2006-01-16 - Time expired air-blast circuit breakers will be replaced with ABB HPL SF6 puffer circuit breakers
ABB has been awarded a contract worth just over £2 million to refurbish and upgrade a 275kV National Grid substation on the Thames Estuary. The project includes the supply and installation of five new ABB 400kV HPL
SF6 insulated puffer circuit breakers, to replace the now time-expired air-blast circuit breakers installed in the 1960s, as well as associated civil and connection works and interfacing with the substation control and protection systems.
The new ABB HPL circuit breakers, capable of switching short-circuit currents up to 63kA, will be installed on five circuits three outgoing and two from the substation transformers. National Grid has specified them at 400kV to provide the substation with the future flexibility to operate at the higher voltage.
The project is due for completion at the end of 2007. In order to minimise potential disturbance to customers, ABB will carry out the installation work in a number of phases co-ordinated with National Grid’s planned outage programme.
ABB Background
ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 103,000 people.