Pilot of an environmentally friendly SF6-free MV switchgear technology and assessment of sensor technologies

Abstract

SF6 gas has been used as insulation medium as well as electrical current breaking medium for the past decades. Although SF6 has exceptional gas properties for switchgear applications, an alternative to SF6 is desired due to its very high global warming effects and high costs of gas handling and maintenance. The start-up Nuventura has developed a new technology of gas insulated switchgear (GIS) using dry compressed air as an insulation medium for medium voltage (MV) applications up to 36 kV. Currently, a prototype of this new technology is set up for pilot testing in an MV grid of Westnetz. Additionally, innovative modern sensors applicable for medium voltage are tested and assessed in demonstrational GIS prototype. The goal of this project is to prove practical feasibility and assess the economic advantages of using compressed dry air as an insulation medium for GIS applications as well as examining the functionality and reliability of the sensors.