Cooper Power Systems recently reaffirmed its commitment to providing environmentally friendly electrical power transmission solutions with the introduction of its vacuum fault interrupter (VFI) switchgear containing Envirotemp 200 Fluid.

According to Cooper Power Systems’ Switchgear business unit president, Mark Thurman, “Envirotemp 200 fluid, the environmentally preferred choice for VFI switchgear, eliminates the need for SF6 gas, identified as one of the most potent global greenhouse gasses. Use of Envirotemp 200 fluid also eliminates the added cost and complexity of special safety regulations and protocols associated with handling SF6 and its switching by-products.”

While one of the main value points of using Cooper Power Systems Envirotemp 200 fluid-filled switchgear is enhanced environmental performance, Rob Hardin, Cooper’s global switchgear product manager, pointed to the dead-front construction, providing added safety for utility and maintenance personnel. Inside the cabinet, all terminations are insulated rubber connectors with surfaces at ground potential. All high voltage bus work and internal parts are completely sealed, providing a safe working environment and reducing problems associated with moisture, dirt, and wildlife.

Cooper’s VFI switchgear also addresses a host of distribution system reliability issues. For three-phase applications that experience single-phase fuse interruptions, the three-phase ganged-trip VFI switchgear eliminates ferroresonance and motor damage, occurring due to abnormal system voltage. An overcurrent on any phase simultaneously opens all three phases and reduces the risk of damage to connected equipment from single-phasing and associated down-time. VFI units can also be specified with single-phase trip to provide individual phase protection for true single-phase loads. The VFI interrupter mechanism allows immediate service restoration, eliminating the expense associated with stocking and changing out fuses.

In addition to its environmental attributes, safety features and reliability, Cooper’s VFI switchgear will continue to be known for its dependability. All of the switchgear’s internal mechanisms and bus work are insulated within a sealed tank, greatly reducing maintenance costs and virtually eliminating the potential for contamination. Both load and fault interruptions take place within the sealed vacuum interrupter with no arcing by-products to contaminate the insulating medium.