ABB Hits Green Milestone with Gearless Mill Drive Motor
In one step further towards a greener tomorrow, ABB has happily announced that it reached a milestone moment: the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for ABB's Gearless Mill Drive (GMD) ring motor. This critical piece of machinery, painstakingly crafted for the world's mining community at ABB's Bilbao manufacturing center in Spain, is critical to driving the enormous grinding mills that are crucial to the mining process. An EPD, more familiar to most, is an open and transparent report giving a complete picture of a product's environmental footprint throughout its entire life cycle.
This remarkable achievement is supported by a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) investigation, a full assessment of the ring motor's environmental impact right from its earliest point in the supply chain and through the intricacy of production, all the way to its operational application and final end-of-life strategy. By becoming an EPD-certified company, ABB is not just bragging about its green credentials and openness; it's also allowing its dedicated customers to make the most informed choices regarding sustainability in their own supply chains. It's all about doing it together for a more sustainable future.
A Deep Dive into Environmental Responsibility
ABB's technical team extensively researched the environmental impact of the ring motor during every stage of its life cycle. The research was focused on a highly efficient 24 MW ring motor being proposed for a semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill with a realistic refer service life of 25 years. This level of precision says a great deal about ABB's genuine passion for learning and minimizing its footprint on the environment.
Sustainability at ABB is not a catchphrase; it's the heart of our purpose, defining how we work and how we innovate for customers," stated Andrea Quinta, ABB sustainability specialist, visibly excited. "With this Environmental Product Declaration for our ring motor, we're not issuing a statement; we're accentuating our solid dedication to the environment and ongoing innovation leadership in this vital technology.". Throughout the entire process, we stayed consistent to the best of standards, a guarantee that resonates in the corridors of the ABB Ring Motor factory every single day. This, we think, speaks volumes loud and clear to the mining industry of the environmentally friendly choice they are making when they decide to collaborate with ABB."
Verified Transparency and Lasting Commitment
The comprehensive LCA was conducted with utmost care at Bilbao-headquartered ABB's plant. In absolute good faith, the study was independently verified to the letter and then issued in strict accordance with internationally recognized international standards, i.e., ISO 14025 and ISO 14040/14044. This EPD is not a fleeting certificate; it will hold for a righteous five years, an indication of ABB's long-term commitment to environmental disclosure.
The ring motor itself is a critical component of the GMD system, a revolutionary gearless technology. In the system, the torque transmission from the motor to the mill is smooth by means of the magnetic field in the air gap between the rotor and stator of the motor. This groundbreaking solution revolutionizes grinding applications within the minerals and mining industries by enabling variable-speed operation, ultimately leading to considerable energy savings as well as reduced operational costs – a two-for-one benefit for efficiency and the environment.
Steering Progress Towards a Sustainable World
ABB's sustainability commitment shines brightly through its significant Real Progress initiative. The launch of this EPD presents tangible proof of the proactive ways GMD solutions reduce environmental impact while enhancing performance simultaneously. This is entirely in line with the results as expressed in ABB's revolutionary white paper, 'Unleashing the Power of Gearless Technology,' which rightly points out the key role that GMDs play in leading the way in performance as well as innovation and sustainability in the mining industry. It's about creating a future where prosperity and environmental protection go together.
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