In the late 1970’s, Brush Switchgear Ltd designed and certified a vacuum contactor high voltage motor starter range of switchgear: the Hawkvac 6 (HV6) range.
In recent years, Switchgear Support Ltd have seen an increase in failures of the vacuum contactor (vacuum interrupters) or its associated components (contactor coils, electronics). The original manufacturer of the vacuum contactor assembly no longer manufacture these components and do not offer an alternative complete assembly or individual components. The failures are purely attributable to age as the earlier production units are now approaching forty years operational service.
These units often form part of a composite high voltage electrical switchboard, and the switch carriages are withdrawable units, allowing easy removal from its switchboard.
Switchgear Support Ltd have developed a retrofit contactor solution to enable the continued operating life of the HV6 switchgear. The retrofit solution ensures all of the original custom specific functionality is retained for the overall switchgear.
Having successfully supplied the first retrofit units in early 2015, whereby the original switch carriages were returned to our works, the Client remarked that:
“the condition in which they were returned was immaculate”
The retrofit can be conducted in our works with full refurbishment and testing facilities (including partial discharge testing of the complete truck) or can be conducted on site with fully detailed Method statements provided. Retrofit vacuum contactor undergoing High Voltage power frequency tests and partial discharge tests.
| Ratings: |
Original Contactor |
Retrofit Contactor |
| Rated voltage |
6.6kV |
7.2kV |
| Rated current |
400A |
630A |
| Breaking capacity |
4400A |
5040A |
| Overcurrent peak value |
65kA (10ms) |
65kA (10ms) |
| STC withstand |
4400A, 2 secs |
6300A, 4 secs |
| Mechanical life |
2.5 x 106 |
10 x 106 |
| Electrical life |
0.25 x 10 |
0.25 x 106 |
| Impulse withstand |
60kV |
60kV |
| Power frequency (1 min) |
20kV |
28kV |
| Closing coil voltage |
100/110Vdc |
110/220/380V ac/dc
|