Some pics from the Network

[efiste2]

Hope you guys dont mind,me sharing a few pics from the Distribution side of things with you.....
At the moment SPEN is undertaking a huge Switchgear Replacement program to get rid of ageing oil filled Switchgear that has operational restrictions on it....
Heres one where we replaced one of the oldest LV distribution boards we have on the system....

the old Ring Main Unit thats being replaced....

Old Paper Insulated Lead Covered (PILC) HV cables prepped and ready to joint the new ones onto....

Seeing as the SUB was down a long path in a customers garden we used the back saving crawler crane...this is the new LUCY SF6 Gas Ring Main on its way to the sub

The old Transformer on its way out and back to the Plant Workshop for a refurb

and the new switchgear in place and made live, note the HV protection panel is still in place, its well over fifty years old, but after a maintainence and test its well up to the job....

Apologies if its nothing new to you guys.....

 

[bhm1712]

thanks for posting. Most of us never get to see this stuff, for me its nice to see that the way our guys do things at work ( The power house guys at my work do all the substation/distribution stuff because we generate our own power) is not so different like i thought from the big boys doing it for the grid.

 

[westie101]

That is some old S&C gear! Is that unit protection on the panel with pilot cables? As well as IDMT for the transformer

 

[efiste2]

Spot on Westie.....SOLKOR A, and its an S&C A50 thats being replaced....and an antique IDMT (PBOA) relay for the transformer HV winding

 

[SaladFingers]

Love it.

I love old switch gear and original buildings like that. Even those doors look as they would have done back in the day, never know, could even be the same ones!

I've had to work on switch gear from the 30s and 40s and loved the quality. Thick heavy gauge cast, asbestos flash pads, asbestos rope gaskets.

 

[rjm2k]

Haven't a clue what a lot of that stuff is but its always interesting to see being the scenes of what keeps things ticking. Funny thing about old stuff is it was most likely cutting edge at the time

 

[Gil]

As I have replied to Westie,I love seeing this type of subject but unfortunately there isn't,as far as i know, there isn't a site dedicated to this sort of thing.Shame.

 

[efiste2]

Heres an 11kv Switchboard from im guessing the Fifties......Oil filled withdrawable manually wound up and down circuit breakers and Bitumen Compound filled busbar chambers .....thats still in service along with hundreds of others....

Compared to the latest Merlin Gerin Genie Evo switchboard fitted this year, with SF6 non withdrawable breakers and in air busbar chambers....All remote controlled from our control room, digital displays and electronic relays.

And the 40 plus year old 33/11KV 7.5 MVA Transformer that feeds it.....

 

[Iggifer]

A warning sign's fallen off!

 

[Spark123]

Is the last pic on a 132kv site?

 

[mfarrow]

Heres an 11kv Switchboard from im guessing the Fifties......Oil filled withdrawable manually wound up and down circuit breakers and Bitumen Compound filled busbar chambers .....thats still in service

That'll be why it's still in service then, I can't see that being a thankful job.

It's interesting that you mentioned SCADA on the new stuff but not on the old. Is the old kit remote controlled too (HV side I mean)? If not, what do you do about circuit breaker operations? Is it up to the customers to call them in?

 

[ricicle]

We had some old 1950,s oil filled 11kv switchgear in our main switchroom which the HV guys wouldn't touch with a bargepole. It would get isolated from the DNO sub next door.
It all got upgraded to SF6 as soon as it was realised that it could be a point of failure and leave the factory down for days or even weeks.

 

[Adam_151]

At the moment SPEN is undertaking a huge Switchgear Replacement program to get rid of ageing oil filled Switchgear that has operational restrictions on it....

Is that the equipment where a a layer of rust debris may have accumlated on top of the oil and cannot be switched unless theres maintenance records showing that it is not present?

 

[mfarrow]

Is that the equipment where a a layer of rust debris may have accumlated on top of the oil and cannot be switched unless theres maintenance records showing that it is not present?

In which case couldn't you just change the oil?

 

[SaladFingers]

Is that the equipment where a a layer of rust debris may have accumlated on top of the oil and cannot be switched unless theres maintenance records showing that it is not present?

In which case couldn't you just change the oil?

I used to look after switch gear and distribution across defence sites and oil filled transformers had oil changes every year.