High Voltage Circuit Breakers

for Applications up to 800 kV

Tomorrows technology is based on todays experiences

ABB has all the experience necessary for successful development of power transmission
technology. We introduced our rst innovations
over a hundred years ago. We see our greatest
challenge in maintaining our world-leading position in research and development of high voltage
technology.
This brochure concerns one of our true specialty areas high voltage circuit breakers an area
in which we are constantly striving to improve
product performance that delivers real customer
value. What has pushed development forward
has been the capability to increase availability
at our customers installations by supplying reliable high voltage equipment. To attain this, we
have worked to simplify our products as much
as possible. One way of doing this has been to
reduce the number of moving parts in our circuit
breakers. Simplicity entails reliability; fewer parts
mean lower risk for failures. The best example
of this is our new operating mechanism, Motor
Drive. The number of moving parts has been
reduced to just one, while performance and precision have been improved.

Even if we are world-leading with todays technology, we are going to make tomorrows high
voltage circuit breakers even better, to ensure the
best performance, reliability and value for our
customers.

2000

Motor DriveTM
Disconnecting circuit breaker
Withdrawable circuit breaker

1990
1980
1970

SwitchsyncTM Controller
Composite insulators

SF6-technology
World's rst 800 kV air-blast circuit breaker

1960
1950

Oil minimum circuit breaker

Circuit breakers for 420 kV
Circuit breakers for 245 kV

1940

Milestones in ABBs advances in high voltage circuit breakers.

ABB

We like customers who make tough demands

Todays ABB circuit breakers have been rened

for decades through innovative development at
ABBs high voltage center in Ludvika, Sweden.
When it comes to interrupting media, compressed
air and oil have been replaced by SF6 gas, which
was introduced back in the 1960s. SF6 gass isolating and heat conducting properties have, among
other things, enabled reduction in the total number of breaking units in comparison to air and oil
circuit breakers. While a compressed air circuit
breaker needed ten breaking units per phase
for 400 kV, and an oil minimum circuit breaker
needed four, it is now enough with two breaker units on an SF6 circuit breaker. This means
that operational reliability and availability have
increased at the same time as the circuit breaker
design has become more compact and hence
requiring less installation space and materials.
Even when it comes to operating mechanisms,
development has taken tremendous steps forward. To reduce both failure rates and maintenance requirements, spring operating mechanisms
are used instead of compressed air or hydraulic
technology on our SF6 circuit breakers. The latest
step in development is Motor Drive, a digitally
controlled unit that can already be supplied for
our LTB circuit breakers. Motor Drive entails
major improvements in controlling circuit breakers opening and closing operations, and in
monitoring circuit breaker status.

Development is a team effort

Our development team consists of highly qualied and experienced technicians with expert
knowledge in, for example, plasma physics,
materials physics, gas dynamics, mechanics and
high voltage technology. We also collaborate with
others with expert knowledge and skills, both
at ABB and externally. An important aspect of
development work is our close dialog with customers, which enables us to nd out about their
experiences. Customers who demand more of our
products give us the best platforms to realize new
innovations.

The environment is becoming more

important
A large portion of development work is presently
guided by environmental aspects, and ABB has a

ABB

carefully prepared environmental policy for minimizing all negative effects on the environment.
Demands from the world at large and our customers for reducing the environmental impact of
products and processes are naturally routine considerations for us. Through goal-oriented efforts
in protecting the environment, we are attaining
good results.
The environmental approach is apparent
throughout the life cycle of our circuit breakers
from the earliest design stages, through our
product development processes, all the way to
being taken out of service or being replaced. In
our efforts to develop simple products, material
demands are reduced and the materials used are
recyclable. Examples of this are our innovative
withdrawable and disconnecting circuit breakers.
These provide opportunities for compact substation solutions that require less space, fewer foundation elements and less amount of material.
ABB supports programs for reducing the release of SF6 gas. We actively participate in international organizations such as CIGR, which develop
guidelines for the use of SF6.

New technology requires careful testing

ABBs high power lab in Ludvika, Sweden is one
of the worlds most modern
and best equipped labs for
switchgear technology, with
facilities for testing circuit
breakers with rated voltages
of up to 800 kV and breaking
currents of up to 80 kA. We
constantly improve measurement methods and equipment
for meeting the demands of
tomorrow. The lab is accredited by SWEDAC and is a part
of the collaborative organizations SATS and STL.
Also STRI, the Swedish
Transmission Research
Institute, specialized in high
voltage testing, is situated in
Ludvika. These two labs can
perform all standardized type
tests for circuit breakers.

ABB

Circuit breakers are key components in all

power networks

ABB

High voltage circuit breakers must comply with

extremely high demands for operational reliability
to be able to contribute to safe power transmission. To attain good operating economy and
maximum availability, long intervals without
maintenance are required. For this reason, statebased maintenance is replacing periodic service to
an ever-increasing degree.
The long-term objective is to develop entirely
maintenance-free solutions. Todays modern SF6
circuit breaker equipped with the latest generation
of spring operating mechanism entails a big step
towards that objective. The interval before maintenance for these circuit breakers is about 15 years
and the failure rate is very low. With our newly
developed control unit Motor Drive, the failure
rate will be further reduced.

A complete range of circuit breakers

Electrical energy instead of spring power

Motor Drive is a digitally controlled servomotor
system that precisely controls circuit breakers
contact operations when opening and closing. As
opposed to a spring operated mechanism, where
the requisite control energy is stored in springs,
Motor Drive utilizes electrical energy stored in
capacitors. The only moving part in the control
unit is the motors rotor.

As a complement to the basic versions of our

circuit breakers, which are primarily designed
for conventional substation solutions, there is a
disconnecting circuit breaker conguration with
the disconnecting function integrated into the
breaking chamber. A safe interlocking system,
composite insulators and a motordriven grounding switch provide
personal safety.

