Eco-friendly digital switchgear, practicing sustainable management

Reduced maintenance costs, gas reprocessing costs, and time

[Editor's Note] Following the global sustainable development trend that began over 30 years ago, companies are proposing eco-friendly policies to practice ESG management. In the electric power industry, SF6 (sulfur hexafluoride) was a key gas for high-voltage insulation circuit breakers due to its excellent current interrupting function. However, it has been revealed that it is a greenhouse gas with a carbon emission 23,500 times greater than carbon dioxide, and is a major culprit in global warming. In this context, Schneider Electric, a global energy management company, has launched an eco-friendly digital switchgear that replaces SF6 (sulfur hexafluoride) gas with pure air. Our magazine sat down with Schneider Electric's Shin-Ho Shin, Manager, to discuss the new SF6-free product GM AirSeT and its air-insulated shunt vacuum interruption (SVI) technology.

▲ Schneider Shin Hyeong-ho, Manager

■ Please introduce the GM AirSeT digital high-voltage distribution panel.

Schneider Electric GM AirSeT is an eco-friendly digital switchgear that replaces SF6 (fluorine hexafluoride) gas with pure air for panel internal insulation or circuit breaker insulation.

AirSeT is maintenance-free for 40 years in terms of cost, and it uses pure air instead of SF6 gas, so there is no need for additional injection or reprocessing of gas due to gas leakage that inevitably occurs during operation, saving cost and time.

In terms of technology, various smart sensors are installed inside the GM AirSeT panel to enable real-time monitoring and accident prediction to prevent various accidents caused by external factors. Supports up to 40.5kv, 2500A, 40KA.

The panel has a compact width of 600 mm at a rated current of 2,000 A, and has proven its stability through commercial operation in fields such as Germany and China.

■ What is the GM AirSeT System Operating Principle (SVI)?

SVI is a technology used to switch a panel to a pressurized or static state, and when switching the switch, the VI contact moves through a special part called a shunt circuit.

In existing gas-insulated switchboards, abnormal current was extinguished by filling the inside of the panel with SF6 gas when the switch status changed, but the AirSeT product line is specially designed to suppress arcing current even when the contact status changes by installing a component that uses a new technology called Shunt circuit that does not use SF6 gas and applies SVI technology.

A shunt circuit is designed to quickly extinguish arc currents and abnormal currents that occur when the switch's status changes, and a special insulating material is applied to the outside for insulation.

In other words, SVI technology can be said to be a technology that quickly removes abnormal current generated during the ON/OFF switching operation of a switch through a special insulating material applied to the contactor and a specially designed shunt circuit.

■ Are there any considerations for actual introduction of AirSeT and any field application examples?

GM AirSeT is designed to be maintenance-free for 40 years, so there is no need for separate maintenance costs or time.

South Korea is in the early stages of its carbon emissions market, and since the market opened, demand for emissions permits has continued to exceed supply. Therefore, the country is implementing policies focused on revitalizing the market rather than addressing oversupply.

Accordingly, there are no strong regulations on carbon emissions, and ESG management and global warming prevention policies are still in their infancy, so there is little demand in the country and no delivery performance has yet been achieved.

However, domestic demand is expected to gradually increase in line with the global eco-friendly trend.

Global supply performance includes supply to △Swedish power company E.ON △French power company GREENALP △German power company ENERGYDIENST △France's RENAULT, etc., and △supplies to Chinese data centers. Worldwide, more than 1,300 units have already been delivered and are currently in commercial operation.

■ What are Schneider's ESG management practices?

Schneider Electric announced at New York Climate Week 2020 that it will achieve carbon neutrality by 2040.

In particular, we will continue to develop low-carbon solution products and conduct campaigns to reduce SF6 gas emissions, with the goal of saving 4 million tons of gas emissions by 2025.

Schneider Electric has already saved 260,000 tons of carbon dioxide between 2017 and 2019 and aims to become a zero-carbon company by 2030.

The goal is to actively participate in various global initiatives, invest 10 billion euros in related technology development by 2025, achieve RE100 by 2030, achieve carbon neutrality including for partners, and double energy productivity compared to 2005.

■ A word to the readers

Schneider Electric is fulfilling its corporate goals for sustainable management and paving the way toward eco-friendliness and digitalization in line with the energy transition being implemented in each country.

I believe that SF6-Free technology will bring many benefits to the environment, society, and industry as a whole.

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