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ABB ASTAT Plus Advanced Digital Softstarter
Model: ASTAT-PLUS-145A
4-hour response · Pricing in SAR · Delivery across all KSA regions
ASTAT-PLUS-145A — ABB ASTAT Plus Advanced Digital Softstarter
The ABB ASTAT Plus is a premium digital softstarter engineered for the most demanding heavy-duty motor starting applications in process industry — applications where standard thyristor softstarters fail to deliver consistent performance due to variable load conditions, high static friction, or requirement for precise torque ramp profiles. The ASTAT Plus uses an adaptive algorithm that continuously measures actual motor torque during the acceleration ramp and adjusts firing angle in real time to maintain the programmed torque profile regardless of load variations, supply voltage fluctuations, or ambient temperature changes. This means a crushers or conveyor motor that requires 150% starting torque to break away from standstill under full load receives consistent torque delivery whether starting cold in the morning or hot-starting immediately after a fault trip — a capability that direct voltage ramp softstarters cannot replicate.
The current range of the ASTAT Plus extends from 17 A to 1250 A (at 200–690 V), covering motors from small process auxiliaries to large 690 V compressor and pump motors above 800 kW. The built-in motor protection suite replaces a separate protection relay: it includes thermal model with heat balance (accumulated thermal image), phase loss, phase asymmetry, thermistor input (PTC), locked rotor, undercurrent, and automatic restart. This integrated protection eliminates the need for a separate electronic motor protection relay in the MCC, reducing panel component count and simplifying the BOM for large industrial MCCs. Communication options include PROFIBUS DP, DeviceNet, and RS-485 Modbus RTU for integration with plant DCS or SCADA.
Saudi Arabia's cement industry — represented by Saudi Cement Company, Yamama Cement, and Qassim Cement — uses the ASTAT Plus as the standard softstarter for ball mill and raw mill drives rated from 132 kW to over 2 MW, where the high breakaway torque of a full mill under load and the requirement to avoid mechanical shock on gearboxes and couplings demand torque-controlled soft starting. At ARAMCO and SABIC process facilities, the ASTAT Plus is specified for large cooling water pump motors and compressor auxiliaries where the motor protection relay function must be tested and documented as part of safety-critical loop validation. The unit's kick-start function — a brief full-voltage pulse before the torque ramp begins — can overcome static friction on compressors and conveyors that have been standing for extended periods in the desert heat.
Razz Middle East supplies ASTAT Plus softstarters with full configuration, commissioning, and site acceptance testing. Our engineers set up torque ramp profiles tailored to the specific motor-load combination, verify protection relay settings against the motor data sheet, and provide commissioning documentation conforming to ARAMCO and SABIC project completion requirements.
Technical Specifications
Full specifications for the ASTAT-PLUS-145A
- Current Range
- 17 A–1250 A (phase current)
- Voltage
- 200–690 V AC (3-phase)
- Motor Power (400 V)
- 7.5 kW–630 kW
- Motor Power (690 V)
- Up to 800+ kW
- Control Mode
- Adaptive torque ramp (TorqueSoft)
- Protection
- Thermal model, phase loss, asymmetry, PTC, locked rotor, undercurrent
- Kick-Start
- Programmable current pulse for high-friction loads
- Bypass
- Internal (thyristor bypass) or external contactor
- Fieldbus
- PROFIBUS DP / DeviceNet / RS-485 Modbus RTU
- Cooling
- Natural (to ~145 A); forced air (above)
- Display
- LCD parameter display with keypad
- Standard
- IEC 60947-4-2 / CE
Key Features & Benefits
- Adaptive TorqueSoft torque-ramp algorithm continuously measures actual motor torque and adjusts thyristor firing angle in real time to maintain the programmed acceleration profile regardless of supply voltage variation, load changes, or motor temperature — essential for reliable starting of crushers and ball mills under full load.
- Kick-start function delivers a short full-voltage current pulse before the torque ramp begins, overcoming static friction in compressors and conveyors that have been standing in Saudi Arabia's desert heat, where lubricant viscosity and mechanical stiffness increase after prolonged standstill.
- Integrated comprehensive motor protection suite covering thermal model with heat balance accumulation, phase loss, phase asymmetry (>10%), PTC thermistor input, locked rotor, undercurrent (pump cavitation), and automatic restart — replacing a separate motor protection relay in the MCC and reducing panel component count.
- PROFIBUS DP and Modbus RTU fieldbus communication allows full remote monitoring and control from plant DCS, providing softstarter status, motor current, thermal state, and fault log data to SCADA systems at ARAMCO and SABIC facilities with ABB 800xA or Honeywell Experion DCS platforms.
- Current range of 17 A to 1250 A at 200–690 V covers motors from small process auxiliaries to large 800+ kW 690 V pump and compressor motors in a single product family from one manufacturer, simplifying spare parts standardisation across a facility with multiple softstarter ratings.
- Internal thyristor bypass relay connects the motor directly to supply after acceleration is complete, eliminating continuous thyristor heat dissipation during run and allowing the softstarter to handle repeated starts on large motors without thermal derating between start cycles.
- Adjustable deceleration ramp (soft-stop function) reduces pressure surge and mechanical shock during motor stopping for pump applications, complementing the starting torque ramp to provide a controlled stop that prevents water hammer in SWCC desalination and NWC water distribution pipe networks.
Industrial Applications in Saudi Arabia
- Ball mill and raw mill motor starting at Saudi cement plants (Saudi Cement, Yamama Cement, Qassim Cement), where fully loaded mills require adaptive torque-controlled soft starting to prevent mechanical shock on girth gears and pinion drives rated at motor powers from 200 kW to 2+ MW.
- Large centrifugal compressor auxiliary motor starting at ARAMCO gas processing plants, where the compressor startup sequence requires controlled torque delivery to prevent shaft vibration during run-up through critical speed ranges, with PROFIBUS DP integration to the Honeywell Experion DCS startup sequencer.
- High-inertia cooling water pump motor starting at SABIC Jubail petrochemical plants, where large centrifugal pumps with significant flywheel effect require extended soft-start ramp times beyond the 30-second capability of standard electronic softstarters to avoid transformer overloading during startup.
- Conveyor drive motor starting at MODON industrial estate logistics and warehousing facilities, where fully loaded heavy conveyors require kick-start plus torque ramp to move away from standstill under load without exceeding the 250% starting current limit imposed by the site's supply transformer rating.
- Fan motor starting for large forced-draught and induced-draught fans at ARAMCO utility boiler plants and SWCC multi-effect distillation (MED) desalination plants, where the ASTAT Plus deceleration ramp prevents reverse airflow surge when the fan decelerates and the damper control sequence is too slow to close before backflow begins.
- Crusher motor starting at quarrying and aggregate processing operations supplying NEOM and ROSHN construction projects, where primary crushers with high breakaway torque requirements and variable feed conditions demand adaptive torque control to avoid repeated nuisance trips on standard softstarters.
- Emergency generator set starting assist for large EMERSON and MAN diesel generators at SABIC and ARAMCO facilities, where the ASTAT Plus installed in the motor starter of generator cooling water pumps provides soft-starting to reduce mechanical stress on generator-direct-coupled pump impellers during every generator start cycle.
Industrial Supplier in Saudi Arabia
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Frequently Asked Questions — ASTAT-PLUS-145A
Common questions from buyers in Saudi Arabia and the GCC