Mitsubishi Electric

Non-SF6 Switchgear Roadmap

Mitsubishi Electric Power Products, Inc.

Noah Tai
Outline
§ Circuit breaker principles
§ Evolution of breaker technologies
§ California initiatives
§ Non-SF6 circuit breakers
§ Mitsubishi strategy
Circuit Breaker Principles
Breaker Performance Metrics
SF6 Characteristics
§ SF6 is a colorless, odorless, non-toxic and non-flammable gas; 5X heavier than air

§ Ideal for arc quenching:

• Extremely stable gas with high dielectric strength
• Excellent conductor of heat during plasma state
• Quick recovery of dielectric strength after heat removal

§ Does not deplete ozone layer

But… a potent greenhouse gas

1 lb SF6 = 22,500 lbs CO2 equivalent
SF6
§ Very high dielectric withstand capability
§ Effectively quenches arcs in CB
§ SF6 apparatus is compact and almost maintenance free
§ Extremely safe in operation and for users
§ Electronegative Gas –ions rapidly recombine in the arc
§ Dielectric recovery time constant 1-2 μs. (Air is ~ 100 μs)
§ Compared to air and oil designs, the SF6 equipment is relatively low in terms of environment impact, equipment and personnel safety, etc.
§ Decomposition products are formed –they can be handled safely and are harmless to the environment.
§ SF6 gas is collected and recycled.
 Dual Nature
After Interruption
Quick Dielectric Recovery

Interruption Period
Arc Plasma Good Conductor
for Heat Dissipation
 Arc Properties

• Arc plasma is a good conductor of heat

• Conductivity increases with temperature

• High specific heat around temperature of arc

Mitsubishi Puffer Breaker
Evolution of Circuit Breakers
Types of Circuit Breakers
§ Oil (dielectric and cooling)
§ Gas (dielectric and cooling)
• Air Blast –high pressure
• SF6 –high pressure

§ Vacuum (dielectric and air/SF6 cooled outside the bottle)

OCB

• Oil immersed contacts

• Horse shoe shape plunger
• Arcing and main contacts
• Oil carbonizes during operation
• Limited contact life; high maintenance cost
• Capacitance switching may require opening resistors
• Oil spill potential – environmental issue
• Fire hazard
Air Blast Circuit Breaker
• Pressurized air to cool arc
• Air is exhausted to atmosphere after interruption
• Opening resistors required for arc interruption
• Not explosion proof
• Multiple breaks required
• Complicated air storage for control of moisture
• Large footprint
• Noise issue
SF6 Breakers
§ Earlier designs used 2 stage pressure system; uses pressure difference to create flow
§ Modern design uses just single pressure; uses dashpot to create flow
§ Gas is contained within the vessel after interruption
§ Gas is good for the life of the equipment
§ Excellent capacitor switching capability
§ Puffer is the state of the art
§ Most compact
§ Least costly
§ Explosion resistant
§ SF6 gas is an environmental concern
§ Key is to keep leaks to a minimum
Solid-State Breakers
§ Advantages:
• No moving part
• High speed
§ Issues:
• Forward resistance – I²R losses
• No visible break
California Initiatives
Leak Rate & Impact on Environment
Reporting Requirements
Availability Timetable
Published Siemens Timetable
Discussion
Our understanding of the CARB phase-out plan is that on January 1, 2025 utilities in California will no longer be able to buy 72 kV gas insulated equipment that used SF6
gas for the interrupting and dielectric medium:
1. This date established by CARB based on product availability from multiple suppliers in the marketplace
2. Utilities can buy SF6 gas insulated equipment up until December 31, 2024
3. The existing fleet of SF6 gas insulated equipment will remain in service after that date
4. Existing SF6 gas insulated equipment can be maintained, repaired, and upgraded thru its useful life
5. Utilities can buy SF6 gas insulated equipment for special applications OR to fit into existing switchyards that have space limitations after the phase out date
6. Providing SF6 gas insulated equipment with a leak rate of less than 0.1% per year is an important goal of CARB during the phase out process
 Non-SF6
Circuit Breakers
Substitute Gases
§ Vacuum (density is 0)
§ Dry air (air density is 1); 78% N2
§ CO2 (1.67 air density) Live tank breaker at 145kV application
§ Mixed SF6 and N2 gas
§ 24kV to 170kV experimental gas
Four Alternatives to SF6 - world class vendors

