2005-02-18 - Decentralised automation equipment from ABB low voltage products is ensuring passengers on some of the UK’s best known theme park and fairground rides are getting the most thrills for their money.
Used at the heart of many well-known rides, ABB’s AC31 decentralised automation system delivers safe and reliable operation without sacrificing any of the excitement and exhilaration expected by visitors.
To produce the stomach-churning and weightless sensations that are the ingredients of any successful ride, requires an advanced system to control the various combinations of actuators and motors that drive the rides.
To deliver these sensations, Rochester-based control system and distribution switchgear specialists, Bryant Electrical, opted for ABB’s AC31 system. The AC31 eliminates the need to have a centralised system with the ride operator controlling the entire process. Instead, control is localised to selected points of the ride, with the operator now only responsible for overall supervisory control. The system uses various master central units interconnected with remote units, which are in turn linked to sensors and actuators with twisted pair cables. In this way, the system ensures there is always back-up protection against the risk of sudden failure caused by cable damage.
Furthermore, by reducing the number of interconnections between master central units and remote units, ABB’s system also reduces the overall time and cost to install a new ride.
The AC31’s central units are able to process from 14 to 1000 I/Os, making the system one of the most flexible decentralised automation solutions on the market. Depending on the configuration, the installation of a new ride can save up to 40% in the amount of cabling used, 30% in programming time and 40% in commissioning.
In addition to the AC31 systems, ABB also supplied Bryant Electrical with a variety of other low voltage products for functions within the ride control systems including: circuit protection, power distribution, motor starting, motor protection and the operator control station.