DART - over temp case study

DART Identifies an Overheating Issue Before Drive Failure

A DART remote monitoring unit was installed at a remote water pumping station to provide continuous monitoring of four ABB ACS880 drives operating critical pumps. The site was unmanned, meaning maintenance teams relied on periodic inspections and fault callouts to identify issues.

After several months of operation, DART's trend data highlighted a gradual increase in the internal temperature of one drive. Although the drive had not yet generated a fault, temperatures were consistently higher than the other drives on site and continued to rise week-on-week.

Using DART's remote dashboard, engineers reviewed historical temperature, load and operating data without visiting the site. The analysis showed that the drive load had remained relatively stable, indicating that the temperature rise was not being caused by increased process demand.

A maintenance visit was arranged during a planned shutdown, where engineers discovered that the cabinet ventilation filter had become heavily blocked with dust, restricting airflow through the drive enclosure.

The filter was replaced and temperatures returned to normal operating levels immediately.

Results

•    Potential drive trip avoided before production was affected
•    Emergency callout eliminated
•    Estimated £4,000+ in downtime, travel and repair costs avoided
•    Improved confidence in the operation of an unmanned site

Key Takeaway

Without DART, the issue would likely have remained unnoticed until the drive generated a fault or suffered accelerated component wear. Continuous monitoring allowed maintenance teams to take corrective action at the right time, reducing both risk and cost.