As part of the energy turnaround, an accelerating share of our energy demand is increasingly being sourced from renewable energies, such as wind power or photovoltaics. However, the growing electricity generation from renewable energies requires reliable protection technology to handle higher voltages. These result a temporary increase in power feed-in.
Generator circuit breakers are key components in power plants
Generator circuit breakers (GCBs) are therefore important. They are key components for increasing the reliability and uptime of power plants. They protect technical equipment such as generators or transformers by disconnecting them from or connecting them to the grid when necessary.
Such switchgear is also becoming increasingly important against the background of rising global energy demand. Energy suppliers and industrial companies have to meet the increasing demands for higher power and loads. For decades, Siemens has been developing and optimizing high-current and generator circuit-breakers for this purpose. These circuit-breakers are designed for the highest operating currents and, thanks to the vacuum as the switching medium, they are characterized by durability, a cooling-optimized design and maximum mechanical stability. This increases the performance, reliability and cost-effectiveness of the entire switchgear and sustainably reduces life cycle costs.
SZM develops special adaptations for generator breakers
Siemens manufactures such special switchgear. SZM is a partner for specific customer adaptations. In Bad Muskau at the headquarters as well as at the SZM site in Berlin, solutions are developed especially for Siemens. These are then built in Bad Muskau, where switchgear and retrofit solutions for legacy switchgear have been manufactured for many years.
Due to the very high operating and short-circuit currents, generator circuit breakers are usually quite large. SZM has recently manufactured two generator circuit breaker solutions for Siemens. They have already left the Bad Muskau factory and are roughly the size of a van. Generator circuit breakers are usually placed between the generator and the machine transformer in power plants and must therefore be designed not only for very high operating and short-circuit currents but also for switching under difficult conditions (high DC component, lack of zero crossings, high test voltage levels).
Here are some technical parameters of the just modified generator circuit-breaker 3AH3724-5:
- Rated voltage: 24kV
- Rated operational current: 6,300A
- Rated short-circuit breaking current: 72kA
- Rated short-circuit making current: 197kA
- DC component: 70%
SZM has been a partner of Siemens for years.
SZM has been a partner of Siemens AG for many years. For the Energy & Automation division of Siemens AG, SZM takes on the development and production of retrofit solutions for the modernization of older switchgear, the development and prototype construction of control devices and switchgear, but also the production of components for Siemens developments in SZM's Mechanical Production department with high-precision CNC lathes and milling machines, and also the construction of generator circuit breaker modifications. SZM is a Siemens’ Technology Partner and also handles the production of the Siemens Simoprime switchgear, a type-tested, air-insulated medium-voltage switchgear (7.2 kV - 17.5 kV).
Your SZM contact for generator circuit breakers:
⇒ Michael Straßburg, Head of Technology
Phone: +49 30 297705-192 | Mobile: +49 173 4392433 | E-mail: michael.strassburg(at)szm-gmbh.de
Your SZM contact for news:
⇒ Thomas Schulz, Head of Marketing | Communication
Mobile: +49 162 2359624 | e-mail: thomas.schulz(at)szm-gmbh.de