Case Study: ABB Power Factor Correction Makes Valhalla Ride At Blackpool Cheaper To Run

By Chris Dodds on 3rd January, 2013

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ABB Power Factor Correction

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Valhalla, the £15 million ride at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, is now 25 percent more power efficient thanks to ABB’s automatic power factor correction (PFC) equipment.

Pictured: Valhalla Ride At Pleasure Beach Blackpool

Valhalla is a large indoor dark ride at Pleasure Beach Blackpool in Lancashire, England. The ride was designed to be the world’s biggest and most spectacular ‘dark’ ride and uses special effects which incorporate fire, water, snow, thunder and lightning. Valhalla places a very large demand on the Pleasure Beach’s dedicated three-phase power supply – drawing around 2000A per phase on initial installation.

Without PFC correction the network could have required a costly upgrade.

Pictured: ABB Capacitors for LV Low Voltage Power Factor Correction

Following the installation of the ABB automatic power factor correction equipment, comprising two banks of capacitors totalling 900kVAr, the supply current was reduced to 1500A per phase, which means that the power required to operate the ride was reduced from 1.5MVA to a little over 1MVA –
a reduction of approximately 25 percent.

It is estimated that during the peak months for the ride from Easter to October/November the ABB PFC equipment is saving electricity costs of £1,500 to £2,000 per month, so it should pay for itself in under three years.

 

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Category:  ABB Power Products

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