ABB Smart Lab: simulating future applications with present equipment

ABB Smart Lab, built in 2012 at ABB facility in Dalmine and renovated in 2015, will be described. The Lab includes a set of actual power equipment (switchgear, circuit breakers, protections, transformers), automation devices (PLCs, DCS, input/output systems, variable speed drives) and software (SCADA, network management, DMS) which interact with a simulated world in which real quantities (currents, voltages, power) are created by digitally-driven signals connected to devices' measurement inputs. In addition, equipment and systems for other utilities, such as water distribution, are installed, so that synergies, e.g., shared use of communication infrastructure, can be made apparent. A summary of usage of Smart Lab to the present day will be shown, followed by plans for future activities and extensions.