Outdoor

Outdoor vacuum reclosers 

Due to its compact size and versatile mounting possibilities, outdoor vacuum reclosers are not only installed on overhead distribution feeders but are also becoming a choice for substation applications where traditional circuit breakers would be located.  Reclosers have two basic functions in the medium voltage distribution network: increase reliability and overcurrent protection.  

ABB’s medium voltage outdoor reclosers is a three-phase vacuum recloser, for IEC and ANSI standards, rated up to 38 kV, with a solid dielectric insulation designed. ABB’s OVR reclosers are ideal for outdoor pole mount or substation installation and come with REC615 protection relay, having versatile protection capabilities that can be customized as per practical site needs. 

Outdoor Live tank circuit breakers 

Medium-voltage vacuum circuit breakers protect the evolving grid by safely interrupting the power flow when a grid anomaly happens and then re-establishing it once is fixed. Medium-voltage Live tank circuit breakers for outdoor face even greater environmental challenges, operating under often harsh weather conditions - reliability is therefore paramount. 

ABB’s medium voltage outdoor Live tank circuit breakers, are as as per IEC standards, with spring mechanism rated up 40.5 kV. ABB’s outdoor Live tank circuit breaker is ideal for protecting medium voltage distribution networks, distribution transformers, wind and solar farms, and capacitor banks (including option for back-to-back capacitor banks) switching. ABB’s medium voltage outdoor Live tank circuit breakers have decades of proven track record of working in various environments from hot deserts, humid tropical rain forests and even in freezing conditions up to -40^oC. 

Outdoor gas-insulated switch disconnector 

Medium voltage outdoor switch disconnectors offer solutions for disconnection, load break operation or automatic sectionalizing of overhead lines to allow grid optimization and smart grid, whether manually operated, motor operated or automatic scheme configuration with communication capabilities. 

ABB’s medium voltage outdoor gas-insulated switch disconnector product line is called Sectos. Sectos is an SF6 gas-insulated, pole mounted 3-way switch disconnector for demanding outdoor environments up to 24 kV. The outer cone cable connector interface makes it suitable also for padmount use. Two independent switch disconnectors in one enclosure with the third tapped way can be used for easy and reliable line branching in overhead, cable, or mixed networks. It has excellent load breaking and fault making capacity and satisfies the isolation requirements specified for disconnectors. The earthed metal tank prevents all possible leakage currents across an open switch. 

Outdoor fault current limiters 

Each distribution equipment in an electrical network has a certain permissible short-circuit withstand capability. Plant expansion, power source additions, and distribution topology changes cause the short-circuit fault level to increase whereby the withstand capability of the equipment can be exceeded and the resulting dynamic (peak short-circuit current) and thermal stresses will have hazardous consequences for equipment, personnel and environment. 

ABB's medium voltage outdoor fault current limiters are the efficient solution for short-circuit current challenges in newly installed and existing electrical networks. They isolate the fault affected part of the network within microseconds (ms) – limiting the short-circuit current before the first current peak is reached so that the equipment rating is not exceeded. They also facilitate flexible power distribution, power system expansion, independent power production, reactor replacement and many more such applications without considering the equipment short-circuit withstand capability as a constraint.  

ABB medium voltage outdoor fault current limiters product line is called FC-Protector. FC Protector is a standardized and compact solution for indoor and outdoor applications.

Outdoor protection and control relays: REC615 

The main purpose of a protection relay is to recognize any abnormal power system condition(s), or abnormally operating system component(s). Grid anomalies can be caused by over currents - the overload through lightning or malfunctioning electric equipment or a short circuit in the system. Based on the information gathered, the protection relay will initiate corrective actions that return the system to its normal operating state providing a safe environment for personnel and equipment.  Selecting the right protection functions and methods, that meet local legislation, safety requirements and engineering practice, improves the performance and the reliability of the protection system, thus minimizing the effects of network faults and preventing the disturbance from spreading to healthy parts of the network .

ABB medium voltage protection and control relay for outdoor product application is REC615. REC615 is a remote monitoring and control relay, member of ABB’s Relion protection and control product family. These grid automation relays are specially designed to integrate and enhance the functionalities of reclosers and switches offering features such as remote control and monitoring, protection, fault indication, power quality analyzing and automation of medium-voltage distribution networks.  With REC615 grid reliability is enhanced, ranging from basic, non-directional overload protection to extended protection functionality with power quality analyses. Thus, REC615 meets today’s requirements for smart grids and supports the protection of overhead lines and cable feeders. 

Outdoor instrument transformers 

Medium voltage outdoor instrument transformers offer insulation and protection for the medium voltage distribution network. Medium voltage transformers are cast in hydrophobic cycloaliphatic epoxy resin (HCEP), capable of withstanding outdoor environmental conditions (including wet or humid environments) and minimizing the potential for flashover.  

ABB’s medium voltage outdoor instrument transformers (current and voltage), for IEC standards, are designed for high current metering and protection up to 40.5 kV.