ABB

ABB Ability™ Digital Powertrain is a predictive maintenance solution for motors, drives and driven equipment. It combines sensing and connectivity technologies with advanced analytics and ABB domain expertise to continuously monitor asset condition, identify abnormal patterns and detect early signs of degradation. The system assesses failure probability and operational impact, enabling maintenance teams to prioritise interventions before failures disrupt production. It supports scalable monitoring across individual sites and global asset fleets, with applications covering asset reliability, maintenance planning, operational risk and asset life.

ABB Ability™ LEAP (Life Expectancy Analysis Program) is a condition-assessment methodology for stator winding insulation in high-voltage motors and generators. It uses specialised analytical tools to identify, characterise and quantify insulation-system defects. On-site measurements are performed during a maintenance break, with test data analysed using ABB’s empirical model based on more than 15,000 tests. The analysis determines the insulation condition and predicts when it may become vulnerable or critical, supporting condition-based maintenance and run/repair/retrofit/replace decisions.

ABB Air Gap Inspection uses a super-slim robotic crawler with five cameras to perform in-situ visual inspection of large synchronous motors and generators without rotor removal. The crawler travels through the stator–rotor air gap using configurable magnetic track modules, providing high-resolution visual coverage of the stator and rotor cores, windings, wedges, stator teeth, air ducts and rotor support blocks. Its cameras provide live and recorded video, with adjustable focal length and side-facing views for inspecting stator teeth and air ducts. The system operates in air gaps of 10 mm or more, with inspection data recorded for detailed analysis and repeatable condition assessment. It can also localise defects identified through ABB Ability™ LEAP, including contamination, partial discharge indications and loose wedges.

ABB Motion Services’ modernisation portfolio addresses ageing motors, generators and drives through component upgrades, retrofits, refurbishment and replacement. For motors and generators, solutions include rotor and stator upgrades, control-panel replacement, AVR upgrades, retrofit kits, brush-lifting systems and exciter-rotor upgrades. Refurbishment can restore high-voltage machines to their original performance, while retrofit kits can add condition-monitoring, vibration, airflow and earth-fault detection capabilities. ABB also provides capital-spare planning using site surveys and machine diagnostics.

ABB’s modernisation solutions combine electrical, mechanical and control-system upgrades to extend the operational lifecycle of installed powertrain equipment. Motor and generator solutions include refurbishment, rotor upgrades, exciter-rotor replacement, AVR upgrades and retrofit kits incorporating technologies such as vibration sensors, airflow sensors, earth-fault detection and hydrostatic jacking. For drives, ABB provides retrofit and module-upgrade solutions that replace essential ageing components while retaining existing cabinets, cabling and motors, reducing the extent of system modification and shutdown requirements.

The ABB 12 kV Cradle Solution is a medium-voltage circuit-breaker retrofit system designed to integrate a standard ABB withdrawable VD4 circuit breaker into existing non-ABB switchgear through an engineered adaptation frame. The fixed cradle incorporates epoxy bushings, jumper links, guide rails, shutter mechanisms and earthing contacts, while the breaker can be racked between TEST and SERVICE positions. The solution is available for 7.2–12 kV applications, with rated currents up to 3,150 A and short-circuit ratings up to 40 kA. It is type-tested and incorporates mechanical interlocking and optional remote racking and temperature monitoring.

The ABB GEM Plus Module is a retrofit solution for legacy GE GEM Plus low-voltage switchgear and motor control centres, replacing obsolete GE withdrawable modules on a one-to-one basis with modules incorporating current ABB components. The replacement modules are design-verified to IEC 61439, with ABB components selected to improve equipment reliability and maintain spare-parts availability. The solution is designed for withdrawable feeder modules rated at 415 V and 50 Hz, with the ABB technical leaflet covering G2, G3, G5 and G6 module configurations. Replacement can be carried out with minimum shutdown time, allowing progressive modernisation of the existing switchgear.

HBRF (Hard Bus Retrofill) is an ABB retrofit solution for replacing legacy New Emax low-voltage air circuit breakers with Emax 2, while retaining the existing switchgear busbar arrangement. The solution incorporates an AC/DC conversion stage from 230 V AC to 24 V DC to accommodate the control and auxiliary requirements of the Emax 2 system. The retrofit is designed around limited switchgear modifications, with the replacement breaker and associated interfaces engineered for compatibility with the existing installation. ABB states that its retrofit solutions are type-tested, supporting verified electrical and mechanical integration and reducing the need for complete switchgear replacement.