THE PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION OF VACUUM CIRCUIT BREAKERS

This article is dedicated to the subject of practical implementation of ISM/TEL vacuum circuit breakers produced by
TAVRIDA ELECTRIC. Two main areas will be covered: the manufacture of brand new switchgear and the renovation
of obsolete switchgear (Retrofit Programme)

Foreword

Today switchgear suppliers face customer demands, not only concerning the quality of the products offered, but also
concerning the final effective solution of any problems that may arise. Consequently market leaders are constantly
striving to offer the consumers a full portfolio of products and services.
A customer is undoubtedly put at ease when a supplier provides it with the following:
• technical consultation
• a full spectrum of support at every stage of a project
• clear and instant warranty
• prompt post-warranty services
• installation and assembly works, including “turn-key” projects
• development of typical and special projects, as well as technical solutions related to the implementation of
equipment.
Based on the above mentioned reasons and arguments, TAVRIDA ELECTRIC has defined its mission as follows:

“We offer our customers integrated solutions using innovative products combined with unrivalled service and
reliability.”

The following are tasks any customer defines to a supplier:

• Renovation of switchgear in the shortest period of time keeping the most of existing construction elements.
• Supply and installation of particular compact medium voltage switchgear suitable for extension of existing
substation where available space is limited. For example, in telecommunication, trade and business centers
inside city boundaries.
• Supply and installation of a small-sized substation in urban or coastal areas, where land cost is high.

There are three approaches to accomplishing the above mentioned tasks used by TAVRIDA ELECTRIC. In every case,
a customer comes to a final decision based on technical-economical analysis of the situation. The appropriate offering
of an elegant and effective fundamental solution to customers is one of the reasons that TAVRIDA ELECTRIC has
successfully operated for over 15 years in the field of switchgear manufacturing and now works in collaboration with
many companies in over 40 countries worldwide.

Renovation of existing equipment Supply of brand-new switchgear

and the Retrofit programme

TEL VCB

Providing of typical prefabricated solutions for switchgear

Renovation of existing equipment and the Retrofit programme.

Our regional design bureaus, focused on the requirements of local markets, develop various installation projects for
renovation of switchgear being in operation. After completing a stage of design, a switchgear cubicle is renovated in
exact accordance with the project documentation. In order to reveal and further to improve any non-conformances, a
full stage of qualification tests is carried out. The described method of existing cubicle renovation is called “Retrofit
Programme”.
The Retrofit is distinguished from other renovation techniques
by retaining the main switchgear arrangement undisturbed
with the replacement of only worn-out parts. In many
countries the Retrofit has become a state strategy for programs
concerning modernization and further development of
electricity systems.

TAVRIDA ELECTRIC has developed more than 80 typical

projects enabling adaptation of our own Vacuum Circuit Retrofit of ST7 cubicle with
Breakers to existing customer switchgear. Full compatibility is WVS-12/20/08 circuit breaker
obtained with old oil-type breakers in both main and auxiliary circuits.

The technical condition of the old switchgear does not correspond to the customer requirements of reliability and
functionality mainly due to the severe wear on oil breakers and relay protection components. At the same time the
remainder of the switchgear components (metal constructions, cable channels, busbars system etc.) possess sufficient
residual service life to be compatible even with the new switchgear.

For example, one of the first

SCI and WMSWP type oil circuit breakers
experiences with the
application of Retrofit projects
in Poland was a project
involving the retrofit of
WMSWP type oil circuit
breaker with pneumatic drives,
as well as of SCJ type oil
circuit breakers with spring-
operated drives, installed both
in stationary switchgear and on
Retrofit of RSW cubicle with vertical
draw-out units. installation of TEL VCB

There are four general stages of standard working procedure, during a Retrofit project:
- The proper selection of a typical Retrofit set developed by a design bureau (up to now, TAVRIDA
ELECTRIC project base includes over 80 typical projects for the Retrofit of various type of switchgear).
- The dismantling of the old circuit breakers.
- The integration of the vacuum circuit breakers into the cubicle with the help of the Retrofit set chosen.
- Connection to and co-ordination with the existing relay protection system or its replacement with digital one.

The photos show the retrofit of an SCJ oil circuit breaker in stationary type cubicle performed by a customer.
After retrofit work, all existing electrical, mechanical or electromechanical interlocks preventing unauthorized
operations, will not only remain but can be improved. The proven effectiveness and simplicity of Retrofit
performance makes this Programme a widely accepted and easy executable solution for old equipment renovation in
electricity companies.
Here are general technical and competitive
advantages our customers will realize when
choosing Retrofit with TAVRIDA ELECTRIC:

• Environmentally friendly solution

• Reliability
• Improved functionality
• Absence of an oil household
• Maintenance free switchgear
• Project supervision
• Personal training

No power supply losses to a retrofitting cubicle,

due to localization of retrofit work within the
cubicle perimeter and usage of reserve feeders.
Project at ZEG Energetica Retrofit of SCJ cubicle
 • Remote control and signalization options
• Full adaptation to existing relay protection circuits.
• The possibility of applying any type of protection from electromechanical to digital ones. The example in the
photo shows the installation of a Control Module (CM) and a micro-processor based protection relay by ZEG
Energetika.

