SWITCHGEAR RETROFITTING: A LOOK BACK OVER 40 YEARS The Evolution and Future of Practices and Standards in Equipment Life Extension

Retrofitting and upgrading older switchgear assemblies can be a cost-effective method to extend the life of your electrical distribution capital and reduce maintenance costs while improving reliability and safety. The practice of retrofitting switchgear with essentially new design circuit breakers stretches back more than 40 years. In the early years of circuit breaker retrofitting, several serious, some fatal, accidents drove for the creation of an IEEE standard to establish minimum levels of design, construction and testing. This paper reviews the history of switchgear retrofitting and conversions with a particular view toward more recent methods introduced to extend the economically useful life, as well as the reliability and safety of all types of low and medium voltage power equipment