Development of a system to improve safety in switching of high voltage circuit breakers

The aim of this work is to create 11kV- 33kV switchgear switching system which can be easily carried by electrical technicians. Ergonomics and durability are the main criteria. This design is focused on the most common high voltage switchgear which still uses levers for switching. The switching personnel must be able to operate the system from a safe distance away which is about 10m. The final system developed in this research is an electro-pneumatic one which is compact and can be easily placed in a car to be brought to substations. It needs a standard electrical socket to operate. In substations where a standard electrical outlet is not available, energy from a running car battery via a step-up inverter can be utilized. That way, only the pneumatic cylinder, about 10m long connecting pneumatic pipes and ratchet strap need to be taken out of the car. The pump can be switched on while still in the car. A previous attempt by the Local Electrical Authority to achieve the same thing with a motor failed because the force of a motor cannot be tuned easily unless a VFD is used which will increase the cost by many hundred percent. Comparatively a simple tuning screw can vary the force of a pneumatic cylinder. The biggest and heaviest portion of this electro-pneumatic system is the tank of the air compressor.