Project description
Switching gears from sulfur hexafluoride to pressurised air
Time to replace sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) gas as an insulating and current breaking medium in high-voltage switchgear. Though widely used in electrical switchgear equipment (due to its superior insulation and arc quenching properties), SF6 has a high global warming potential. In this context, the EU-funded Nuventura project will perform a feasibility study on a switchgear technology that uses pressurised dry air instead of SF6 as insulating medium. The project expects the pressurised air to improve on all the functional advantages of gas-insulated switchgear. Of course, an added bonus is that the pressurised air has zero environmental footprint. While only a prototype today, the plans are to decarbonise the electricity grid to satisfy the increasing demand for power.
Objective
In an electric power system, switchgear is the combination of electrical disconnect switches, fuses or circuit breakers used to control, protect and different parts of electrical grids. The state-of-art of switchgears are gas insulated switchgears (GIS) that use sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) as insulating medium, and are therefore responsible for 188 Mt CO2-e of emissions annually.
Nuventura has developed a switchgear, which uses pressurized dry air instead of SF6 as insulating medium. It improves on all the functional advantages of GIS, but has zero environmental footprint. Today it is only a prototype, but tomorrow it will decarbonize the electricity grid that is growing to satisfy the increasing demand for power.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectrical engineeringelectric energy
- engineering and technologycivil engineeringurban engineeringsmart cities
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectrical engineeringpower engineeringelectric power distribution
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectrical engineeringpower engineeringelectric power generation
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesclimatologyclimatic changes
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1Coordinator
10405 Berlin
Germany
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.