The following table presents a comparative analysis of repair work, the purchase of new switchgear and Retrofit:

Criteria Repair work New Switchgear Retrofit

Cost, in shares 1/4 3 1
Average works time, days 5 2 14
Lifetime, years 2-5 25 25
Functionality, % 15 100 95

Supply of brand-new switchgear

Over the past few years TAVRIDA ELECTRIC has been successfully collaborating with respected Polish switchgear
manufacturers such as ZPUE and ELEKTROBUDOWA.

The switchgear manufacturer ZPUE produces

ROTOBLOK type 24 kV cubicles with the
TAVRIDA ELECTRIC vacuum circuit breakers.
These metal-enclosed cubicles are intended for
electricity secondary distribution, particularly for
RMU of kiosk transformer substations and for
customer substations. Substation primary circuits
can be easily configured on site, thanks to the
cubicle modular design and a both-side extension
option.

This switchgear design includes an exceptional

feature allowing the segregation of all sectional
elements throughout the entire switchgear
construction by means of additional partitions. Due
to individual sectional separation, the switchgear
maintains a high IP level and features internal arc-
Rotoblok switchgear by proof abilities, which consequently lead to a high Vacuum circuit breaker
ZPUE equipped with personal safety level. Simple and reliable interlocking compartment in Rotoblok
TEL VCB systems without complicated mechanics, as well as switchgear by ZPUE
the manual operation available on Tavrida Electric VCB, make ROTOBLOCK cubicles user-friendly. The cubicle
contains voltage capacitive sensors and can be also equipped with toroidal current transformers for protection.

The switchgear manufacturer ELEKTROBUDOWA successfully uses the TAVRIDA ELECTRIC vacuum circuit
breakers as a core component of D-12 and D-17.5 series metal-clad switchgear for voltages of 12 and 17.5kV.

ELEKTROBUDOWA cassette with TAVRIDA ELECTRIC cassette with ELEKTROBUDOWA

TEL VCB 1000A 20kA new SHELL type circuit breaker switchgear equipped with
2000A 25kA 17.5 kV TEL VCB
Providing of typical prefabricated solutions for switchgear.

Complying with customers’ demand

switchgear manufacturers and
contractors often encounter a problem
that something special than a typical
vacuum circuit breaker is required. In
such cases TAVRIDA ELECTRIC
comes to offer prefabricated solutions.
These solutions usually include a
versatile vacuum circuit breaker from
our product range in combination with
particular designed hardware or a
vacuum circuit breaker solely
developed for a particular application.
In addition to the versatile three-phase
circuit breakers TAVRIDA ELECTRIC SF6 RMU, “VEI”, Italy
Norddeutsche Affinerie, manufactures one-phase circuit breakers. Besides, a new
Germany family of the TAVRIDA ELECTRIC VCB has been
recently brought out with a nominal current augmented to
2000A. Some of examples of the prefabricated solutions by TAVRIDA ELECTRIC are
presented below.
The photo shows an Italian cubicle from the VEI
company demonstrating the application of the
TAVRIDA ELECTRIC circuit breakers. The SF-6
external insulation allows the application of a
vacuum circuit breaker with 150mm PCD for 12
kV, PF 42kV. The next photo presents a Chinese
cubicle produced by Jinglong Electric Ltd,
Yangzhou where a heavy-duty circuit breaker with
an interrupting life of 150 000 operations at rated
current was used.

NXAirP switchgear by SIEMENS, This series of photos depicts the TAVRIDA

Germany ELECTRIC vacuum circuit breakers in several
MES switchgear,
projects in Germany. An extra long mechanical Germany
life was an essential condition for the German Norddeutsche Affinerie cubicle. In another
German cubicle, MES, a single-phase vacuum circuit breaker was used. For the reconstruction of an assembly line of
BMW, vacuum circuit breakers combined with fuse protection were used in the NXAIR cubicles by Siemens. Another
well known company, Driescher Wegburg, Germany, uses the TAVRIDA ELECTIC circuit breakers for its SF-6 filled
switchgear.

One-phase vacuum circuit breakers are widely used in the

ARTECHE automatic circuit reclosers. The Dutch company
Eaton Holec utilizes the
TAVRIDA ELECTRIC
vacuum circuit breakers for
longitudinal installations in
its cubicles. Below is an
SEL (Italy) cubicle with a
24kV vacuum circuit
breaker.
One-phase
vacuum
circuit
breaker
TAVRIDA
ELECTRIC
EATON HOLEC, for
Netherlands ARTECHE,
Spain Driescher Wegburg,
SEL, Italy
Germany
 South Korean Recloser manufacturers make wide use of the TAVRIDA ELECTRIC
vacuum circuit breakers in SF-6 filled switchgear, thus obtaining the smallest possible
overall dimensions, essential in the manufacture of outdoor switchgear for mounting
onto poles.

