ABB Electric creates "Power Kingdom"

ABB has a long history in power generation. They specialize in power generation and water treatment operations, including control systems and automation. ABB has eight regions in the world to do power generation business. There are more than 50 countries and 4,500 factories. We have applied ABB's technology and solutions, and the power generation business has created 4 billion US dollars of business for the company every year. Recently, at ABB's "ABB Power World" large-scale conference, the reporter interviewed Franz-Josef Mengede, head of its global power generation business.

Reporter: Please tell us about ABB's power generation business.

Mengede: In terms of power generation business, ABB has strong professional capabilities. By optimizing operations, it can further improve the efficiency of power generation, transmission and energy use. The components and control systems produced by ABB are focused on the professional work of power generation. We also do engineering design. In addition to the mainframe, other applications can provide services.

ABB has always attached great importance to service. Some of our products are developed globally. However, we provide local services and support in the regions or countries where our business is located, including control systems and electrical complete solutions. In the water sector, our solutions mainly cover water purification, pumping stations and water transmission systems. In some countries' water transmission projects, only 60% to 70% of the water can really be sent to the terminal, and the other 30% will be wasted due to leakage, loss, etc.

ABB has always insisted on a policy called "gradual optimization," not simply to abandon the old system, but to ensure compatibility with the old system during the development of the new system. In this way, we can take care of the upgrade needs of the old user base, and we will continue to do some development. At the same time, we will also provide new incremental solutions for the upgrading of old users. At present, about 27% of the total electricity generated in China is controlled by ABB's control system.

Reporter: ABB recently launched SymphonyTM Plus, a new automation system for the power generation and water industry. Can you briefly introduce it?

Mengede: In ABB's power generation business unit, from a technical point of view, we are focusing on the SymphonyPlus system. This system evolved from the ABBSymphony system. Of course, we will add many new features and innovations. In addition, the existing investment and benefits of the user will be fully taken into account. When designing new components, it will also ensure that it will be compatible with the old system.

The original Symphony system has a very wide range of applications in the world and is one of the largest DCS systems. We have more than 6,000 systems worldwide, of which about 4,000 are used in power generation and water business. Our product development strategy is centered on innovation, introduction of new technologies, use of new cards, and new components. At the same time, we also need to ensure the upgrading and evolution of old users. If the old user wants to apply new technologies, we can choose the one that suits them best according to the user's situation, instead of switching the whole system back. This not only ensures the user's investment, shortens its transformation time, but also protects the user's software transformation. Our goal is to minimize the cost and time for users to upgrade and replace.

Now that the new system is using more and more IT technology, it will also bring about some security risks. Our R&D team has always been concerned about improving the security of data, and the software or equipment of our business units has taken into consideration security. Recently, ABB also invested in a company that has strong expertise in electronic security. ABB has formed a partnership with it to provide complete security for the control system. The focus of our SymphonyPlus system is still in the power generation business, so we will further strengthen our business in the already very strong tradition.

Reporter: ABB's advanced technology has reduced the power plant's power consumption from 10% to 5%. What are the major technologies, methods, and measures? Mengede: To improve energy efficiency, there are many potentials to be tapped. For example, to improve the combustion value of coal, we have some testing items. Although coal is burned, it can be burned more fully and energy efficiency can be improved. There are some devices that consume relatively large amounts of energy. If these devices do not meet the control requirements, they will also be very costly. Combined with some technologies, we can control the steam temperature very stably, so that we can maximize the efficiency and approach the limit. Since the original is not very stable, we can approach the limit as far as possible to further improve the energy efficiency. Saving energy and reducing consumption are the operations that make it close to the limit. In addition, the traditional system has a certain degree of slope increase to reach the limit of the situation, this system can make it more secure, thus improving the overall energy efficiency. In terms of boilers and turbines, we also have some cooling systems, which will provide some solutions to improve efficiency, including the generator part. We also have some solutions to improve the operating efficiency.

In addition, ABB can provide professional services. We can send experts to power plants to conduct a comprehensive assessment of it, including process and electrical aspects. We can find some programs that can improve energy efficiency and then implement them. Usually before doing this kind of service, we first evaluate and then submit a report. Through analysis, we set up a target value to help the user's factory to increase the efficiency or reduce the amount of loss.

In the control system innovation part, our first consideration is the effectiveness of the operator. Because the current factory is more complex than in the past, more information is available. The information is too complicated and the operators are too busy. We have greatly improved the effectiveness of our operations through some new technologies, including the introduction of some improved alarm and event processing functions that allow operators to obtain the required information very effectively.