| Transmission & distribution


Above and right: EconiQ™ live tank breaker (LTA), 145 kV (image: Hitachi Energy)


reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2045. On its path to carbon-neutrality, SP Energy Networks is upgrading an aging energy infrastructure and introducing advanced technologies to better manage power flows in the grid.


One such project is the Windyhill 275 kV substation located northwest of Glasgow. Built in the 1960s, the air-insulated substation plays a significant role in the SP Energy Networks transmission network – and is indeed part of the critical infrastructure node for emergency network recovery.


It is now being modernised as part of the SP Energy Networks “RIIO-T2” business plan (RIIO-T2 being the network price control scheme established by the UK regulator setting out what the UK gas and electricity transmission network companies are expected to deliver for energy consumers over the period 2021-2026). Hitachi Energy will deliver 1500 meters of EconiQ™ GIL, which contains no sulphur hexafluoride, instead making use of an alternative insulation gas mixture. The Windyhill substation refurbishment is expected to be completed in 2025. In addition to the EconiQ™ GIL, Hitachi Energy will also deliver 15 bays of its 300 kV gas-insulated switchgear (GIS), a technology “pioneered by Hitachi Energy which can be installed in confined spaces and can operate in extreme environmental conditions.” In a further development of the EconiQ™ offering Hitachi Energy has announced the introduction of EconiQ™ transformers. These are said to “have co-creation at their heart.” The transformers “will be tailored based on specific customer sustainability requirements and using proven scientific methodologies, such as environmental life cycle analysis.”


For example, a 115/21 kV, 40 MVA EconiQ™ transformer is estimated to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 23% over its life- cycle, while reducing eutrophication and water toxicity impacts by about 15%. It would also


eliminate the related environmental impacts in the rare event of mineral oil leakages. The EconiQ™ transformer life cycle analysis assumes the electricity mix of the European Union and is based on a 35 year operational life and 75% transformer loading.


The EconiQ™ transformers have been developed using eco-design principles in order to maximise sustainability over the life-cycle. Within the designs, key aspects are further optimised such as enhanced energy efficiency and the responsible use of materials through processes such as recycling and waste disposal. The use of biodegradable insulation fluids with higher flash and fire points helps to safeguard surrounding ecosystems from the risk of pollution and increase safety. In the first phase, EconiQ™ transformers will be available for liquid-filled applications.


The transformers are manufactured using fossil-free electricity in Hitachi Energy’s factories. The business has set targets in its Sustainability 2030 plan to become carbon- neutral in its own operations and it expects to hit the first-step target, achieving 100% fossil- free electricity in its own operations, by 2022.


EconiQ™ roadmap


Earlier this year, as part of the Cigre 2021 virtual conference in August, and four months on from the launch of Econiq™, Hitachi Energy announced the “acceleration of its development of eco-efficient solutions”, launching what it called its EconiQ™ roadmap, with the aim of enabling “the industry as a whole to reduce carbon footprint and rapidly transition to eco- efficient solutions.”


The EconiQ™ roadmap outlines the Hitachi Energy portfolio of switchgear and breakers for various voltage levels in the R&D pipeline. This includes live tank breakers, dead tank breakers, hybrid switchgear and gas-insulated switchgear. A key milestone to look out for will be EconiQ™ gas-insulated switchgear at 420 kV, expected for release at the end of 2022, “demonstrating the scalability and robustness”


of Hitachi Energy’s technology, the company says. “It will be the world’s first commercial alternative to SF6


for gas-insulated switchgear


that includes a circuit-breaker for power transmission networks”, thereby significantly lowering the environmental impact. “The EconiQ™ high-voltage roadmap is one key pillar of our Sustainability 2030 strategic plan”, said Markus Heimbach. “The upcoming launch of the EconiQ™ 420 kV GIS will be the breakthrough in the industry for SF6


-free


solutions for higher voltage levels.” For all its metal enclosed switchgear (GIS, dead tank circuit breaker (DTB) and hybrid switchgear), Hitachi Energy is employing a mixture of synthetic fluoronitrile gas (C4-FN, a fluoronitrile with four carbon atoms (C3


F7 CN)


developed by 3M under the commercial name Novec™ 4710) with carbon dioxide and oxygen as the eco-efficient gas that will replace SF6


for insulation and switching.


In a recent white paper issued by Hitachi Energy, it is concluded that metal enclosed switchgear based on this C4-FN/CO2


/O2 based switchgear. gas


mixture delivers the best life cycle assessment results, while achieving the reliability and compactness of SF6


In April 2021, Hitachi Energy (then called Hitachi ABB Power Grids) and GE announced a “landmark” cross-licensing agreement relating to the use of fluoronitrile based gas mixtures as an alternative to SF6


in high voltage equipment.


Up to then Hitachi ABB Power Grids had favoured gas mixtures employing fluoroketones (typically in combination with O2


and CO2 ) as an


alternative to SF6 (see Modern Power Systems, May 2021, page 20).


www.modernpowersystems.com | November/December 2021 | 53


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