Month: December 2025

ABB’s Excitation Systems

Center of Excellence, North America

The Excitation Systems Center of Excellence in North America is

part of ABB’s Industrial Automation, Energy Industries division.

ABB can help your company maintain its competitive edge

through the latest technology and optimized process concepts.

ABB Excitation Systems

From concept-to-commissioning, the Excitation Systems team

works together under one roof to manufacture and deliver

reliable excitation systems as well as timely and professional

after-sales services. ABB has a vast installed base across North

America, with over 1.800 units in operation (over 10.000 units

worldwide). ABB’s Excitation Systems service team is ready for

emergency travel and dedicated engineers are available

24/7/365 through the 1-800 technical support service hotline.

Key benefits

• Keeps assets productive at the highest levels of safety,

redundancy and availability

• Up to 20 different circuit breakers can be synchronized by

one SYNCHROTACT 6 unit

• All hardware and software is housed in a single unit

• Proven technology and reliable components

• Backwardly compatible with previous SYNCHROTACT

generations for easy and cost-effective retrofits

The number of parameter sets has been increased from 7 to

20. enabling up to 20 different circuit breakers to be

synchronized by a single SYNCHROTRACT 6 device. Compliant

with the IEC 61850 Ed. 2 international communication

standard, SYNCHROTACT 6 fulfills the most demanding

requirements and offers a choice between an electrical or

optical interface.

Diverse dual channel design

SYNCHROTACT 6 is the only synchronizer to have a diverse

dual channel design – if one channel should fail, the other

prevents the circuit breaker from closing under non

synchronous conditions. Both channels are in the same

SYNCHROTACT unit to minimize wiring, ensure perfect

working compatibility and reduce commissioning and

engineering costs.

The number of parameter sets has been increased from 7 to

20. enabling up to 20 different circuit breakers to be

synchronized by a single SYNCHROTRACT 6 device. Compliant

with the IEC 61850 Ed. 2 international communication

standard, SYNCHROTACT 6 fulfills the most demanding

requirements and offers a choice between an electrical or

optical interface.

The unit’s robust design is in accordance with the IEC 61508

SIL2 safety integrity level and IEC 60255-26. IEC 60255-27 and

ANSI/IEEE C37.90 product standards.

Four functionalities that bring the generator safely online

SYNCHROTACT 6 automatically synchronizes the generators

with the grid. It does this through four key functionalities:

• Measures – it measures key variables to ensure generator

and grid voltage and frequency are synchronous

• Matches – if voltage and frequency are not synchronous, it

automatically matches the two by adjusting the generator

voltage and frequency

• Monitors – it monitors the operating conditions to ensure

the voltage and frequency are synchronous before closing

the circuit breaker

• Command generation – as soon as voltage and frequency

are synchronous a command is sent to close the circuit breaker

SYNCHROTACT® 6

the world’s most popular synchronizer

SYNCHROTACT 6 is part of ABB’s offering of excitation products and

synchronizing equipment for the power generation industry. The portfolio is the

most comprehensive and proven on the market, extending from the smallest to

the largest power requirements and covering all power generation applications.

Why is SYNCHROTACT 6 important?

Power plants and substations contain many valuable

components, essential to the reliable delivery of electricity

from the power plant to the transmission grid.

SYNCHROTACT 6 protects these assets from the damaging and

dangerous effects of paralleling in non-synchronous conditions.

It automatically synchronizes and parallels the generators with

the power lines to keep the energy flowing, the equipment

productive and people safe; and it does so at the lowest

possible total cost of ownership over a long life cycle.

MEGATROL CS (Cross Start)

MEGATROL CS is a special application solution for multiple gas

turbine startups. Up to six generators with their related

excitation systems and three MEGADRIVE-LCI frequency

converters are connected together via Start-up Selection

Boards (SSB). MEGATROL CS is able to automatically control the

SSB isconnectors, select an available frequency converter for

start-up and support all required communication channels

during start-up. The selection of the MEGADRIVE-LCI can be

preconfigured manually.

Surprisingly compact solution

The merged functionality of MEGATROL enables a compact

mechanical design with the possibility to place the equipment

in one container. For gas turbine stations it is particularly

advantageous to get converter and excitation mounted and

cabled in a common container.

Key benefits

Cross Start (CS)

• Economic solution where one MEGADRIVE-LCI starts

multiple generators

• High availability thanks to fully redundant starter solution

• High reliability through patented self-organizing control

network with distributed intelligence

• Network self-heals automatically after the replacement of

defective device

• Scalable and expandable solution

MEGATROL

the power package for starting gas

turbines and exciting the generator

Designing a drive system involves selecting and matching the motor and the

drive to satisfy requirements determined by the load, the supply system, the

ambient conditions and the process.

Open control system

ABB offers an open communication strategy, enabling

connection to higher-level process controllers. UNITROL 6800

and MEGADRIVE-LCI can be provided with all major fieldbus

adapters for smooth integration, monitoring and controlling of

different processes, according to customer requirements.

Surprisingly compact solution

The merged functionality of MEGATROL enables a compact

mechanical design with the possibility to place the equipment

in one container. For gas turbine stations it is particularly

advantageous to get converter and excitation mounted and

cabled in a common container.

MEGADRIVE-LCI

Setting the standard

For more than 35 years ABB’s MEGADRIVE-LCI drives and static starters have

proven their maximum reliability and availability in a wide range of

industries and applications where high power and high voltage are required.

Gas turbine power plants have often to be started and run-up

quickly at short notice. The MEGADRIVE-LCI static frequency

converter uses the generator as motor to run it up to a certain

speed. For gas turbines, this is above the ignition speed from

where the turbine can accelerate the generator independently

up to rated speed and synchronize it to the power network.

ABB has more than 30 years of experience in the design and

manufacturing of static frequency converters, which became

the standard starting technology for heavy-duty gas turbines.

Key benefits

• One MEGADRIVE-LCI converter can start several generators

(Cross Start)

• Unlimited number of starts

• Encoderless control for high availability and reduced

maintenance costs

• Fuseless design for high reliability and less spare parts

• User-friendly Control Terminal

Key benefits

Ultimate control performance keeps generator

within safe limits

• High performance control platform AC 800PEC

Improved HMI allows fast operation, monitoring

and maintenance

• User-friendly excitation control terminal (ECT)

Short delivery and commissioning time

• Uses well-proven prefabricated functional modules

Optimized contribution to network stability

• Integrated power system stabilizer (PSS) options

Compact design, space saving installation

• No rear access required – can be positioned close to

a wall or back-to-back

Offline tuning with closed loop real-time

generator simulator

• Offline system tuning and testing of severe system

conditions (integrated or external option)

Efficient product life cycle management

• Extended lifetime of assets with minimum costs

Technical support always within your reach

• ABB has a service support network unmatched by the competition

UNITROL 6000 Medium is the fully customizable solution for any customer’s needs for any type of

generator.

Tailor-made system

UNITROL 6000 Medium uses proven prefabricated functional

modules. With single/double channel configuration (additional

backup channel on request) and a wide selection of thyristor

bridge modules, the system can be configured to meet all field

data and availability requirements.

Main features

• Selectable redundancy for control, power module, cooling,

I/O, communication and auxiliary power

• Improved HMI

• 64-bit floating point CPU

• No restrictions regarding data scaling and range

• Fast and precise measurements and control scheme

• Compliant with international and local standards

• Complete range of functionality to cover any grid codes