G&W Electric and GE’s Grid Solutions have collaborated on the development of a new integrated recloser solution. G&W’s Viper®-ST Recloser has been designed and tested to work seamlessly with GE’s new Multilin® R650 recloser control. It delivers comprehensive performance in protection, monitoring, control, automatic network configuration, and communications. This is a leading recloser package to be deployed in distribution automation projects using G&W’s LaZer® solution.
“Providing highly reliable and smart switchgear solutions to customers while meeting the evolving challenges of distribution automation is G&W’s specialty,” said John Mueller, G&W Electric owner and chairman. “By collaborating with GE, G&W’s solid-dielectric recloser products perform reliably, and provide customers with an easy solution to install, maintain, and monitor.”
GE’s Multilin R650 platform provides secure and reliable protection by offering a comprehensive range of standard and advanced elements with multiple stages and wide setting ranges for each. Because a recloser needs a highly accurate and efficient tripping mechanism to clear as many faults as possible, the R650 contains a unique driving electronics module specifically matched to the Viper-ST recloser design. This combined solution delivers reliable four-shot auto-reclosing in as fast as 1.4 seconds, ensuring distribution utilities can maintain grid reliability.
“G&W’s customized solutions, well-regarded reputation, and expertise made them an obvious partner for GE,” said Jeff Mazereeuw, chief technology officer. “G&W’s Viper-ST model is a great fit for this integrated solution. Together with the R650, it will deliver the speed, flexibility, and situational awareness needed for intelligent, distributed control. By collaborating with leaders like G&W, we can ensure our utility customers are provided with intelligent, simple to deploy, and effective distribution automation solutions to address the demands of the new network.”
With a new 16kA rating, G&W’s Viper-ST is a three-phase independent pole-operated recloser. It offers single or three-phase trip and single or three-phase lockout, faster installation with site-ready designs, maintenance-free solid-dielectric technology, field-changeable silicone insulators, a single 32-pin control cable interface and advanced safety features. This integrated solution allows for single phase tripping capabilities and integral current and six voltage sensing that allows for automation, providing significant reliability improvements.
A variety of options are available for the integrated Viper-ST and R650 recloser solution including recloser control accessories, customized pole-mount and substation frames, wildlife protectors, lightning arrestors, and more.
Source: G&W Electric
For more information, go to www.gegridsolutions.com/multilin/catalog/r650.htm
