Hitachi Energy Partners with National Grid on World’s First Replacement of SF6 in Existing High-voltage Equipment
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, Dec 10, 2021 - (JCN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - Hitachi Energy and National Grid have successfully energized a pilot project replacing SF6 in installed high-voltage gas-insulated lines with an eco-efficient fluoronitrile based gas mixture. This retrofill solution, in Richborough, UK is part of Hitachi Energy's EconiQTM(1) portfolio which is designed to deliver a superior environmental performance compared to conventional solutions.As one of the world?s largest investor-owned transmission and distribution utilities, National Grid has the ambition to remove all SF6 from its fleet by 2050. In this pioneering project, National Grid has replaced SF6 from 420-kilovolt (kV) gas-insulated lines installed in 2016, eliminating 755 kilograms of SF6. This is equivalent to taking approximately 100 passenger cars(2) off the road.For decades, SF6 has been used in the electrical industry due to its excellent insulation and current interruption properties. However, it has a high Global Warming Potential (GWP) and requires careful handling. Hitachi Energy is continuously reducing the use of SF6, improving its lifecycle management, and accelerating the development of eco- effic...
