Schneider Electric has announced the launch of its SF6-free medium voltage switchgear, designated Ringmaster AirSeT, in the UK. It has a pure air design for which Schneider has already invested £7.2million at its Leeds, UK, facility to manufacture it in response to the demand for greener and smarter switchgear products.
It is expected to help grid operators decarbonise and modernise their infrastructure and enable electric distribution utilities to improve operational performance and reliability.
The use of pure air for insulation results in a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 0, and eliminates the need for the complex gas recycling process at end of life.
The rollout of Ringmaster AirSeT in the UK is a key element of Schneider Electric’s ‘Grids of the Future’ programme and a milestone in its progress towards producing a complete portfolio of SF6-free switchgear by 2025. SF6 is a potent greenhouse gas 24 300 times stronger than CO2.
Ringmaster AirSeT key features include:
- Pure air is sustainable, and free from compliance risks related to future regulations;
- It combines pure air for insulation and vacuum for circuit breaking, while producing no alternative gases or toxic by-products;
- An innovative shunt vacuum interrupter (SVI), 3 position ring to switch the circuit;
- A next-generation CompoDrive mechanism which increases mechanical performance, allowing an increased number of operations for grids to handle more distributed energy resources in the distribution network;
- A 30 year design life;
- The familiar three-position switch for closed, opened, and earthed – the first SF6-free switchgear to do so. This means unchanged operation, which allows for simple adoption.
Ringmaster AirSeT can be SCAD connected with the integrated T300 remote terminal unit or the health status remotely monitored using wireless sensor technology.
