New motor control centre technology from ABB

31-08-2010
New motor control centre technology from ABB

ABB, a leader in power and automation technology, has launched a new range of SafeStart low voltage motor control centre (MCC’s) technology.

The SafeStart range improves safety, equipment reliability and ease of maintenance for operators of demountable type MCC’s in the mining and minerals industry.

To address the key needs of operators and owners of local mine sites, the design of the SafeStart MCC has been engineered and developed in Australia based on direct feedback received from a series of market surveys conducted by ABB in Australia.

“Safety is one of the biggest concerns in the mining market right now, and the new module interlock system developed for our SafeStart MCC’s highlights our ongoing commitment to safety in the mining industry,” said Kelvin Wong, Low Voltage Systems manager for ABB in Australia.

“We have incorporated several other design elements to address the needs expressed by our clients in relation to additional safety.

These were successfully verified by conducting a series of additional arc fault tests, greatly exceeding the requirements of any Australian or International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standard.”

The SafeStart MCC modules are designed to improve safety for operators and electrical maintenance workers with improved protection against arc faults and interlocking mechanisms.

This allows the main switch handle to be padlocked in the OFF position with the door open or closed, and also prevents insertion or withdrawal of the demountable module when the main switch is in the ON position.

ABB’s demountable SafeStart low voltage MCC’s have been designed to operate in harsh conditions such as operation ambient temperatures of between -5°C and 50°C, and dusty environments which demand protection ratings of up to IP54.

Temperature rise tests and internal arcing fault tests have been conducted under the worst conditions of IP54 without extrapolation or assumptions.

Maintenance has also been simplified thanks to the modular nature of the equipment.

All demountable modules come in standard sizes and are provided with facilities to allow for quick interchange or replacement of modules within the framework.

Main busbars are of a maintenance-free construction and distribution bars are fully phase-segregated, dramatically reducing the probability of an arc flash.

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