SafeWind, ABB’s new tailor-made switchgear for wind turbines, is the slimmest medium-voltage switchgear on the market and small enough to fit through the narrow doorway of the turbine tower.
By
ABB Communications
Designed specifically to meet the switchgear requirements of wind turbine manufacturers for compactness, safety and flexibility, SafeWind is a complete range of secondary distribution gas-insulated switchgear for onshore and offshore applications in the global wind power market.
The standard width of tower doorways and non-ABB switchgear panels is 600 mm. This means that the switchgear has to be installed on site before the tower is lowered onto it or it has to be built into a secondary substation beside the tower.
The 36/40.5 kV variant of SafeWind, on the other hand, has a width of only 420 mm. It fits easily through the doorway and can be installed after the tower has been raised, giving wind turbine manufacturers a more rational and less costly option.
It also frees up valuable space and provides greater flexibility when arranging and installing the electrical equipment in the confined interior of the tower where space is extremely limited.
Only 420 mm wide, the SafeWind family of medium-voltage gas-insulated switchgear for wind turbines is the slimmest 36/40.5 kV switchgear module on the market, and the only switchgear panel small enough to fit through a tower doorway. (The tower doorways of most turbine manufacturers are standardized at 600 mm).
Available in the 12 kV, 24 kV, 36 kV and 40.5 kV ratings, SafeWind is part of ABB’s hugely successful SafeRing and SafePlus portfolio of gas-insulated switchgear for secondary distribution.
Switchgear protects and isolates the transformer and other electrical components from faults in the power system
In addition to the super-slim 36 and 40.5 kV variants, SafeWind is available in modules and in a wide variety of configurations, all with the same user interface and dimensions.
All live parts and switching components are protected in a stainless steel tank to ensure the highest levels of reliability and safety, as well as a long and trouble-free service life in the harsh and often inaccessible environments that are typical of wind farms.
The response of the wind industry to the world’s slimmest and most flexible switchgear has been overwhelmingly positive, as SafeWind solves in one timely innovation a number of the industry’s most pressing requirements for reduced footprint and improved flexibility.
ABB’s ability to tailor SafeWind to meet the preferences and specifications of individual wind turbine manufacturers enables them to use a standardized switchgear solution in all markets worldwide, including the preferred 40.5 kV GB (national standard) rating in China.
The SafeWind portfolio is designed to take full advantage of ABB’s solutions for protection and communication, as well as for easy integration with ABB compact secondary substations.
Click here to see a 6-minute movie on SafeWind