil and gas industry since qualifying at

the Norwegian Institute of Technology, Trondheim,

with an MSc in 1979. In 1994, he joined ABB and

began work with Markus Bayegan, then director of

the corporate R&D center at Billingstad, Norway.

Rune’s role was to advise on how to bring R&D to

bear on some of the big commercial challenges

confronting the oil and gas industry.

“My background in R&D is from the business end.

I’ve done a lot of development and innovation as an

engineer, much more than basic research.”

As with other ABB segments, the new strategy of the

Oil, Gas and Petrochemicals (OGP) segment is to see

future opportunities less in terms of discrete products

or specific services, and much more in terms of sys-

tems and solutions. In this case, OGP is focusing on

integrated systems for customers like oil companies

and governments.

The OGP segment, created in 1998, had revenues in

1999 of around US$ 3.1 billion, about 12 percent of

the Group total.

Rune is the segment’s first technology director. He

has seen an incredible rate of technology change in

OGP because of low and unstable oil prices and

exploration at increasing sea depths. Oilfields are

increasingly complex and demand ever-higher levels

of reliability. To be profitable, new fields must

extract oil for US$ 8–10 a barrel. “In the prevailing

business climate operators are eager to test new

ideas – it’s simply a matter of survival,” he said.

OGP has identified three strategic goals, which are

heavily dependent on cutting-edge technology

development:

■ To be best in providing subsea systems, including

intelligent wells

■ To be best in providing pressure containment

equipment for subsea wells

■ To be best in providing deep-water fully

integrated production systems, including

miniaturized down-hole processing and floating

production systems.

Rune encapsulates these three goals in three

“visions”, each based on integrating ABB products,

processes and technology in novel ways to create

highly innovative systems.

For example, Rune has a vision for subsea tieback –

controlling the subsea installation from a distant

Technologies in ABB Oil, Gas and Petrochemicals



platform or the shore, perhaps 200 kilometers away.

Subsea oil and gas processing will create new

challenges in the industry, and ABB is well positioned

to address these challenges.

The company has all the core competencies in-house,

such as subsea production systems, process and flow

assurance, power distribution, instrumentation and

control.

OGP well technology includes the next generation of

“Xmas trees” – the specialized valves that control the

flow from the wells.

Rune’s vision of deepwater production includes

automation of the production control to get more

from a given reservoir. He said, “It will really be a

commercial hit if we can combine our technologies

successfully.”

Some of these technological targets are already

supported by the Group’s High Impact Projects,

including ADMARC (ADvanced Monitoring And

Reservoir Control), and FPS 2000 (Floating

Production System).

“We’re putting a lot of emphasis on creating new

business out of our R&D effort,” Rune said. “Time to

market is really important in creating a competitive

position.” He tries to get fast market feedback to

researchers by bringing them into the early discus-

sions of a client’s needs.

Rune also firmly believes in the importance of

persuading a “client champion” to take a long term

view of the way technology is evolving, in

partnership with ABB.

Early in 1999, the Norwegian Government decided to

support an industry initiative to use new technology

to enhance the profitability of Norway’s oilfields. The

Department of Energy put up NKr 200 million (about

US$ 25 million) for DEMO 2000, and appointed Rune

chairman of its board of management.

“For ABB, the key message is that if we keep up on

R&D, we have the potential to be earning more than

a billion U.S. dollars from new products in this sector

by the year 2002,” Rune said.

ABB is also leading the way in oil and gas

conversion technology with petroleum refining and

petrochemicals. In refineries, for instance, cost-

effective upgrading of diesel fuel can now be

achieved by applying SynShift/SynSat™ technology.

With this innovative technology, high quality diesel

can be manufactured to stringent environmental

specifications. ABB also provides technology

solutions for bottoms upgrading, reformulated fuels

and high octane blending components.

“From oil discovery to chemicals manufacturing,

ABB is leading the way toward a future with better

technology.”


