ABB debuts ‘revolutionary’ digital low-voltage switchgear
Combined with ABB’s Ability platform, the company says NeoGear will reduce a manufacturer’s footprint by up to 25%, it increases cooling efficiency, reducing losses by up to 20% and reduces operational costs by up to 30%.
Pilot trials
Switchgear is the combination of electrical disconnect switches, fuses or circuit breakers to control, protect and isolate electrical equipment. They both de-energize equipment to allow work to be done and to clear faults downstream.
Speaking to Alessandro Palin, MD, Distribution Solutions business, ABB, he said safety is the key feature of this switchgear.
“If correct procedures were not followed with a traditional low-voltage switchgear the operators performing maintenance could be potentially exposed to electrocution but with the NeoGear switchgear this risk is eliminated,” he said.
Palin added, the product will be first launched in Europe with other markets to follow, eventually being available in all markets globally within the next coming years.
“NeoGear is the next-generation of low-voltage switchgear and it is also available with ABB Ability digital to optimize operations through, for example, reduced maintenance cost,” he said.
ABB factory China
“The NeoGear bus plate technology has been piloted in real industrial environments. It is currently in pilot use at Jura Cement in Switzerland and at the newest ABB factory in Xiamen, China.”
ABB opened a high-voltage manufacturing unit in Xiamen, southern China, last year to meet growing demand for reliable electricity in rapidly growing urban areas of the country.
The 58,000m² facility includes manufacturing, high-voltage test labs, centers for research and development, training and service. The unit will manufacture gas-insulated switchgear (GIS), gas-insulated lines (GIL) and GIS components up to 1,200 kV.
