ABB upgraded a variable speed drive for NASA to extend the life of the wind tunnel by at least 10 years at the agency’s National Transonic Facility (NTF) at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.
NASA uses the tunnel is used to optimize aircraft performance and fuel consumption by mimicking flight conditions at high altitudes and close to the speed of sound. It has been used to test the Boeing 777, the Space Shuttle and its Booster Rocket.
In 2021, NASA’s engineers identified a need to upgrade the tunnel’s medium voltage drive, due to the aging of the drive’s components. In 1997, ABB supplied a 101-megawatt drive that can test models in air or nitrogen flowing at transonic speeds and at ambient or cryogenic temperatures. As a result, the NTF can simulate a wider range of flying conditions than any other wind tunnel.
After ABB’s service specialists evaluated the performance and mechanical connections of the existing drive, the next step was to develop a solution based on modern high-efficiency power electronic components to match the original drive’s maximum power, while achieving high availability and reliability. This resulted in the modernization of the drive, to replace key components inside the existing footprint with the latest ABB state-of-art technology.
The scope included upgrading the small part of the drive (control unit), which minimized the duration and disruption of the project and demonstrated circularity by minimizing waste and logistics as much as possible.
NASA ordered the upgrade project as the first activity under an ABB Motion OneCare service agreement that also covers spare parts and maintenance. This type of agreement provides the flexibility for operators like NASA to bundle together the services they want so that they can optimize the life cycle of their motors, generators and drives.