■ Unique single-stage vacuum deaerator on the VARG FPSO

■ Waste Gas Disposal System on Asgard B platform

■ New integrated Catofin production process

■ Combined hydrogenation and distillation system for ethylene plants

■ Binary refrigeration system for ethylene plants

■ Very high-capacity deepwater wellhead system

■ High-pressure, high-temperature horizontal Xmas tree

■ Downhole Optical Gauge

■ Single Column Deepwater Floater



Technologies in ABB Transmission and ABB Distribution

Georg Schett

“We want electricity to be the best and most efficient

way to transmit and distribute energy,” says Georg

Schett. “And to make electricity distribution invisible

and environmentally friendly.” Georg is Senior Vice

President Technology in the segments Power

Transmission and Power Distribution, which had

revenues of around US$ 3.7 billion and US$ 2.9

billion respectively in 1999, 15 percent and 12 percent

respectively of total ABB sales.

Swiss-born Georg, 40, has spent his career in electro-

technology since graduating from the technical

University of Zurich (ETH) with an MSc in electrical

engineering in 1982. He believes the electricity

supply business is poised for even faster and more

dramatic change globally in the next few years,

catalyzed by deregulation and privatization of what,

for a century, has been run mostly as public mono-

polies throughout the world. ABB, Georg says, has

a rich inventory of solutions, inventions and ideas

for the changing utility business environment.

“Previously utility management had very clear

ideas and rules on how to build and operate their

electricity grids, and tight specifications for their

suppliers,” Georg said. Most were reluctant to accept

alternative solutions from suppliers. Today, utlity

managers see their responsibilities quite differently,

with much greater emphasis on what can be done

rather than how it is done.

Nowadays, being able to do things differently is

more and more a key competitive advantage. Take

the cable transformer, or Dryformer™, an ABB

invention based on advances in cable technology.

Georg is convinced it will help revolutionize thinking

about public safety of electricity supply. The

traditional oil-filled power transformer that reduces

the high voltage of electricity from the long-distance

power transmission line to the lower distribution

voltages needed by end users has to be very

carefully designed to cope with all the safety and

environmental requirements.

From ABB’s Powerformer™ family of novel technology

using round-section copper cable comes a transformer

whose windings are already fully insulated and

need no oil – no containment at all. The prototype

Dryformer™ was first demonstrated at the corporate

R&D center in Sweden early in 1999 (see also page

51). The first Dryformer™ has been put into service.

“With this invention the utility can put the transformer

wherever it wishes to – even in the basement of a

building in the heart of a city,” Georg said.

This and many other inventions lie at the core of an

ABB quest to make transmission and distribution

infrastructure less and less intrusive; the sprawling

forest of electrical paraphernalia from which towns

and factories draw their electricity. And the inven-

tions will also simplify production processes and

shrink factories.



Today, Georg agrees, substations are widely regarded

as unsightly. For more than a decade ABB R&D has

been engaged in shrinking their size – by eliminating

the thousands of electro-mechanical relays once

needed, for instance, by integrating functions into

one single device and by miniaturizing equipment.

Georg points out the special importance of high-

power semiconductors, which, by shrinking the size

of all kinds of high-power electrical equipment, will

impact transmission and distribution more than we

can imagine today.

The quantum leap ABB achieved with the compact

and affordable HVDC Light™ is only the beginning

of a fundamental change. We will see much more

direct current transmission and distribution, and

perfect control of the grid, with low losses and very

high quality of supply.

Another important advance in power electronics is a

system under development that cleans up the power.

Power quality is becoming increasingly important to

industry as its reliance on power-sensitive automation,

control and monitoring systems grows. Aberrations in

power quality – fluctuations in voltage and frequency

– can be introduced at source, by nature (lightning

strikes), or by industrial operations such as welding

or simply when an old device in the grid fails.

Miniaturized power electronics will eliminate the

damaging voltage spikes or short interruptions and

deliver guaranteed quality, Georg says.

