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Eaton Completes its Medium Voltage Offering
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Diversified industrial manufacturer Eaton Corporation has announced that it now offers a comprehensive family of medium voltage products for use in distribution networks, infrastructure and industrial applications at up to 24 kV. The announcement follows the launch of three new products in Eaton’s Electrical Sector’s Medium Voltage range – FMX single-busbar switchgear, W-VACi vacuum circuit breakers and Unitole UX withdrawable switchgear. The new products build on Eaton’s long and proven experience in the MV sector and complement the organisation’s existing MV switchgear products. Many of these, including the recently introduced Xiria 24kV ring main units, were formerly supplied in the UK under the Holec product series.
The core technologies that underpin Eaton’s MV products include vacuum switching, which offers reliable maintenance-free operation over a long working life, and cast resin insulation, which provides excellent control of electric fields and eliminates the risk of open arcs. The products provide an attractive and viable alternative to SF6 switchgear and, by eliminating the high maintenance requirements of SF6 equipment as well as the environmental issues associated with use and ultimate disposal of SF6 gas, they offer significantly reduced life-time costs.
A key addition to the Eaton family of MV products, the FMX units offer metal-enclosed single-busbar solid- and air-insulated switchgear for use at up to 24 kV and 2,000 A. Tested in accordance with the latest IEC 62271 standard, the FMX range is based on vacuum switching technology. It provides compact, environmentally friendly solutions with low total cost of ownership for applications in main feeder stations and substations, as well as in industrial and infrastructure projects.
For applications where withdrawable switchgear is preferred, Eaton will be launching the Unitole UX range of switchgear with ratings up to 4,000 A. This is also fully compliant with IEC 62271 and offers full segregation by earthed metal partitions of all major compartments. Products in the Unitole UX range, which will be available for delivery in the near future, have been specifically designed for ease of installation, to minimise maintenance requirements and to offer low environmental impact.
Unitole UX switchgear incorporates the new W-VACi vacuum circuit breakers, but these can also be supplied separately for use in other equipment. Compact and cost-effective, they are available in IEC 12 kV, 17.5 kV and 24 kV versions. The breakers are offered in fixed and withdrawable configurations, with all types using a universal mechanism assembly that combines reliability with long life and virtually maintenance-free operation.
These new products join the new Xiria 24 kV ring main units, which are a recent addition to the Eaton MV product family. Xiria units are offered in two-, three-, four- or five-panel versions with the primary parts of the units and the mechanisms fully enclosed. Xiria units are among the smallest of their type currently available and are supplied, as standard, ready for use in fully automated networks.
Other products that make up the complete and comprehensive Eaton MV product family include Magnefix insulation-enclosed 3.6 kV to 1 5kV ring main units, over 200,000 of which are already in use around the world; SVS/08 and SVS/12 modular switchgear, a fully enclosed epoxy-resin insulated system with integral vacuum interrupters; and the MMS compact double busbar switchgear system for use where providing the highest levels of supply availability is a key requirement.