Switchsync Controller increases power

quality

We have also developed modules

with withdrawable circuit breakers

Switching transients, which for instance occur

when switching capacitor banks, shunt reactors,
power transformers and lines, degrade power
quality in the network. The transients can damage
high voltage equipment and cause disturbances
in, for example, substation control, protective systems, computers, processors and telecommunications. To minimize these problems, ABBs circuit
breakers can be equipped with the Switchsync
Controller. In this way, circuit breaker contacts
can be controlled so that they open or close at
the exact moment to give the lowest voltage transient levels.

with the disconnecting function

attained by the circuit breaker
being moved.

ABBs range of high voltage circuit breakers

consists of the LTB auto-puffer and HPL puffer
circuit breakers. Together, they cover voltages up
to 800 kV. In the present generations, the circuit
breakers have been supplied in more than 40,000
units to installations all over the world. Both the
LTB and HPL are well-suited for safe and reliable
operation in all kinds of climates, from tropical heat with extreme humidity to arctic cold.
With special gas mixtures, safe operation can
be guaranteed to 55 C. As standard, the circuit
breakers are designed to withstand earthquake
stresses, and can for extreme requirements be
supplied in specially adapted congurations.

Disconnecting and withdrawable circuit

breakers

Both of these congurations

replace the conventional combination circuit breaker and separate
disconnectors. A complete bay of
our modules consists of a steel
framework, busbar and disconnecting or withdrawable circuit breaker. The bay can be complemented with other high voltage devices and is
type-tested in its entirety.

ABB

LTB Auto-puffer utilizes arc energy in switching

Alongside renements of puffer technology

during the 1980s, ABBs well-known Autopuffer technology was developed. The difference with auto-puffer technology, as compared to
conventional puffer technology, is that at higher
currents, the circuit breaker utilizes the overpres-

sure from the arc for the interruption process.

At lower currents, an Auto-puffer works in
principle like a conventional puffer circuit
breaker.
Auto-puffer technology entails, among other
things, that lower mechanical energy is required
for contact movement during the switching process. This thereby reduces stress on the circuit
breaker, as well as on the framework and foundation. Even wear on the circuit breaker is reduced
while reliability increases.

For maximum operational reliability, the LTB

circuit breakers have either the BLK or BLG
spring operating mechanisms, or the latest innovation, Motor Drive.
The LTB is supplied for applications in voltage
ranges up to 550 kV for conventional substation
layouts with disconnectors. For substation solutions without conventional disconnectors, disconnecting circuit breakers or withdrawable circuit
breakers are used. These three alternatives enable
an optimal solution to be chosen, based on specic demands for data, substation layout and availability. The LTB can be delivered with porcelain
or composite insulators.
The LTB has been installed for line, transformer, reactor and capacitor switching in thousands
of substations.

LTB D1 72.5 170

LTB E1 72.5 245

LTB E2 362 550

Standards

IEC, ANSI

IEC, ANSI

IEC, ANSI

Rated voltage

72.5 170 kV

72.5 245 kV

362 550 kV

Rated current

up to 3150 A

up to 4000 A

up to 4000 A

Circuit-breaking capacity

up to 40 kA

up to 50 kA

up to 50 kA

Ambient temperature

-30 +40 C

-30 +40 C

-30 +40 C

The circuit breakers can also be supplied for ambient temperatures down to -55 or up to +70 C.

ABB

10

ABB

HPL a circuit breaker with unbeatable performance

In many users opinions, the HPL is the worlds

best SF6 puffer circuit breaker and it has been
installed for line, transformer, reactor and capacitor switching at installations all over the world.
The puffer chamber in the HPL has been continually rened since the technology was rst
introduced by ABB at the beginning of the 1970s.
The HPL now provides unbeatable switching
performance for all network data, and effectively
switches everything from small inductive currents
to 80 kA short-circuit currents with a maximum
break time of two cycles.
The BLG spring operating mechanism has been
constantly rened for more than 30 years and
signicantly contributes to the circuit breakers
high operational reliability and availability. The

minimal maintenance requirements with intervals

of 15 years entail low maintenance costs, which
also reduces total life-cycle costs.
The HPL is supplied for applications in voltage
range 72.5 kV 800 kV for conventional substation layouts with disconnectors. For substation
layouts without conventional disconnectors, there
are disconnecting circuit breakers and withdrawable circuit breakers. This enables an optimal solution to be chosen, based on specic demands for
data, substation layout and availability.
The HPL can be delivered with porcelain or
composite insulators.

ON

ON

ON

HPL 72.5 300

HPL 362 550

HPL 800

Standards

IEC, ANSI

IEC, ANSI

IEC, ANSI

Rated voltage

72.5 300 kV

362 550 kV

800 kV

Rated current

up to 4000 A

up to 4000 A

up to 4000 A

Circuit-breaking capacity

up to 80 kA

up to 80 kA

up to 80 kA

Ambient temperature

-30 +40 C

-30 +40 C

-30 +40 C

The circuit breakers can also be supplied for ambient temperatures down to -55 or up to +70 C.

ABB

11

Publication 1HSM 9543 21-01en High voltage circuit breakers for applications up to 800 kV
2005-02. RCB2 4091. Print: Henningsons Tryckeri AB, Sweden

NOTE: ABB Power Technologies AB is working continuously to improve the products.

We therefore reserve the right to change designs, dimensions and data without prior notice.

ABB Power Technologies

High Voltage Products
SE-771 80 LUDVIKA, Sweden
Phone:
+46 240 78 20 00
Fax:
+46 240 78 36 50
E-mail:
circuit.breaker@se.abb.com
Internet:
www.abb.com