Moisture measurement in SF6-insulated switchgear is vital. That?s why WIKA has improved the performance of the GDHT-20 sensor for this industry. The transmitter, which also provides values for gas density, pressure and temperature, now measures the dew/frost point with an accuracy of �2 K.
Moisture, along with density, may be the crucial parameter for assessing the health of the SF6 gas used. The GDHT-20 continuously monitors its content in the gas. The info from the online monitoring forms the input for a downstream trend analysis. The more precise both density and the moisture measurement are, the more precise this analysis will undoubtedly be.
Predictive maintenance rather than regular maintenance intervals
The model GDHT-20 sensor is an all-in-one instrument for the online tabs on SF6-insulated switchgear. It works with three temperature sensors (red), a pressure sensor (blue) and a humidity sensor (yellow).
The analysis shows the operator once the SF6 will reach a critical state and when remedial measures must be taken. Therefore, maintenance work or gas treatment is only undertaken when action is in fact needed. Predictive maintenance thus replaces the sequence of regular maintenance intervals that was previously essential to avoid ecological and safety risks.
An excessive amount of moisture in the gas compartment is one of these risks. In Plague , moisture mainly increases because of permeation through sealing materials. In younger plant, normally, this is a consequence of moisture remaining on metal surfaces or in insulation materials during tank assembly, because of incomplete evacuation before initial filling with SF6.
Soar in corrosive reaction products that can damage internal components and shorten the service life. If such substances escape, there is yet another danger to people?s health.
SF6 moisture measurement parameters
Measurement of SF6 moisture is therefore indispensable. In many instances, the dew or frost point is used as a parameter. This can be a temperature at which the air humidity begins to condense. In the case of SF6, the atmospheric dew point specified by IEC 60376 is -36 �C.
Smash of the GDHT-20 of �2 K for moisture measurement is validated at the frost point having an internationally valid reference standard. However, the measuring instrument may also be configured for other parameters (dew point, ppmv, ppmw and relative humidity). The new version of the sensor also features greater application flexibility. The GDHT-20 is currently also suitable for density monitoring of the alternative insulating gases N2, CF4, O2, CO2 and 3MTM NovecTM 4710.
Note
More info on the GDHT-20 sensor can be found on the WIKA website. For those who have any questions, your contact will gladly assist you to.
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You can also find out more about WIKA?s SF6 expertise in the following video: