A hybrid switchgear technology pioneered by ABB has enabled Tata Power to increase the capacity and improve the reliability of 10 substations in the Indian megacity of Mumbai.
By
ABB Communications
The highly compact installation requires less than half the space of conventional solutions, is quick to set up and delivers lower cost of ownership over the product life cycle. For Mumbai, India’s most populous city and the commercial, industrial and financial capital of the Indian economy, the technology is a perfect fit.
To satisfy the growing demand for electrical energy, Tata Power, Mumbai's power distribution utility and India’s largest private electric utility, needed to boost the capacity and reliability of several substations in the power distribution network.
A PASS M0 module under installation in a Tata Power substation in Mumbai.
With space extremely limited and short installation times of critical importance to avoid interrupting supply to its customers, Tata Power selected an ABB technology that has revolutionized substation design over the past few years.
ABB’s plug and switch system (PASS) hybrid switchgear is a gas-insulated switchgear module for air-insulated distribution substations that have space restrictions or severe climatic conditions to contend with.
The PASS M0 module solves space restrictions in big cities.
It incorporates all the functions of a switchgear bay - circuit breaker, disconnector, earthing switch, current and voltage transformers, and SF6 density monitoring equipment - in one single, highly compact pre-assembled and factory-tested module.
The conventional alternative to PASS is a switchgear bay, made up of individual components that are separate items of equipment, each needing their own concrete foundation, wiring and connections.
“Tata Power has a long-standing relationship with ABB. We value your technology, expertise and support for the success of our projects and subsequent operation.”
-- Sanjay Patki
Head of Engineering, Procurement & Technical Services Tata Power Company Ltd
This requires space in the switchyard and is costly to install.
By comparison, PASS needs less than half the space of a conventional air-insulated switchyard, and can be installed and commissioned in hours.
Cost of ownership over the product life cycle is also considerably lower than the traditional approach.
For Tata Power, ABB initially provided 19 PASS M0 145 kV switchgear modules to boost the capacity and reliability of eight distribution substations in Mumbai.
The installations and results were so successful, Tata Power has ordered an additional four modules for a further two substations.
PASS is available for voltages of up to 550 kV. More than 4,000 modules have been successfully installed in more than 50 countries worldwide.