QUARTINO, Switzerland — With a well-attended official opening on June 8, 2017, ABB opened its brand-new test facility for uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems at the UPS factory in Switzerland. With this new facility, ABB has taken a significant step forward in strengthening its position in the global power protection market.
On June 8, 2017, Remo Lütolf, Managing Director of ABB Switzerland, welcomed international guests from the data center and critical power industry to ABB's UPS factory in Quartino, Switzerland for the official opening of a state-of-the-art UPS test facility.
The inauguration of the new amenity opens up a new chapter in ABB's power protection capabilities: Now, even the largest UPS configurations can be tested as one system so that when they are delivered to the customer, they can be quickly and smoothly integrated into the power infrastructure. The test center is designed with ample capacity to accommodate large UPS sizes and turn key critical power solutions. The test area is laid out such that testing with extended UPS systems – including, for example, energy storage, input and output switchgear, power distribution units (PDUs) and static transfer switches (STSs) – can be accommodated. This new capability will enhance ABB's ability to address trends toward bigger, more power-hungry data centers and industrial plants that require ever-larger UPS systems.
As part of the opening event, guests were given a live demonstration of the test facility's capabilities. The demonstration was viewed from the comfort of the attached conference room, which has large windows that overlook the test bays so that customers and engineers can monitor the entire test process. The proximity to the FAT (factory acceptance test) area, and teleconference and video sharing facilities, allows remote FATs to be performed.
The guests at the inauguration ceremony were also made aware of the environmental advantages of the test bays: The use of a power-loop principle implemented into the test infrastructure tremendously reduces the power consumption from the public electrical network and allows approximately 90 percent of the electrical energy to be re-used. Test stations are equipped with highly flexible infrastructures that allow customized testing with a nonlinear load or an external generator. In addition to accomodating needs for testing at 400 VAC, standard voltages for Europe and other IEC markets, the facility can be adapted to perform tests at 208 VAC and 480 V, typical for the North America area and other UL markets.
UPS system power specifications are increasing year-by-year as applications grow ever more power-hungry and complex. As one of the few major players in the UPS market, ABB has, with the opening of the new test facility, acquired a tool to reinforce the ability of the company to successfully design, build and test UPS systems for applications involving the highest power applications.
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