ABB launched the first gas insulated switchgear (GIS) in 1965. Since then, ABB has delivered more than 11,000 GIS bays to more than 70 countries worldwide, considerably more than any other supplier. ABB GIS are made at dedicated factories in Germany, Italy, and Switzerland .
Specifications and design
The specifications and the solutions proposed by ABB in collaboration with the customers, differ from project to project. With the combination of sophisticated standard GIS modules even the most demanding market requirements can be fufilled.
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| The assembly of circuit breaker, disconnector and earthing switch (below). |
Machining components
ABB manufactures all core switchgear components in-house to secure high quality and speedy delivery. Production is highly automated, using also ABB robots and automation systems in several stages of the process.
Module and bay assembly
First, the “heart” of the switchgear bay is assembled – the circuit breaker module. Other modules or functional units such as busbars, disconnectors, earthing switches, cable end units, and instrument transformers, etc. then will be added. The complete bays are installed on steel frames to form a suitable shipping unit.
Mechanical and high voltage testing
All bays are put through exhaustive functional and high voltage tests, to detect and to sort out any conceivable failure in material or assembly. Components are carefully tested during manufacture to reduce opportunities of defects as far as possible.
Cabling and secondary equipment
Cabling is then installed in the bay. The control cabinet will be fastened to the bay and functionally connected to the switching equipment and to the instrument transformers. All cable joints will be carefully checked.
Final check
Before the switchgear leaves the factory, it is put through a pre-delivery checking procedure to ensure that the final product corresponds to the scope. The GIS is now ready for shipping. A typical GIS takes six months from initial customer contact to commercial operation, depending on size.