AEDC has the need to procure medium voltage switchgear that is reliable and safe. Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) is the latest technology that provides power without requiring personnel to be equipped with arc flash personal protective equipment (PPE) while operating or maintaining the GIS equipment.
Hours of industry wide research, competitive bidding, and accepted maintenance and reliability practice have resulted in the conclusion that Siemens AG Type 8DA10 Medium Voltage Gas Insulated Switchgear is the only switchgear that confines each of the three phases of power in three separate compartments. This is a critical requirement from a safety standpoint and mitigates electrical fault severity to avoid costly shutdowns of the entire system.
With the isolation of the phases a factory-trained Siemens employee can remove the damaged phase and replace it with the identical part from a spare cubicle, and return the cubicle to service in a short amount of time. In most cases this work can be completed with the remainder of the switchgear lineup still in service. If spares are available, a new enclosure could be installed from the spare cubicle but the entire lineup would be unavailable throughout the duration of the repair.