The medium voltage variable speed all-in-one machine is a new concept launched by ABB this time. The motor integrates variable speed function to provide customers with an integrated and efficient energy-saving solution.
Medium voltage motors consume 10% of the world’s electricity for conversion into mechanical energy, and the market has huge room for energy-saving transformation.
This solution will save up to 40% of energy for industrial applications such as pumps, compressors, and fans.
ABB’s MV Titanium is the world’s first medium voltage variable speed all-in-one machine in the 1-5 megawatt (MW) range. It integrates convenient connection and control functions, is easy to select and install, and its “all-in-one machine” concept will also bring more energy efficiency advantages to the medium voltage motor industry application that accounts for 10% of the world’s electricity consumption.
“While energy efficiency measures for variable speed motors have made significant progress in small motors and low voltage applications, medium voltage motors have lagged behind so far due to high initial costs and system complexity, with only 10%-15% of medium voltage motors currently connected to a variable speed drive,” said Heikki Vepsalainen, President of ABB’s Large Motors and Generators division. “But this will change with our MV Titanium concept. It makes motor matching more cost-effective and simple, while integrating higher levels of control, monitoring and connectivity in one system, making it an ideal upgrade solution for existing fixed speed motors. With this solution, the potential for energy cost savings and CO2 reduction is huge – if we can achieve this, it would be equivalent to closing more than 1,000 coal-fired power stations.”
ABB’s MV Titanium concept addresses many of the barriers to installing variable speed drives on medium voltage motors, including not only the initial cost of a separate variable speed drive, but also the associated E-house, transformers, switchgear and cables, which can significantly increase costs and make installation more complicated if space is limited. In addition, the MV Titanium concept developed by ABB will also bring savings in operating costs (OPEX) by improving energy efficiency.
Facing the vast Chinese market, Yang Wenguang, head of ABB’s Large Motors and Generators business unit in Asia Pacific, said: “The innovative MV Titanium concept is rooted in ABB’s more than 140 years of motor design experience and 50 years of frequency conversion technology accumulation, creating a solution that integrates energy efficiency, controllability and connectivity. This solution has built-in digital solutions, analysis and connection capabilities, and can be seamlessly integrated into existing systems. It also provides software libraries and interfaces for process monitoring and optimization. At present, the Chinese market has put forward more requirements on the energy efficiency level of motors under the background of energy-saving transformation. I believe that the launch of this innovative solution in the Chinese market will enable more industries to see ABB’s leading position in the industry and its firm determination to continue to invest in a low-carbon world.” In the future, MV Titanium motors will be mainly used in typical scenarios such as pumps, compressors and fans, which can reduce energy consumption by up to 40%, while improving production efficiency and reducing downtime. Its application areas are wide, including power and renewable energy, metals, papermaking, petrochemicals, mining, cement and water treatment industries. Heikki Vepsalainen concluded: “This groundbreaking motor concept is not only a technological advance, but also an important step towards productivity in a low-carbon world. It puts ABB on the path to support the gradual replacement of large fixed-speed motors with variable-speed motors.”
