ABB extends its groundbreaking eco-efficient switchgear portfolio
he pioneering technology leader ABB continues to extend its innovative AirPlus™ product range for medium-voltage gas-insulated switchgear (GIS), with the launch of the ZX2 AirPlus for primary power distribution.
The new ZX2 with AirPlus insulation gas is leading the way in eco-efficient switchgear technology as ABB builds on its ground-breaking portfolio. This latest addition to the AirPlus series is designed for primary power distribution to ensure grid reliability, efficiency and safety. It shares the same compact dimensions and advantages of the established ZX2 switchgear, but boasts a global warming potential (GWP) of less than one.
The ZX2 AirPlus is suitable for demanding applications in single and double busbar configurations. It is available in IEC ratings up to 36 kV, with 31.5 kA short-circuit and 2,000 A nominal current.
Bruno Melles, managing director of ABB’s Medium Voltage business, said: “As part of our commitment to environmental progress, we are dedicated to optimizing the possibilities that AirPlus presents.”
He continued: “We are focused on adapting our core GIS range, so that customers have the option of using AirPlus within the same compact dimensions of our existing products, while also retaining the quality and reliability expected from a market leader. We have a number of European customers using the technology and the initial results are extremely positive.”
AirPlus is a fluoroketone-based gas mixture for medium-voltage gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) and is a climate-friendly alternative to traditional SF6, which is a potent greenhouse gas. It is the first and only ‘green’ alternative gas on the market for medium-voltage switchgear and is part of ABB’s ongoing strategy to develop eco-efficient technologies.
“It’s in all our interests that we embrace and invest in greener technologies to safeguard our planet for future generations,” added Melles.
The first switchgear product to come to market was the SafeRing AirPlus, a secondary distribution ring main unit (RMU) available in IEC ratings up to 24 kV with 16 kA short-circuit and 630 A nominal current.
Note
GWP: The global warming potential describes how much heat a greenhouse gas traps in the atmosphere. It compares the amount of heat trapped by a certain mass of the gas in question to the amount of heat trapped by a similar mass of carbon dioxide. GWP is expressed as a factor of carbon dioxide.
For more information, please contact:
Division Communications
Lynette Jackson, Electrification Products division
Tel: +41 793839510
lynette.jackson@ch.abb.com
ABB Ltd
Affolternstrasse 44
8050 Zurich
Switzerland
ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a pioneering technology leader in electrification products, robotics and motion, industrial automation and power grids, serving customers in utilities, industry and transport & infrastructure globally. Continuing more than a 125-year history of innovation, ABB today is writing the future of industrial digitalization and driving the Energy and Fourth Industrial Revolutions. ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 132,000 employees. www.abb.com
