Alternative insulation gases in medium-voltage switchgears

Switchgears are a key element of power distribution today. They are the junction where electrical energy is bundled and redistributed across different voltage levels. In addition to outdoor switchgears, gas-insulated switchgears (GIS) are also used for power distribution since the end of the 1960s.

Gas-insulated switchgears and gas-insulated lines (GIL) are indispensable in power distribution systems, especially in places with limited space, harsh environmental conditions and difficult access to maintenance. The insulating gas sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) enables with its properties the construction of largely maintenance-free, extremely compact systems.

SF6 has been explicitly mentioned in the Kyoto Protocol as one of the fluorinated gases with a high global warming potential and has thus entered the public debate in the energy sector as well. In view of the far-reaching restructuring of the network infrastructure as part of the energy transition on the one hand, and the broad public debate on expansion options and climate-friendly solutions, alternative technologies are also being increasingly demanded for insulating gases.

In the project “Alternative insulating gases in medium-voltage switchgears”, various alternative climate-friendly insulating gases than SF6 are examined for typical medium-voltage arrangements and real switchgears with regard to their dielectric strength and their switch-off behavior. The aim of the project is to demonstrate the suitability of alternative insulating and quenching gases for gas-insulated medium-voltage switchgear (MS-GIS).