Sydney, Australia, 27 November, 2003 - ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, announced today that two of ABB’s latest M3000 160kW and 90kW 6 pole AC motors and ACS 800 drives is being supplied to Kosciusko Thredbo to power the Antons and Sponars T-bars. They will be commissioned in time for the 2004 ski season.
For generations ABB’s DC drives and motors have powered chair lifts and T-bars at most of the world’s best-known snowfields. Australian snowfields, too, boast a wide range of DC motors and drives on the Doppelmayr chair lifts used at most of our major resorts.
Now ABB's AC drives and motors are starting to take over where our proven DC solutions are leaving off, the latest installation being at Thredbo.
The M3000 motors offer particularly high efficiency and reliability in extreme conditions, and provide considerable cost savings through their low maintenance and long operating life. They are also eco-friendly as their high efficiency results in lower power consumption and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
The ACS 800 drives pack superior performance into an extremely compact and self-contained package that is fully programmable. The excellent torque and speed control achieved by ABB’s Direct Torque Control (DTC) technology is also ideal for demanding applications such as ski lifts.
Fittingly, the order was secured by ABB drives sales engineer, Andrew Hoch during a visit to Thredbo, at the very time when Kosciusko Thredbo was seeking to replace the ageing diesel motors powering the T-bars.
"The new ABB motors and drives are a far cry from the system they are replacing, let alone the old diesel motors pumping out thick diesel fumes that I remember from my childhood," says Andrew.
"The new equipment will ensure the T-bars at Thredbo will be powered by low-maintenance, optimally efficient, exceptionally safe and environmentally friendly motors and drives."
ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering their environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 120,000 people.