Historically, distribution has been the less favored

area of public power supply, deprived of both tech-

nical and financial resources. Large parts of many

public networks, even in the richer economies, remain

poorly monitored. That means it can take hours –

even days – to locate and rectify flashovers or short

circuits. ABB is developing ways to automate this

process so that operators can instantly pinpoint faults

in distribution.

Once the physical requirements are fulfilled, full

control of the distribution system is a question of an

integrated software solution. Equipped with the right

meter, electricity customers can better monitor their

consumption and in a liberalized market even

choose the most appropriate supplier.

The demand for modernizing distribution systems is

huge. ABB is well positioned with its technology to

meet it.


■ Mach I I, world’s fastest control and protection system for HVDC Light™ and SVC Light™

■ HEC 7/8: Generator circuit breaker for 36 kV / 24 kA / 160 kA

■ eCommerce Palm Top software for condition assessment of substations

■ 150 kV HVDC Light™ system

■ 500 kV XLPE cable

■ Plug arresters for GIS and metal-clad switchgear (to 36 kV)

■ Monitoring system for surge arresters

■ New transformer generation: Dryformer™, Boosterformer™

■ Modules with Integrated Power Quality for Distribution Systems

■ Intelligent Ring Main Unit for Automated Distribution Cable Rings



ABB Building Technologies

Jürgen H.Fuchs

When you enter a modern building – an office

building for example – you rarely recognize that a

sophisticated infrastructure is installed inside the

walls, in the floor or the ceilings. The lighting

system, the heating, climate and ventilation system,

the electrical supply in each room, the data

communication backbone, without them a modern

building would not work.

“We have built up a tremendous knowledge on

how to use buildings”, says Jürgen Fuchs, 46, Senior

Vice President Building Technologies Segment.

With this knowledge ABB is one of the few

companies that can offer the complete spectrum of

technical solutions: electrical installations, ventilation,

communication networks, security system, up to full

facility management service.

Efficient knowledge management has become a

key competitive edge. The Internet is used, for

example, to monitor several large buildings in a wide

area and alert local service personnel only in case

of need. This means high quality and low cost

service for the owners and operators of the

buildings, says Jürgen.

With the right control system in a building significant

energy cost savings can be achieved, by controlling

the climate system, the blinds at the windows and

the lighting of the rooms. “Buildings have become

intelligent,” Jürgen said.

Jürgen compares the full service concept in industry

to traditional Chinese notions on medical advice,

when people paid their doctors to keep them well.

“In the past ABB has been paid when a motor broke

down and got repaired. Now we’re inviting our

customers to pay us to keep their whole production

running efficiently.”

Full Service is a good example, Jürgen says, of

the “tremendous change” in ABB’s Building

Technologies Segment. “It’s a change that needs

knowledgeable people and the right technology

and methods – and we’ve got to understand

our customers’ processes.

“The basis for our Full Service offer is a long-term

partnership agreement which enables us to design,

execute and manage the entire asset base including

plant equipment, related personnel and maintenance

activities.

“With our long tradition in designing and producing

electrical equipment, we are able to provide excellent

products for electrical installations and controls,”

Jürgen said. “The INSUM system for example, an

intelligent motor protection, monitoring and

communication system, controls low-voltage power

distribution to a large number of motors. INSUM was

one of the first systems on the market and has been

developed to the state-of-the-art of today.”



Jürgen is an electrical engineer who specialized

in automation. He has spent his career with the

company since 1977 except for a brief period in

the U.S. German-born, he is based in Heidelberg,

Germany, where he was managing director of

an ABB company making low-voltage electrical

equipment until his appointment to head the

segment’s technology development.

Jürgen estimates the intellectual capital in ABB’s

breaker factory in Heidelberg – one of the best in the

world – is much higher than the value of the fixed

assets.

“It is the wide range of technologies in our Segment

– from high volume production of breakers to Full

Service capabilities – that make my job so interesting

and challenging today,” Jürgen said.

