“The project is turnkey, with ABB providing transformers, power converters, motors, switchgear harmonic filters, facility controls--and all construction and installation services,” said Ram Bhatia, director of medium-voltage drives. ABB’s new drives will work in tandem with two 83,000 HP fixed-speed motors to provide a maximum of 304,000 HP at 600 rpm to the tunnels’ propeller fans.
“The drives add the ability to run the fans in adjustable-speed mode, or to start up and synchronize the two fixed-speed motors to run at a constant speed, depending on the test protocols and parameters,” explained Bhatia.
A separate $7 million project will include replacing two 30 MW softstarters to start up a total of 18 27,000 – 52,000 HP synchronous motors at AEDC’s Aeropropulsion System Test Facility.
ABB is the main contractor on the project. ABB Industrie AG, Switzerland, will provide the power electronics, and Cutler-Hammer Engineering Services will handle construction services.
In the photo, new drives/motors at the Arnold Engineering and Development Center’s Propulsion Wind Tunnel Facility power propeller fans that drive wind through the tunnels at supersonic speeds for the testing of scale-model aircraft.
