Index Upgrades: - Definition - Benefit Retrofit: - Definition - Benefit

New generations of components and software Increase the operating efficiency and extend a breaker ’s life. ABB offers low-risk migration strategies for its range of products to ensure maximum return on investment .
Exchange older circuit breakers with completely new designs. A unit with the same characteristics as the existing circuit breaker can often be fitted in a smaller frame size, leaving space for other applications.

Customer expectations

• A solution for classic or obsolete systems;
• A strategy to extended system lifetime;
• Cost reduction due to maximized efficiency;
• Up-to-date system set up.

ABB response

• Support and supply customer with information and updates of ABB technology;
• Exchange of obsolete components with latest ABB technology;
• Renew a system or components while keeping all functionalities , i.e. protection unit upgrading;
• Reuse of existing components;
• Low risk migration – specific migration solutions are designed to take the existing products;
• Stepwise migration of systems is possible to minimize downtime;

ABB Breakers Service ensures the complete success of the upgrade, retrofit or migration in close cooperation with the customer.

---

Services and products to evolve or upgrade to the next generation of hardware and software using specialized benchmarking and failure mode analysis techniques.

---

Customer benefits :

• Avoid obsolescence, latest technology that will be supported for a long time;
• Higher productivity and availability of assets;
• Continuous availability;
• Life time extension;
• Reduced downtime due to easy and fast migration;
• Short implementation and replacement times;
• Minimal service interruptions;
• Cost reductions in operation, maintenance and service.

Replacing old circuit breaker components with newer versions can be done using the ABB special conversion kits which enable quick installation without structural modifications to the original compartment. In addition complete “turnkey” solutions are available. Specific conversion kits have been developed in order to replace old components with new ones that can be found in the newest circuit-breakers.

---

Exchange of ware parts or outdated equipment components while maintaining original plant and equipment configuration. The replacement of legacy with new active components. The main purpose is to improve the life cycle status of the circuit breaker.

There are 3 different types of retrofit solution available.

• Hard bus Retrofill (RF)
  The obsolete circuit breaker is totally removed and substituted with the new circuit breaker. The kit contains special designed and preconfigurated busbars and covers to adapt the new Circuit breaker to the existing busbars.
• Cradle in Cradle (CiC)
  The fixed part of the new circuit breaker is suitably adapted and tested in ABB. This solution allows the new fixed part be fast fitted inside the existing fixed part.
• Direct Replacement (DR)
  It is the faster solution for the customer: the moving part of the old circuit breaker is removed and the moving part of the new circuit breaker is suitably modified and tested in ABB to be inserted into the existing fixed part. This implies very short plant shutdown of the single user.

---

The conversion kit solutions improve the safety and the reliability of your plant, excluding the need for expensive spare parts and lowering maintenance expenses.
The use of ABB Breakers Service conversion kits provides the following benefits:

• Improves the safety and the reliability of a plant, excluding the need for expensive spare parts and lowering maintenance costs.
• Reduction in cost compared with those needed to install completely new switchboards.
• Reduced assembly operation times and the possibility of spreading installation stoppages out over time, which increase the guarantee of service continuity.
• Reduction in maintenance and repairing costs
• Components replaced quickly, easily and safely
• Little or no hardware modifications.
• Adaptation plugs for auxiliary applications.
• More control on the plant with new protection relays.

---