“Air handling is one of those technologies influenc-

ing the overall performance of a building or

process,” he added. Large or small, ventilation

equipment is invariably associated with noise,

much of it from the fan moving the air, balancing

dampers and high velocities in the ducts across

the ventilation system.

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD), the computer

modeling of the complex behavior of air flowing at

high speed, has begun to pinpoint the sources of

noise. A new science of active noise control together

with new designs, has started to dramatically reduce

noise and dampen what noise remains. The

whispering fan and the silent ventilation system may

be within reach.

New materials for fans like lightweight polymers

reinforced by carbon fibers (see also page 44) and

new design of integrated motors in the fan impellers

(see also page 43) are good examples of segment-

driven research. Manufacturing all those components

to order, some of them with more than a million

pieces per year, is another challenge.

And here again, in the tiny components, without

which nothing would work, we see the next

technical revolution taking place. Micromechanical

systems integrated with electronics on one chip will

gradually replace present technology.

The Segment, which generates around 26 percent

of ABB’s revenues in 1999, is not only well prepared

for all those changes. Jürgen said: “We are as a

technology leader among the active drivers for this

technical revolution.”


■ Scoope: on-line measurement of Overall Equipment Effectiveness

■ Dirivent 2000: Optimized ventilation system

■ EC Mini Air Handling Unit

■ Plug-in-fan for air handling units

■ Light low-voltage switchgear system “MNS Sprint”

■ SafeLine OTP: safety switches in plastic enclosures

■ Molded case circuit breaker S2X 80 with built-in motor protection

■ Electronic relays and digital measurement instruments for DIN-rail mounting

■ “clino opt 99” a Hospital indicator lamp system

■ Infrared movement detector “Busch watchdog”

■ Power line communication unit with 60 percent less power consumption

■ “ARCO Electronica” IR System for remote control of lighting



Aluminum dye spraying: A process to build structures from

aluminum by spraying the material into forms

Arced reflection: The pattern of reflected light in the form of

an arc

Arc-welding cell: An area of a factory set up to weld metal

parts using electric arcs

Bandwidth: A parameter of a communication system

describing the amount of information per second that can be

transmitted

Boiler: A hollow body with a combustion process in its

center to heat a steam flow generated in its walls

Capability Maturity Model (CMM): A measuring tool used

to describe the performance of a software production

process

CIA: Abbreviation for Carbon In Ash, describing the amount

of unburned coal in a combustion process

Current: The flow of electric charges in an electric circuit

Deregulated electricity markets: Markets in which the

provision and trading of electrical power is regulated by the

market forces, rather than state legislation

Dielectric fluid: A fluid with electric properties

Dry polymer: Polymers that can be processed without using

liquid components

Electric field: A property of space caused by electric

charges. The electric field is the reason for forces between

the charge

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI): The exchange of data

between companies using electronic channels

Fiber orientation: The three dimensional direction of thin

fibers in paper

Fly ash: The residue of a combustion process

Generator: A rotating machine that produces electrical power

Hard automation: A process that requires great strength

and precision, but is limited in flexibility because the systems

are often heavy and fixed

High current transients: Short peaks of high electrical

current in a grid

Impeller: The part in the a fan, often called a blade, that

generates the air flow

Injection moulding: A process to produce parts by

spraying materials into forms

Insulator: A material that cannot conduct electric currents

Lights-out factory: An automated factory that, because no

people work in it, requires no light

Microwave diagnostic system: A system using the

interaction of microwaves with dielectric material to measure

the material’s concentration

Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs):

A manufacturer whose products are used as components in

larger systems

Overload: A load (for example, an electric power) too high to

be managed by a system

Pad-mounted: Systems mounted on a pad like transformers

in rural areas

Polyethylene: Material with excellent properties for electrical

insulation

Product configurator: A software system to set up and

combine all components needed to design a product

Radio wave control: A communication between systems

that uses radio waves

Restrike: An electrical discharge between metallic parts in a

grid

SCADA system: A system to control equipment that is

physically-distributed: Supervisory Control And Data

Acquisition

Short circuit: an unforeseen electric contact between parts

in a grid, which causes a very high current

Glossary



Transformer: A device that uses magnetic fields to change

the voltage and current levels of electric power

Transformer windings: Turns of electrical wires to generate

a magnetic field in a transformer

Turnkey: A way of delivering products and systems to

customers that are ready to use by “turning the key”