§ 3MTM NovecTM Dielectric Fluids § Vacuum/clean air

Properties of different gases for GIS and breakers
Substitute Gases Properties/Issues
§ Dielectric strength
§ Heat transfer capability as conductor in plasma state
§ Recovery speed as dielectric after arc quenching and cooled down
§ Stability or longevity
§ Compatibility with other insulation systems
§ Arc byproducts
§ Pressure level
§ Leak rate
§ Boiling point
§ Increased cost
§ Reduced performance
Requirements of Alternative Gases
 The Vacuum Breaker Design
Purpose:
§ Provide a reliable, low maintenance device applicable for use switching load, fault, inductive and capacitive currents.
Challenge:
§ Contact design
§ Enclosure and vacuum construction
§ Dielectric and electric field grading
§ Mechanical and Thermal reliability
Solution:
§ The contacts are design from a blend of Cu-Cr, a semi-refractory material that provides:
§ High mechanical strength
§ High Melting Point
§ Excellent wear resistance.
§ Resistance to contact welding
§ Low chopping current (<6A) comparable to SF6 and minimum oil.
§ Excellent voltage performance
§ The use of Axial Magnetic Field (AMF) contact geometry provides:
§ Improved high current arc erosion of the contact surface.
§ Higher dielectric resistance for long contact gaps.
§ Enclosure is manufactured from high alumina porcelain allowing higher temperatures during processing, brazing to ends provides a ‘life time’ seal. No permittivity
of Helium and reduced H2.
§ Internal bottle structure includes floating shield and grading shields on ends.
§ Silver plated contact regions allow highest level of thermal rise permitted by international standards.
The Vacuum Arc - Initiation
Formation of the vacuum arc (OPEN Operation):
Fully Closed:
•Contact Closing Force ≈ (Contact Material Hardness) X ( Real Area Of Contact)
Stationary Contact

Real area of contact à CLOSED

Microscopic plastic deformation

of contact surface. Moving Contact

Contact spots across

contact surface.
Face View of single à
contact surface
Real Area of Contact
The Vacuum Arc - Contacts
Axial Magnetic Field Contacts (AMF)
Observation of Arc Diffusion Arc appears between contacts
Arc
1ms

Arc starts to diffuse by Axial Magnetic Field

3ms

Arc spreads and interruption is completing

5ms

Fixed contact

Movable contact
Vacuum Interrupter Operation
Vacuum Breakers
§ Generally suitable for distribution voltages
§ Vaporized metal particles in vacuum to sustain arc
§ Shield protects the ceramic housing from deposits from vaporized metal particles
§ Tends to chop current
§ Contact material critical to interrupter performance
§ Shaft seal critical to maintain vacuum integrity
§ Dielectric strength saturates with voltage
§ Interrupting capability limited to ~ 40kA
§ Being applied at 72kV 40kA using compressed air for major insulation; double pressure air system
§ 145kV with single bottle is under development
HV-VI based DTB (72 kV)
§ VI DTB’s / Air insulation (72.5 kV)
145kV SF6 Free GIS (Vacuum & Air)
Technology Pilot for 145 kV (CO2 LT)
CO2 and Air

3 psig

87 psig
F35-145kV g3 GIS (Novec+CO2+O2)
Mitsubishi Strategy
Technical Challenges with SF6 Alternative Gas

§ Alternative gases (Novec) performance against circuit breaker electrical standards ranges from 55% to 80% of the requirements
• Special purpose applications may be especially challenging
§ Alternate gases do not “re-combine” after a switching event and are “consumed” requiring periodic “refreshing”
• Some of the alternate gases produce a byproduct of carbon, which will require periodic cleaning of the internals of a breaker
§ Operating temperature range – breakers may require tank heaters and/or indoor installations
Industry Challenges with SF6 Alternative Gas

§ May still require reporting because present line-up of alternate gases are still considered a GHG in either pre-mixed or
decomposed form
§ No industry harmonized gas means utilities require multiple gas handling carts in addition to legacy SF6 gas handling carts
• Currently each supplier has a proprietary gas chemistry, thus no governing industry standards
§ Equipment will be larger with a larger physical footprint (in particular for higher voltage ratings)
• Civil & erection expenses could increase
SF6 Alternative Gas
§ To date there has been no alternative to SF6 gas that offers the same characteristics of:
1. High dielectric strength
2. High heat transfer capability
3. Molecular stability
4. Operational over a wide range of ambient temps

