VD4-CS/ CS1: Indoor vacuum circuit breaker for capacitor banks

The VD4-CS offers several benefits, including: 

• Inrush Elimination: High accuracy in controlled switching technology. 
• Cost and Space Savings: Eliminates the need for additional components.
• Reduced Maintenance Costs: Lowers the total cost of capacitor bank operation by eliminating downtime for breaker overhaul and extending lifespan with predictive health indication.
• Global Support: Fast and reliable support thanks to ABB’s global footprint.

The VD4-CS has the following specifications:

• Voltage: Up to 38 kV
• Current: Up to 1250 A
• Breaking Capacity: Up to 31.5 kA
• Operations:  20,000 overhaul-free and noise-free operations; 10,000 back-to-back capacitor bank switching operations

The VD4-CS reduces the total cost of capacitor bank operation by eliminating downtime for breaker overhaul and extending the lifespan of the breaker. It also saves up to 20% by using the same ratings and interfaces as existing medium voltage substations, thanks to its optimized footprint equivalent to standard distribution breakers.

The main difference between VD4-CS and VD4-CS1 is that VD4-CS can operate with inrush minimization only on fully discharged capacitor bank, so you have to wait at least 5 minutes before close a capacitor bank after you opened it; the VD4-CS1 can operate a capacitor bank with inrush minimization every time independently by the status of charge of the capacitor bank, it can perform closing or opening operations in sequence with a waiting time of 15s every 4 consecutive.

The VD4-CS1 high performance in capacitor bank switching is specifically designed for applications in which the power factor correction shall follow the active power generation or absorption profile continuously.

Typical applications are renewable power plants and energy consuming industry (as green steel plants), grid regulations are becoming more restrictive about the reactive power compensation absorption and the contribution to grid stability. The VD4-CS1 can be integrated with the actual solutions that use power electronics to have a more CAPEX efficient plant design.