Lifetime service for power systems

At some point, every single piece of equipment needs maintenance or repair. Of the two, maintenance is preferred because it tends to be under the user’s control, while repair usually follows failure, often at the most inconvenient (and expensive) time.

ABB’s power systems service business offers a full lifetime service package to help avoid costly failures and enable customers to enjoy safe, reliable, efficient and profitable performance from their assets, large or small, during their lifetime.

ABB has the people, skills and in-depth knowledge to cover the full spectrum of power systems service requirements, from routine inspection of an 11kV network, right through to the construction management, installation and commissioning of a new 400kV GIS substation.

And its service is not restricted to ABB equipment – it is happy to support equipment from just about any manufacturer. ABB’s Power Service covers transmission & distribution systems and transformers. It supports all the major business sectors including:
•power generation
•utilities
•industrial processes
•transport
•construction
•public sector.


ABB specialises in the inspection, maintenance and repair of electrical power distribution equipment and networks up to 33kV for utility, industrial and public sector customers. Roundthe- clock emergency support provides an immediate response to network problems – isolating the fault, restoring supplies and making a permanent repair quickly and safely.

Qualified personnel, high-voltage fitters and cable jointers are all ESI trained to the highest nationally recognised standards and operate under a set of distribution safety rules to ensure the reliable and safe operation of distribution systems.

ABB engineers have a comprehensive knowledge of third-party equipment, which means they can support the maintenance, upgrade and repair of equipment from all manufacturers.

Using dedicated HV test vehicles, ABB engineers can identify disruptive and costly system faults. Permanent faults are precisely located using a combination of pulse echo, impulse current and capacitor discharge devices. Excavation and jointing can then be carried out to restore the network. To track intermittent faults, the engineers use ‘fault burning, equipment with high current, but low voltage, to accelerate degradation and make the fault permanent and so easier to locate.


ABB takes complete responsibility for the inspection, maintenance and repair of highvoltage transmission assets, as well as associated control and protection systems. Specialist engineers ensure that critical high-value network assets are maintained in optimum condition to guarantee maximum reliability, safety and availability.

System support contracts are offered for generation, utility and industrial transmission customers. These can range from simple hotline support through to life cycle agreements.


ABB offers cost-effective long-term support for the overall system. Based on professional life cycle predictions for products and systems, including component reliability calculation analysis, a 24/7 hotline guarantees a fast response when needed.


ABB has a complete portfolio of services to keep generation, system and grid power transformers running at maximum efficiency and distribution reliability. The service covers power and distribution transformers from any manufacturer.

ABB can co-ordinate the transport, erection, commissioning and training needed to bring new ABB transformers safely on-line as fast as possible and ensure a smooth hand-over and a complete after-sales service.

The emphasis is on providing a whole-life service from installation, through normal preventive maintenance and repair, and retrofit programmes that can provide an extra lease of life, to end-of-life management with minimum environmental impact. This portfolio includes:

Understanding your assets
In-depth knowledge of the actual status of equipment, based on its recorded history, a review of its design and advanced diagnostic techniques, enables potential faults to be identified before they happen. This also provides a sound basis for the implementation of condition-based maintenance or corrective action.

Fast repairs
Should a major problem arise, ABB provides a fast response for repairs such as parts replacement, tap changer refurbishment or more extensive work. The usual starting point in such cases is an in-depth diagnosis to assess the condition of the unit.Where possible, all work is carried out on site. However, when more extensive work is required, full factory repair and refurbishment can be arranged in one of ABB’s transformer repair facilities.

A new lease of life
ABB also offers a transformer remanufacturing service that can extend the life of ageing or faulty power transformers, enabling them to be fully refurbished then recommissioned. Upgrades in specification can also be incorporated as part of this service.
As well as being cheaper than a new transformer, a fast turnaround can have a transformer back in operation in around onethird of the normal delivery time for a new unit.


Clean break for estuary substation
The ABB service team is well advanced with its £2 million contract to refurbish and upgrade a 275kV National Grid substation on the Thames estuary. This includes the supply and installation of five new ABB 400kV HPL SF6 insulated puffer circuit breakers, replacing equipment from the 1960s.

Topping up Domino's Pizza power supply
Fast-growing fast food company Domino’s Pizza called in ABB to increase the available supply at its Milton Keynes HQ from 600kVA to 800kVA. The £150,000 contract included the supply and installation of a new 1000kVA substation low-voltage distribution panel and a 1000kVA generator with an automatic changeover switch. The old substation was removed and ABB worked with Central Networks on the final connection and associated works.

Phased expansion at Nottingham City Hospital
A complete electrical engineering installation in a new substation has been undertaken by ABB at Nottingham City Hospital. The substation is connected to the hospital’s existing HV ring main system. A 1MVA 11KV/433V transformer has been installed and space is available for a second transformer as demand increases. A 1MVA standby generator is also in place and this, together with the transformer, feeds into a purpose-made low-voltage switchboard, complete with an ASCO fast transition switching device to provide seamless switching between mains and standby supplies.

Maintaining the flow for severn trent
ABB is responsible for inspecting and maintaining 11kV switchgear and transformers at clean water and sewage treatment works across the Severn Trent western region. ABB inspects and takes oil samples from about 250 transformers every two years. It also checks equipment for electrical discharges using ultrasound detection equipment. Early on, the process found and repaired a number of faults, so preventing the development of more serious and costly problems.

Crisp response for Walkers Snack Foods
A sudden outage caused by a transformer failure brought Walkers Snack Foods production to a standstill one morning. It was 3am and an urgent call to ABB, with whom the company had a service agreement, produced an immediate response. An engineer’s inspection revealed that a fault in the transformer’s winding mechanism meant that a new transformer was needed. ABB located a new transformer, collected and installed it - enabling production to restart just 18 hours after the problem arose.