§ MELCO evaluated alternative gases and found all of them had one or more undesirable characteristics that would make their adoption challenging.
§ On that basis, MELCO made the decision to develop an alternative to SF6 gas using vacuum technology.
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (MELCO)

Power Distribution Systems Center (PDSC)

Vacuum Interrupter
Contact separation α voltage
Conductor size α current
Energy α Heat α I²T • Compact and Lightweight Vacuum Interrupters
• Over 40 years of Experience with High Reliability
Fixed
terminal

Flange
Fixed
conductor
Fixed
contact
Arc Shield
Movable
contact

Movable Insulator
conductor

Bellows shield
Bellows

Flange

Movable
terminal

§ Mitsubishi Series(1.5kV/4kA～84kV/31.5kA)
§ Structure
New MELCO e-F@ctory
High Quality & Efficiency
by e-F@ctory
Integrated Solution of Factory Automation & Information Technologies
for Advanced Manufacturing

2 floors / 13m height

NS 118m X EW 110 m
Floor Area: 14,200 m2 ACB・GCB

VST

Parts VCB
Shop Shipping
Comparison of Vacuum & SF6 Breakers
Dielectric Performance in Vacuum
CIGRE TB 589 2014
Linear relationship with
gap distance and pressure Saturation at ~230kV

Linear region
Better than SF6
Interruption Capability Comparison
Observations
§ Dielectric strength of vacuum saturates with voltage, at around 235kV and 30mm gap; increasing gap distance will not hold higher voltage
• This is a good reason why we cannot have a single bottle design at 230kV and above.
§ Dielectric strength of SF6 increases linearly with gap distance as well as gas pressure.
• This is why we can increase the gap distance and tank pressure to achieve compact designs.
§ Below 100kV, dielectric strength of vacuum is greater than SF6 and it is linear.
• This is probably why we use vacuum bottles at distribution voltages until now.
§ 72kV 40kA is a better vacuum application than 145kV 40kA from a dielectric standpoint.
• kV/mm is better at 72kV than at 145kV
• Hence two 72kV 40kA bottles in series might be better than one 145kV 40kA bottle from a dielectric standpoint.
§ Interrupting capacity of SF6 per break or gap is inherently higher than vacuum gap due to its superior heat removal capability.
• MELCO strategy:
• 145kV 40kA; 230kV 40kA with 2x145kV 40kA in series
• 170kV 63kA; 345kV 63kA with 2x170kV 63kA bottles in series
Challenges to Overcome with Vacuum Interruption

§ Vacuum is used for interrupting only and requires another material for insulating energized parts inside equipment. This material may be compressed dry air, solid
dielectric, or substitute gas. This may increase physical sizes of equipment.
§ Vacuum is currently performs to X/R ratio of 17 (special purpose application).
§ Vacuum is not generally strong for capacitor/reactor switching (special purpose application).
§ Vacuum has history of restrikes. This could create worker safety issues (and equipment failures). A visible disconnect may be required.
§ Currently vacuum seems practical up to 145 kV with pressurized dry air. Above 145kV, a new insulating gas may be required to keep equipment size and cost within
reasonable bounds. The use of substitute SF6 gas might make sense here.
Summary
§ SF6 equipment offers the optimum cost effective technical solution at the moment; but needs to be phased out due to GHG emission concerns.
§ Two broad categories of replacement technologies are being introduced; substitute gases and vacuum.
• Substitute gases may still have some GHG emission which requires reporting and mixed gases will likely create a maintenance challenge.
• Vacuum technology faces heat dissipation and insulation to ground challenges.
§ Non SF6 products will be developed and introduced to the market. Regulation, cost, technical feasibility, reliability will likely determine the pace of adoption of new
technologies.
§ SF6 will still be around another 50 years. We need a smooth transition to non SF6 alternatives that are affordable and reliable.
§ Monitor domestic and international GHG mitigation activities; consult with local utilities on technology/implementation issues; maintain contact with Fed and State
environmental agencies; engender policy conducive to adoption of non-SF6 technologies.
Thank you!
Any Questions?