New features for MV switchgear are now available to move to condition based maintenance

MV switchgear are important pieces of the overall electrical distribution networks in public and industrial applications. Predictive maintenance of electrical switchgear involving condition monitoring has long been in practice. Recent improvements in the condition monitoring technology now allow for more data collection and trend analysis. This paper reviews various condition monitoring technologies currently available for electrical switchgear, such as thermal monitoring, climatic and pollution monitoring, vacuum monitoring, partial discharge monitoring and presents a comprehensive view on how such technologies can be deployed in practice to improve the reliability of the equipment.