A successful solution was found for projects in

Ex-Yugoslavia, where the local manufacturer
MINEL had supplied nearly 90% of the oil
circuit breakers on the market. Prefabricated
solutions used for MINEL project are
conveniently fitted in both fixed type of
switchgear and draw-out units. The solutions
consist of:

• a metal framework
• a vacuum circuit breaker
• a metal box for the allocation of
protection unit, CM as well as
signalling and control circuits.

The wide list of factory components and

South Korean recloser with interlocking equipment designed to fix circuit
TEL VCB in SF-6 filled breakers into new and operating switchgear
switchgear allows versatile solutions to be found for all Retrofit of MINEL ,
situations. One of the prefabricated solutions is Ex-Yugoslavia
the recently developed TAVRIDA ELECTRIC Longitudinal VCB intended for implementation in secondary
distribution cubicles.

Chinese switchgear A cubicle with TAVRIDA Longitudinal VCB by

XGN34 ELECTRIC Longitudinal VCB TAVRIDA ELECTRIC

In conclusion, we will address some of the most frequently asked questions concerning the use of the TAVRIDA
ELECTRIC vacuum circuit breakers.

Is it possible to check the vacuum level inside a vacuum interrupter?

Yes. Vacuum circuit breakers can be tested using the standard power frequency
high-voltage test. In the event of leakage (the penetration of air inside the vacuum
interrupter), there will be an insulation break-down during the test. It is
recommended that the test should be carried out on site before putting a circuit
breaker into service and then as part of a systematic inspection of the equipment.
The physics of the process is as follows: the dialectical strength of the vacuum
space inside the interrupter is only dependant on the pressure produced by the rest
vapour concentration p and the distance between the electrodes d. This dependence
is described by the Pashen Curve. As can be seen from the graph, the smallest
The Pashen Curve
value of dialectical strength corresponds to a vacuum pressure from 1 to 10-1 Pa. In this case the conductivity of the
gap is more than for the air. A high-voltage test of power frequency will easily reveal the problem vacuum leakage
occurring at this level.
The necessary vacuum level inside the interrupter (with a distance of 6mm between the electrodes) should not be less
than 10-3 Pa. TAVRIDA ELECTRIC produces vacuum interrupters with a pressure of 10-5Pa.
It is worth mentioning that leakage of vacuum from the vacuum interrupter is only possible in the case of severe
physical action on the interrupter. The vacuum interrupter is protected from mechanical damage by a polycarbonate
housing. During product manufacturing procedure, there are three stages of inspection (by carrying out high-voltage
tests) for vacuum interrupters. The first inspection is performed during production of the vacuum interrupter itself,
second while assembling of circuit breaker poles and in the end while performing routine tests of an assembled circuit
breaker.

Is X-ray radiation emitted while a vacuum circuit breaker is in service?

A special study has been dedicated to this question and experiments have shown that vacuum circuit breakers do not
create X-ray radiation while in use. In fact, the level of X-ray radiation produced during high-voltage testing is not
higher than 1 µSv/h. We have included the following table to allow comparison.

Combined High-voltage test at Medical X- Medical X-ray Fluorography,

dose regarded Tavrida Electric labs ray photography of total
as safe for photography teeth
human of a
organism stomach
Equivalent 5 mSv per year 2 mSv per year 300 mSv 30 mSv 1.7 mSv
dose (250 work-shifts Locally Locally single dose
with 8hrs of working
day)

Is there any danger of a vacuum circuit breaker exploding or of being an outburst of arc combustion products
due to a breakdown at the substation?

As there are hardly any substances in a vacuum interrupter, no such risk occurs in the event of a breakdown in the
vacuum interrupter. In the case of thermal exposure or a prolonged short circuit current due to a relay protection fault,
a polycarbonate housing of VCB pole melts down, localizing the damage and confining it to a single cubicle. In the
event of a breakdown of an oil circuit breaker, an expulsion of hot oil or the explosion of the circuit breaker may occur.
The breakdown of a circuit breaker with SF6 gas will affect environment drastically. The leaked overheated SF-6
reacts with the air and produces a poison gas (known as Phosgene and used in military actions). Phosgene gas exhibits
the properties of rare gases and cannot be removed from the human organism. For this reason, the countries which
signed the Kyoto protocol passed a resolution forbidding the use of SF-6 in mid-voltage equipment.

At this point, TAVRIDA ELECTRIC’s series of articles concerning specialized questions on the theory and use of the
series of vacuum circuit breakers comes to a close.
We kindly ask you to send your comments, questions and requests to export@tavrida.ee
We will try to answer your questions and uncover new areas in the field of vacuum switchgear that are of interest to
you.