Predictive Maintenance on Rail

Summary

The functionality of the Auxiliary Power Converters (APC) is essential for maintaining the operability and availability of railway vehicles. Recognizing this, ABB has employed Embever’s IoT Integration Platform to revolutionize how they monitor and maintain these critical systems. With Embever, ABB is now equipped to monitor the performance and operational health of the APCs in real-time, significantly enhancing their ability to respond swiftly to any anomalies. This proactive approach not only informs operators of potential issues before they lead to downtime but also facilitates a shift from traditional fixed maintenance cycles to a more efficient, on-demand maintenance model.

By implementing predictive maintenance services, ABB aims to reduce maintenance costs and increase the reliability and longevity of the railway vehicles under their care. Moreover, the device is available at an exceptionally affordable price, typically around 50€, making it an extremely cost-effective solution for railway maintenance. This ensures that advanced monitoring capabilities are accessible without significant financial burden.

Challenge

At the start of the collaboration, ABB faced a significant challenge in extending the lifecycle and enhancing the value of their Auxiliary Power Converters (APCs) post-delivery. Without real-time insights into the health and utilization of these units, ABB is unable to offer the proactive, predictive maintenance that can dramatically reduce downtimes and operational costs. The key challenges where:

Lack of Post-Delivery Insight

ABB sells Auxiliary Power Converters (APCs) that, once delivered, leave ABB without any real-time data on the condition or operation of these units. This lack of insight into the systems’ health and utilization restricts ABB’s ability to provide enhanced value to their customers after the point of sale.

Need for Predictive Maintenance

The core challenge is determining how ABB can transform this limitation into an opportunity for both enhanced customer service and operational efficiency. There is a pressing need to implement a solution that enables predictive maintenance, which could lead to significant cost savings and reduced downtime for operators.

Opportunity for Proactive Service

The ideal solution would leverage a non-invasive method to monitor the APCs continuously. By identifying potential issues before they can impact operations, the service team could proactively engage with customers, thereby preventing faults and ensuring optimal performance.

Solution

In response to the challenges of limited post-delivery insight and the need for proactive maintenance capabilities, Embever has developed a tailored IoT solution to enhance the performance and reliability of ABB’s Auxiliary Power Converters (APCs). In addition to providing the technical solution, Embever aided ABB with consulting services to fully unlock the digital revenue potential of the solution.

Custom Hardware Integration

Embever provided detailed hardware specifications, including cloud connectivity, high precision positioning, and extended storage. ABB used these specifications to create a custom and cost effective IoT retrofit solution that can be added optionally to existing power converters, allowing for the gathering and transmission of diagnostic information about key parameters of the units in the field.

Seamless Integration Using I2C Interface

The integration of IoT capabilities into the APCs is achieved using our existing I2C interface, a popular system for peripheral device interfacing. This method ensures that the IoT expansion board communicates effectively and efficiently with the main unit, facilitating real-time data transmission and analysis without disrupting the core functionalities of the APCs.

Dashboard Implementation

To make the data actionable, Embever utilized its hosted dashboard solution and customized it to meet ABB’s specific requirements from day one. This cost-effective approach presents the collected diagnostic information in an intuitive format. The dashboard allows operators and maintenance teams to monitor the health and performance of the APCs at a glance, enhancing decision-making processes with data.

Integration with ABB Ability™

The entire solution is integrated with ABB Ability™, ABB’s unified, cross-industry digital offering. This integration not only enhances data analytics capabilities but also allows for the leveraging of ABB’s advanced algorithms and industry expertise to predict maintenance needs and optimize system performance. Additionally, our platform simplifies the process of providing real-time operational data to various predictive maintenance systems, ensuring continuous monitoring and timely interventions. This enables ABB

This comprehensive IoT solution by Embever addresses the critical need for predictive maintenance and operational insight, transforming how ABB interacts with services and its APCs units post-delivery.

The Outcome

The collaboration between Embever and ABB has led to significant advancements in the maintenance and monitoring of auxiliary power converters. By using our IoT Integration Platform, ABB has been able to introduce a new predictive maintenance product to its customers (Configuration Option Predictive Maintenance and IoT) with low upfront investment and unit cost. Existing devices can be upgraded. This innovation enables ABB to permanently monitor the performance of their power converters, allowing their experts to identify potential issues before they escalate.

As a result, ABB can now offer proactive support, minimizing downtime and preventing subsequent damages. This capability not only enhances the reliability and efficiency of operations but also contributes to considerable cost savings for their customers, especially beyond the guarantee period. By lowering service costs and improving operational uptime, ABB has strengthened its service offerings and achieved a notable improvement in customer satisfaction.

The system is already in operation on trams in Zürich and Vienna, showcasing its effectiveness and potential for broader application.

About ABB

ABB is a globally recognized leader in electrification and automation, with a rich history that extends over 140 years. It provides a wide range of products, systems, solutions, and services across various sectors including utilities, industry, transport, and infrastructure. ABB is particularly known for its innovations in robotics, industrial automation, and electrification products, which have significantly enhanced industrial productivity and energy efficiency. It’s APCs set new standards for efficient power supply in rail vehicles worldwide.