Switchgear

 

 

Doing nothing is not an option

To assist our mining clients who are considering replacing switchgear or ensuring all their HV assets do not go down when required (Loss of customer minutes) High Voltage Solution (HVS) has developed an on-site audit process called Risk Based Inspection program (RBI) which combines a number of disciplines to rank clients’ switchgear into low / medium / high risk groups.

Reflect actual working conditions

One of the cornerstone’s to High Voltage Solution.Com is its ability to safely carry out testing of high voltage cables and switchgear while the installation is in service. Using this methodology allows the high voltage asset to be tested / surveyed under real operating conditions, rather than simulated off-line testing where the results do not reflect actual working conditions.

End of life – Circuit Breakers that have arrived at the far end of the “bath tub curve” or in the “wear out” region (sudden increase in failure rate) or where a gradually increasing failure rate has reached an unacceptable level.

Life extension – The extension of the life of old circuit breakers has to consider a number of technical and organizational aspects. Fault rating / number of operations / availability of spare parts / contractors with knowledge to correctly maintain asset / ability to open / close remotely / SCADA interface.

Cannibalism – The source of disused parts has now dried up and we now rely upon rebuilding original parts or shifting circuit breaker trucks from a lightly loaded feeder to a feeder that has a high load in a bid to extend the life of the substation.

By having this forward information on the condition of your assets it is possible to stagger capital projects / alter your maintenance program to suit duty change and ultimately reduce outages.