ABB Ability™ LEAP (Life Expectancy Analysis Program) analyzes the condition and expected lifetime of the stator winding insulation. It detects potential problems before they become critical and lead to expensive downtime, enabling you to plan maintenance in advance. Have a look at the most frequently asked questions and answers.

ABB  Ability™ LEAP is an advanced service for analyzing the condition and expected lifetime of the stator winding insulation in HV motors and generators (≥ 3kV).

 

Our service includes:

• Measurements with specially developed LEAP equipment
• Data analysis with unique analytical tools to identify, characterize and quantify defects in the insulation
• Uses model-based approach with ABB developed algorithms for estimating the remaining life of the machine
• Prediction of when the system’s condition might become vulnerable or critical
• Presentation of the results with optimized maintenance plans and recommendations.

Apart from the above, the report offers advice on short and long-term maintenance actions, allowing customers to plan well in advance and avoid costly emergency stops.

ABB Ability™ LEAP will help you optimize maintenance by moving from a time-based to a condition-based prioritization and planning program. The results from  ABB Ability™ LEAP will help customers select actions and plan when they should take place.

 

Key benefits are:

• Early warning - provides adequate time for maintenance planning
• Optimize maintenance planning – enables you to move from time-based to condition-based maintenance
• Reduced cost of ownership (COO) – supports efforts to extend lifetime and thereby increase return on investment (ROI)
• Better decision-making – facilitates decision-making on short and long term maintenance and run/repair/retrofit/replace options
• Improved risk mitigation – minimizes unplanned downtime by reducing risk levels
• Comprehensive HV coverage – can be used on your entire HV fleet, including non-ABB motors and generators

The output from ABB Ability™ LEAP is a report containing the results and findings from the analysis. Short and long-term recommendations from ABB are clearly stated so that the customer can have ample time to plan for the required maintenance (or rewinding/replacement).

ABB Ability™ LEAP helps to establish a fingerprint with a single occurence of measurements using our unique analysis algorithm. The parameters derived from this analysis can be used for life expectancy calculations and then integrated with the maintenance levels. Based on the ABB Ability™ LEAP report recommendations, customers can schedule short or long-term maintenance well in advance.

Traditional measurements look at values such as Insulation Resistance (IR), Polarization Index (PI), and Tan δ, whereas ABB Ability™ LEAP examines the point of strength aspects of insulation. ABB Ability™ LEAP is a unique service program that combines the analysis of DC and AC measurements and characterizes and quantifies defects in the insulation. Furthermore, ABB Ability™ LEAP will predicts the remaining lifetime of the stator winding insulation – key to long-term maintenance plans.

ABB Ability™ LEAP can be used on high voltage (>3kV) motors and generators regardless of the manufacturer. The only criterion for conducting a LEAP test is that the machine must have form wound coils. For motors and generators below 3kV, ABB can offer Condition Assessment (without life expectancy) as an alternative.

LEAP’s measurements are taken when the motor or generator is offline and cooled down.

ABB Ability™ LEAP Standard is the most common service we perform and includes:

 

• Polarization Depolarization Current Analysis
• Tan Delta and Capacitance Analysis
• Non-Linear Insulation Behavior Analysis
• Partial Discharge Analysis
• Stator Winding Resistance measurement

The ABB Ability™ LEAP service program can be offered by ABB or an approved channel partner.

The ABB Ability™ LEAP service was introduced to the market in 2006 and our database now includes over 15,000 measurements. Equipment is stationed in 46 countries;  therefore, the service is available to clients across the world, no matter where their site is based.