CIRED, the biennial technical event for the electricity distribution market, was held in Glasgow in June and delegates enjoyed a Scottish theme throughout, with whisky tastings and bagpipers leading them from the conference to the exhibition.

The three-day event was attended by some 1,500 electrical engineers, power utilities and equipment manufacturers keen to explore the latest solutions for the medium voltage (MV) electricity industry.

During the conference, 3M teamed up with ABB, a leader in the field of robotics and power and automation technology, to host a joint press event to showcase a new technology that replaces SF₆ as an insulating medium.

The EU F-gas regulation is moving the industry towards products with low global warming potential and until now there has been no viable alternative to SF₆ for this application. Although SF₆ is recognised as one of the best insulating mediums, it is a potent greenhouse gas with a global warming potential of 23,500 times that of CO₂ over a 100-year period.

ABB’s eco-efficient AirPlus switchgear solution uses 3M™ Novec™ 5110 Insulating Gas as an alternative to SF₆ for medium-voltage gas-insulated switchgear applications. This new fluoroketone-based gas mixture delivers the reliability of ABB’s proven switchgear range, but is a low toxicity alternative and has a global warming potential of less than one, which is 99.99 per cent lower than SF₆.

Said Catherine Grainger, Novec Brand and Communications manager: “The press event was attended by all three of the industry titles in attendance at the conference - Transmission and Distribution World; Network; and Engineering and Technology – and our technical experts were on hand to explain the benefits of this new industry solution to the journalists.

“In addition, we had a demo on our own stand at the event that featured stress balls encased in a Perspex tank to represent the reduction in greenhouse gas impacts offered by Novec insulating gases.”

The 3M stand also featured a range of electrical solutions for industry, such as 3M™ Sensored Cable Accessories and 3M™ Cold Shrink technology that is used to simply and safely join and terminate cables without needing tools, sealants, adhesives, torches or other heat sources.

Added Catherine: “It’s still early days for the use of Novec as an alternative to SF₆ in switchgear applications, so we are keen to spread the word that sustainable alternatives to SF₆ are not only available, but are being actively used on the grid.”

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