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Consideraciones de Breakers SF6 Vs Vacio PDF
Consideraciones de Breakers SF6 Vs Vacio PDF
SF6 or vacuum?
More than three decades of experience in developing SF6 and vacuum circuit-breakers, accompanied
by increasingly close cooperation between the participating research centers, gives ABB a strong
advantage when it comes to deciding which technology is best for a given application. The
pioneering role played by the company uniquely qualifies it to pursue R&D on both fronts with the
goal of pushing performance levels to the limit. The sum of this research work, coupled with
unrivalled knowledge of the marketplace, puts ABB in a position to offer unbiased advice and
assistance to customers searching for the switchgear that best suits their needs.
A
pproximately 35 years ago, in the both technologies has continued be used when choosing one of these
mid 1960s, two new breaker unabated since then, and today it can two dominant technologies. Instead of
technologies, one using SF6 gas and the be said that, together, they have all an objective selection based on real-
other vacuum as its arc quenching but replaced the older types of switch- world characteristics, the choice is very
medium, were introduced to the market. gear. There is, however, not always much driven by the circuit-breaker
Research and development work on agreement on which criteria should manufacturer.
40
their different designs can be seen as
alternatives. Based on this conviction that
20
SF6 and vacuum have equally important
roles to play, the company has continued 0
to force the development of both, and 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
approach are the use of magnetic The specific advantages of SF6 gas in generation of designs produced the gas
actuators as the operating mechanism and electrical engineering applications have flow by utilizing the energy contained in
the integration of sensors in the switchgear been widely recognized since the early the arc. This ‘self-blast’ circuit-breaker
panels. With total interchangeability, 1930s, but it was only in the late 1950s design resulted in significantly less energy
users are faced with easier choices and that the first high-voltage SF6 insulated being required for its operation.
structural factors are no longer a major circuit-breakers were developed and The more than 30 years of ABB
consideration in their decisions. installed. SF6 medium-voltage circuit- experience and research associated with
breakers followed some years later. the puffer and self-blast circuit-breakers
Arc-interrupting characteristics The first generation of MV SF6 circuit- have now culminated in a new and very
breakers employed a dual-pressure gas efficient design. This so-called ‘auto-
SF6 circuit-breakers system. Second-generation designs puffer’ combines the advantages of both
Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) is an artificial included the pressure differential previous designs. The auto-puffer circuit-
inert gas with excellent insulating necessary to create the gas flow, this breaker operates as a pure puffer device
properties and exceptional thermal and being provided by a mechanically driven when interrupting currents up to 30% of
chemical stability. These characteristics piston which compressed a small volume the maximum rated breaking capacity and
of the gas have led to its widespread use of gas. The piston was integrated in the as a self-blast interrupter at higher levels.
in both HV and MV switchgear, both of moving contact assembly. Such ‘puffer- The auto-puffer requires only a minimum
which exhibit very high performance type’ circuit-breakers required a relatively amount of energy from the operating
and reliability as a result. powerful mechanism [2]. The third mechanism, but offers the high
3 VM1 vacuum (left) and HM1 SF6 medium-voltage circuit-breakers with magnetic actuator
Vacuum circuit-breakers 2
the inherent ability to extinguish current This reduction in operating energy The change of status of the moving
arcs of small to medium values has led to the development of an entirely contacts is brought about by a change
automatically when the current passes new design of operating mechanism, in direction of the magnetic field
through zero. A satisfactory interruption the permanent magnet actuator. resulting from the energizing of the
of short-circuit currents, however, electromagnets, which are the control
requires additional design measures. Magnetic actuator elements of the actuator. Modulation of
The initial designs used a specially The operating mechanism of a circuit- the current supply to the electromagnets
shaped electrode to produce a radial breaker has the apparently ‘simple’ allows the energy developed by the
magnetic field in the arc contact area. function of moving the contacts from the system to be adjusted to the requirements
This magnetic field, reacting with the arc closed to the open position or vice versa of different types and ratings of circuit-
current, forced the arc root to move and, when the required position is breakers.
continually around the contact surface, reached, of ensuring that the contacts The resulting operating mechanism is
thus preventing local overheating and remain in that position until a definite considerably simpler in construction than
uneven wear. command to again change position is the conventional mechanical system. The
A further design improvement, aimed given. The operating mechanism is thus a drastic reduction in the number of parts
particularly at increasing the current typical bistable actuator. This function has inherently reduces the susceptibility to
interrupting capacity to extremely high been performed with a high degree of failure, and the level of maintenance
short-circuit currents, was the reliability and surety for many years by required by this operating mechanism is
development of the ‘axial’ magnetic field. mechanical spring and latch mechanisms. reduced to the very minimum. 4 shows
Again a specially designed electrode is However, the opportunities now offered the construction of such an actuator with
employed to generate an axial magnetic by developments in power electronics its fixed laminated iron core, permanent
field, which distributes the arc root have led to the search for a more flexible magnets, steel armature and closing and
homogeneously over the whole of the and more readily controllable operating opening coils. All auxiliary functions,
contact area. device. Of course, an essential prerequi- such as interlocking, signaling, tripping,
site of any new system was that it had closing, etc, are provided electronically;
Common trends in SF6 to guarantee at least as good or better self-diagnostic facilities are also included.
and vacuum circuit-breaker performance, in terms of reliability, safety An electrolytic capacitor provides the
development and durability, than the traditional spring- surge power required for the opening
ABB SF6 and vacuum circuit-breakers based mechanism. and closing coils.
have been used for many years in An appropriate solution has been
medium-voltage switchgear and service found in the ‘magnetic actuator’. Basic construction of the
experience has shown them to be A specially designed system combining switching devices
reliable, almost maintenance-free and electromagnets with permanent magnets The new vacuum and SF6 magnetically
safe under operating conditions. provides the operating energy for the actuated circuit-breakers are fully
Innovations in both technologies have movement of the contacts as well as the interchangeable with each other as well
continually improved their efficiency, essential bistable characteristic. The as with previous designs. This
reduced their overall dimensions vacuum and the SF6 interrupters are held interchangeability is of considerable
and, most importantly, reduced the in either their open or closed positions by importance to plant operators as it allows
amount of energy required to operate the force of a permanent magnet and this existing switchgear to be re-equipped at
them. without the need for any external energy. minimum cost.
6 Section through the embedded vacuum pole (left) and the auto-puffer SF6 pole
References
[l] D. Braun, W. Heilmann, A. Plessl: Application criteria for SF6 and vacuum circuit-breakers. ABB Review 4/89, 25–33.
[2] A. Plessl, L. Niemeyer, F. Perdoncin: Research for medium-voltage SF6 circuit-breakers. ABB Review 2/89, 3–10.
[3] IEC 60056 – High-voltage alternating-current circuit-breakers, Amendment 3, 1996-09.
[4] R. Borlotti, A. Giacomucci: A simplified LCA of SF6 medium-voltage circuit-breaker. 7th SETAC Symposium, Brussels, 1999.
[5] R. Tinggren, Y. Hu, L. Tang, H. Mathews, R. Tyner: Power factor controller – an integrated power quality device. 1999 IEEE Transmission and
Distribution Conference, New Orleans.
[6] C. Cereda, C. Gemme, C, Reuber: Synchronous medium-voltage circuit-breaker: ABB solution based on magnetic drive and electronic control.
15th International Conference and Exhibition on Electrical Power Distribution Engineering, CIRED, Nice, 1999.