By Nikhil Pathak
The evolution of digital switchgear technology represents a significant advancement over conventional switchgear, offering a host of advantages in the domain of electrical systems. For over a century, switchgear has been instrumental in managing the distribution of electrical energy, serving as a critical component for the control, protection, and isolation of electrical equipment. Digital switchgear technology introduces innovative solutions to enhance safety and connectivity, incorporating features such as digital switchgear and condition monitoring, advanced fault current protection, state-of-the-art sensor technology, intelligent circuit breakers, and software solutions tailored for digital electrical distribution applications.
The power shift: Businesses embracing digital switchgear technology over conventional
Conventional switchgear systems often encounter challenging issues that can compromise their reliability and safety. These problems encompass heightened temperatures, increased internal pressures and the risk of arc faults. Electrical faults, such as short circuits, ground faults, and insulation failures, can further compound these concerns. Thermal problems stemming from overheating can lead to substantial damage to the switchgear components. Additionally, conventional switchgear lacks the capacity to withstand the immense energy released during electrical fault conditions, which can pose significant dangers, including electrical shock, arc flashes, fires, or even explosions, endangering both personnel and equipment. When confronted with switchgear issues, conventional repair or replacement options may not be the sole recourse. Modernisation can emerge as a viable alternative through the introduction of digital switchgear, which represents a transformative leap forward from conventional counterparts and offers a myriad of advantages that enhance reliability, efficiency, and safety in electrical systems.
In comparison to conventional switchgear, digital counterparts can be crafted into smaller, more reliable forms, exhibiting a lower life-cycle cost and simplified maintenance procedures. Its energy-efficient nature enhances the inherent safety of digital switchgear, surpassing analogue equivalents. What sets digital switchgear apart is its ability to autonomously monitor its health, promptly signaling changes in conditions and predicting potential failures before they manifest, thereby averting costly downtime. Equipped with advanced sensor technologies, digital switchgear excels in condition monitoring, fault detection, and predictive maintenance, ushering in a new era of electrical infrastructure management. Furthermore, the connectivity and compact design of digital switchgear reduces the need for physical space and facilitates remote operations. Despite potential variations in cost, the consensus is that the investment in digital switchgear pays off by providing a comprehensive solution that addresses hidden costs associated with conventional switchgear, enabling data-driven decision-making, and unlocking potential cost savings of up to 30 percent.
Safety and connectivity
Digital switchgear stands at the forefront of fostering a safer and more efficient work environment, owing to its design enhancements that simultaneously yield cost benefits across the engineering, manufacturing, commissioning, and maintenance phases. The technology enables a paradigm shift by offering a compact and more reliable alternative to conventional switchgear, boasting a lower life-cycle cost and simplified maintenance procedures. Its safety quotient is significantly heightened compared to analogue equivalents, and this is further bolstered by the system’s energy-efficient attributes. Beyond these features, the capability of digital switchgear to autonomously monitor its own health, predict potential failures, and issue alerts when maintenance is required not only minimizes downtime but also averts costly disruptions. Leveraging multiple sensors to gauge temperature, humidity, and the operational cycles of electrical devices, digital switchgear provides real-time insights into system health. This not only aids in identifying areas for improvement but also prevents network downtime by proactively addressing issues, subsequently reducing maintenance costs and enhancing overall operational efficiency. Moreover, the connectivity inherent in digital switchgear facilitates remote operation and maintenance, underscoring its role as a technology that not only prioritizes safety but also advances the landscape of connectivity in medium-voltage equipment operation.
Market growth and innovative solutions
In the coming years, digital switchgear technology is set to experience significant growth, with the global switchgear market reaching a valuation of USD 98.12 billion in 2022 and anticipated to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.6% from 2023 to 2030.
Companies worldwide prioritize reducing greenhouse gas emissions by creating greener electrical equipment. Over 30 million medium-voltage switchgear units worldwide use SF6, a greenhouse gas with a significant impact on climate change. The new technology – AirSeT MV is completely environmentally friendly, safe for people, and eliminates the need for end-of-life gas recovery. It also has a long life expectancy, the same footprint, combining air insulation, vacuum technology, and digital capabilities, providing unprecedented improvements for public health and safety while eliminating risks associated with leaks or toxic by-products
As electrical facilities make the transition to more compact and modular equipment to reduce cost, increase flexibility, and manage construction constraints, the new low-voltage BloKSeT Lean switchboard cuts carbon emissions up to 30% and occupies up to 35% less space than its predecessor.
IoT-enabled solution allows for real-time collection and analysis of data from switchboards through wired and wireless connectivity. This enables operators to carry out predictive maintenance analysis, instead of just preventive maintenance. The digital switchboards further enable maximizing uptime and improving safety, reliability, and connectivity for buildings and industries.
The author is VP, offer marketing and business development, Schneider Electric India