An ABB solution has solved power quality problems that caused nuisance tripping and server downtime at two Accenture office complexes in India. Not only did the solution solve the problem, it reduced the energy consumption of critical devices by 20 percent.
By
ABB Communications
Key benefits of the ABB solution
● 95 percent reduction in total harmonic distortion
● 30-40 percent reduction in neutral to ground voltage
● 20 percent reduction in UPS power consumption
The ABB solution has successfully protected the business-critical infrastructure of two Accenture offices in Chennai and Hyderabad that were affected by tripping in the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) units that supply power to large server clusters.
An external consultancy hired by Accenture to investigate the problem found that the disturbances were caused by high levels of neutral ground voltage, voltage harmonic distortion, current harmonics and neutral current.
These problems are common in buildings with large amounts of electronic equipment, servers and UPS batteries. The equipment creates harmonics in the power network, which in turn causes cables and transformers to overheat, circuit breakers to trip, and fuses to blow.
“We have achieved excellent power quality through the cancellation of harmonics by using ABB PQF active filters.” Ajit P. Pillai, Technical Lead, Accenture Service
Round-the-clock availability of stable power is critical to Accenture’s business, a requirement that was being threatened by excessive harmonics and neutral to ground voltage. Accenture turned to ABB for a solution.
ABB installed seven PQFS active filters in Chennai and four in Hyderabad, and achieved some typically remarkable results.
Besides reducing the total harmonic distortion in the buildings by as much as 95 percent, the filters improved the energy efficiency of the UPS system by 20 percent and reduced equipment downtime by lowering the neutral to ground voltage by up to 40 percent.
Total harmonic distortion not only leads to overheating and nuisance tripping, it also induces neutral to ground voltage beyond the 1 volt limitation. This in turn interferes with the operation of the server clusters and often leads to malfunctioning and downtime.
ABB’s range of low voltage PQF active filters improves power quality in commercial, residential and industrial buildings. The highly compact PQFS is on the right
ABB’s range of PQF active filters provides an unrivalled ability to clean the power supply of harmonics. Benefits include the trouble-free operation of the power network, reduced malfunctioning of electronic equipment, compliance with utility regulations on harmonics, and reduced energy consumption and CO
2 emissions.
Click here to see an ABB movie on how PQF filters can improve power quality