GE Vernova has launched its new 420 kV, 63 kA CO2-O2 live tank circuit breaker, designated GL316c, to expand the range of technologies available to network operators as they modernise and reinforce high-voltage transmission infrastructure.
Circuit breakers, which are safety devices that rapidly cut off the flow of electricity when a fault occurs, helping protect equipment and maintain the reliable operation of the system, are deployed in substations across transmission networks where high-voltage power lines and major electrical equipment connect. They act as both an electrical insulator and an arc-quenching medium.
The new GL316c is said to be designed for some of the most demanding applications on high-voltage transmission networks. By using a mixture of carbon dioxide and oxygen (CO2/O2) instead of the potent greenhouse gas sulphur hexafluoride, or SF6, the technology gives network operators an additional option as they modernise their infrastructure while maintaining the performance required at 420 kV and short-circuit breaking capability of up to 63 kA.
“As transmission networks carry more power and operate under increasingly demanding conditions, equipment at the highest voltage levels has to deliver exceptional switching performance and reliability,” said Eric Chaussin, VP and CEO Power Transmission Business. “Advancing our CO2-O2 technology to 420 kV and 63 kA is an important engineering step, extending SF6-free capability into applications where fault currents are among the most challenging on the network.”
The GL316c was originally developed for 420 kV, 50 kA applications as part of GE Vernova’s “LIFE SF6-free HV Breaker” project, co-funded by the European Union’s LIFE Programme. Building on that development, GE Vernova’s engineering teams further tested and advanced the technology for applications requiring short circuit breaking capability of up to 63 kA, extending its potential use across transmission applications. The new circuit breaker is to be manufactured at GE Vernova’s facility in Villeurbanne, France.