Voltage: The driving force in an electric circuit to make

electrical charges move

XLPE: A special form of polyethylene, in which the

molecules are closely linked together: cross linked

polyethylene



Group Management

Group R&D and Technology Markus Bayegan

Technology Planning Friedrich Pinnekamp

Corporate Programs Gernot Gessinger

Technology Evaluation Klaus Ragaller

Intellectual Properties Katarina Lundblad Vannesjö

High Impact Projects Even Bakke

Controlling Håkan Åström

Segment Technology

Automation Lars Krantz

Oil, Gas and Petrochemicals Rune Stroemquist

Power Distribution Georg Schett

Power Transmission Georg Schett

Building Technologies Jürgen Fuchs

Corporate Programs

Automation Technologies Peter Terwiesch

Electronics, Sensors, Dagfin BrodtkorbCommunication and Instrumentation

Electric Power Technologies Arne Hjortsberg

Power Electronics Christer Ovren

Oil and Gas Upstream Hugh Clayton

Catalysis and Chemical Frits Dautzenberg

Processing Charlotte Brogren

Engineering Systems Harsh Karandikar

Mechanics Chun-Yuan Gu

Manufacturing Technologies Mika Kuhmonen

Software Engineering Peter Kolb

High-Voltage Electromagnetic Mats LeijonSystems

Energy and Global Change Baldur Eliasson

Corporate Research Centers

Finland Juhani Pylkkänen

ABB Corporate Research Oy Tel +358 10 224 2304

Virtavilva 9E / P.O. Box 608 Fax +358 10 224 1045

FIN-65101 Vaasa

Germany Kurt-Volker Boos

ABB Corporate Research Tel +49 6221 59 6100

Speyer Strasse 4 Fax +49 6221 59 6103

P.O. Box 101332

D-69003 Heidelberg

Italy Giandomenico Testi

ABB Ricerca S.r.I. Tel +39 02 262 32159

Viale Edison, 50 Fax +39 02 262 32160

I-20099 Sesto San Giovanni (Milan)

Norway Jan Bugge


Bergerveien 12 Fax +47 66 84 3540

P.O. Box 90 N-1361 Billingstad

Poland Marek Florkowski


13 A Starowislna Street Fax +48 12 422 4906

PL-31-038 Krakow

Sweden Harry Frank


Gideonsbergsgatan 2 Fax +46 21 32 31 57

S-72178 Västerås

Switzerland Peter Terwiesch


Segelhof Fax +41 56 593 5401

CH-5405 Baden-Dättwil

United States Jaime Trevino

Electric Systems Technology Tel +1 919 856 3853

1021 Main Campus Drive Fax +1 919 856 2458

Raleigh, North Carolina 27606

Associated Laboratories

ABB Vetco Gray Ian Calder

12221 North Houston Rosslyn Tel. +1 281 847 4627

Houston, Texas

ABB Lummus Global Frits Dautzenberg

Technology Development Center Tel. +1 973 893 3319

1515 Broad Street Fax +1 973 893 2745

Bloomfield, NJ 07003

Technology Management


ABB LtdCorporate R&D and TechnologyP.O. Box 8131 CH-8050 Zurich Switzerland Phone +41 (0)1 317 7111Telefax +41 (0)1 317 7991

ABB LtdCorporate CommunicationsP.O. Box 8131 CH- 8050 ZurichSwitzerland Phone +41 (0)1 317 7111Telefax +41 (0)1 317 7958

Internet addresswww.abb.com

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Technology Report ABB Group Annual Report 1999 · Technology Report ABB Group Annual Report 1999 ... materials and coatings, ... of information technology, ...

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