Variable Speed Drive Reconditioning Extends Industrial Powertrains

ABB and ACC Limited, a cement manufacturer within the Adani Group, initiated a multi-year service agreement to modernize drive reliability at the Jamul cement plant in Chhattisgarh, India. The engineering framework integrates on-site variable speed drive reconditioning, energy appraisals, and cloud-based condition monitoring across continuous clinker and cement manufacturing processes.

Operational Context and Equipment Aging
The Jamul facility operated a fleet of ABB ACS800 low-voltage variable speed drives installed in 2010. Following more than a decade of near-continuous operation in an environment characterized by ambient dust and heavy thermal cycling, electrical aging altered trip event frequencies beyond required process thresholds.

A technical asset health evaluation established that structural enclosures and control cabinets maintained mechanical integrity. Total drive replacement was therefore discarded in favor of targeted electrical module reconditioning, addressing component degradation while avoiding mechanical redesign.

Execution of the Circular Reconditioning Program
Engineering teams partitioned the intervention into two phases aligned with scheduled operational maintenance windows to prevent unplanned plant downtime.

During the initial phase completed in April 2026, technicians reconditioned 25 ACS800 drive modules on site to original factory specifications. Preserving the existing switchgear enclosures and structural cabinets eliminated the scrap and embodied carbon of new cubicle fabrication, avoiding approximately 16 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. The project schedules an identical on-site overhaul for 25 additional drive modules during the fourth quarter of 2026.

Integration of Predictive Digital Infrastructure
To shift plant maintenance from scheduled intervals to condition-based intervention, the facility integrated the ABB Ability Digital Powertrain Insights platform. The system streams real-time operating metrics, tracking phase currents, thermal variations, module temperatures, and electrical fault patterns across the drive train. Automated fault clustering allows maintenance engineers to detect component degradation before thermal or electrical limits cause critical drive trips.

Subsequent stages of the agreement introduce systematic energy appraisals to map load profiles and identify motor efficiency losses across key grinding and kiln operations.

"At Jamul, the evidence pointed clearly to assets with productive life still in them," stated Amit Gupta, President of Motion Services at ABB India. "Our job was to restore them properly and give the team the tools to stay ahead of the next problem."

Technical and Environmental Impact
The reconditioning strategy lowered component life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions by 50 to 80 percent compared to total drive replacement, based on comparative lifecycle manufacturing metrics. The deployment extends asset operational lifespan, reduces raw material consumption, and preserves process continuity in severe industrial operating conditions through active data surveillance.

Edited by Evgeny Churilov, Induportals Media - Adapted by AI.

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