The latest gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) with pure air technology and digital connectivity, was recently launched to the South African market. 

Unveiled at the Association of Municipal Electricity Utilities Convention, held at the Durban Convention Centre, Schneider Electric says its RM AirSeT equips grid operators with an innovative solution to decarbonise and modernise the grid, while enabling electric distribution utilities to improve operational performance and reliability.

The RM AirSeT is completely sealed from the external environment, which provides extra protection against the harsh environmental conditions found in the grid network such as humidity or dust. This design makes it suitable for utilities and most industrial settings.

Available in 12 kV and 24 kV options, the GIS uses pure air as the main insulating medium, which helps mitigate the need for complex and costly gas recycling and reduces total cost of ownership of equipment.

“The RM AirSeT provides an unprecedented opportunity to decarbonise. For decades, SF6 gas has been used for electrical insulation and arc quenching in high and medium voltage equipment. Replacing it with pure air and vacuum interruption solutions like RM AirSeT across the wider electricity distribution network is a gamechanger for electric distribution grids – decarbonising and preparing grid operators for grids of the future,” comments Schneider Electric Power Systems offer and marketing director Brighton Mwarehwa.

Additional RM AirSeT features include:

• Natively digital: the new range of switchgear offers condition-based maintenance features, feeding data from its sensors to both local field tools/applications (apps) and analytics tools such as those offered by Schneider Electric's EcoStruxure architecture and platform. The platform is connected to cloud data sharing to better serve efficiency and safety of operations.
• Management of more complex networks: equipped with Easergy T300 Feeder Remote Terminal Unit, a modular, Internet of Things-connected device for modern grid automation. It is designed as a single solution for 24/7 app-based condition monitoring and controls to check the quality of power connections, quickly identify and isolate faults, and self-healing capabilities for reduced downtime.
• Schneider Electric’s patented CompoDrive operating mechanism is reinforced to handle the increased switching requirements of a modern, decentralised grid. With ten times the mechanical endurance of conventional mechanisms, RM AirSeT is said to have a 40-year life expectance. 
• A compact footprint: for deployment in space-sensitive applications.
• Flexible range of functions such as switch, switch-fuse, circuit breaker, and metering.
• Regulatory compliance: SF6 gas is a regulated fluorinated gas, which currently has special exemption for use in electrical distribution across many geographies. However, as alternatives become more readily available, various countries and territories are considering measures to restrict its use. Pure air offers transparency and a significantly reduced environmental impact.

The company explains that the average lifespan of switchgear is between 30 years and 40 years and that utilities now have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to take action to avoid the risk of additional greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. SF6 is a potent GHG, 23 500 times more potent than carbon dioxide. By eliminating its use in switchgear, the environmental footprint of electrical networks can be significantly reduced.

Schneider Electric notes that the rollout of RM AirSeT is part of its ‘Grids of the Future’ programme, with the aim of producing a complete portfolio of SF6-free switchgear by 2025.