ABB to modernize coal mine automation in Serbia

Cottbus, Germany, February 27, 2008 - ABB is modernizing the central control room at the coal mine in Tamnava, Serbia, as well as providing updated electrical equipment for the mine. Situated roughly 100 km from Belgrade, Tamnava belongs to the Electric Power Industry of Serbia (EPS.) The goal of the current investment program is to make a sustainable contribution to ensure a reliable and low-cost energy supply for the country.

The expansion of the Tamnava West mine includes a new preparatory cutting line, consisting of a bucket-wheel excavator, five drive stations, a stacker, two moving heads, the energy supply and a central control room.

The bucket-wheel excavator from ThyssenKrupp Fördertechnik will be equipped with new ACS800 Multi Drive frequency converters and a Freelance 800F compact control system. The accompanying stacker and moving heads will be fitted with completely new, ready-to-use electrical systems. ABB will also upgrade the belt drive stations from FAM Magdeburg with AC800F controllers and the central control room with ABB’s Extended Automation System 800xA. .

The ACS800 Multi Drives consist of frequency converter modules connected to a DC intermediate circuit. A joint, built-in power supply unit supplies the DC voltage. This simplifies the construction of the entire device, providing numerous advantages such as reduced outlay on cabling, reduced installation and maintenance costs and a lower line current.

In the mining equipment, a total of 14 AC 800F controllers will process diagnostic and process data from a maximum of three Profibus masters each, in addition to the tasks handled by a conventional controller. With its compact and robust design, the AC 800F is suitable both for installation in the switchroom and in subdistributors in the field directly. The mining equipment, belt stations and moving heads are visualized and operated on site with DigiVis stations.

The central control room includes three System 800xA operator stations with FreelanceConnect to control the belt facility and the moving heads. These stations are also used to view the operating states of excavators and stackers from the control room. Approximately 9,000 process signals are processed for this purpose.

Another operator station will visualize and monitor the power supply, which is connected to six System 800xA AC 800M controllers in the stations and the control room. Using around 1,200 I/Os, this system manages and monitors the remote control and display of the switching states of the transformer stations.

This modernization project has been ongoing since 2007 and is scheduled to be completed in May 2009.

ABB is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs more than 112,000 people.