Steve and John

DILO 2nd Annual SF6 Gas Management Seminar
Tampa FL, November 2017

Zero Emissions. No
Substitutes.
Managing SF6 gas leaks

in Circuit Breakers
 The true art of SF6 gas leak detection and leak
seal
November 15, 2017
Steve Wickman, PE electric utility independent consultant

John Edmon TDS-Transmission & Distribution Services
www.dilo.com - www.dilodirect.com
Our story for you today
 SF6—what is it?
 Why SF6 in electric utility apparatus?
 Some history
 SF6—good stuff
 SF6—bad stuff
 SF6 leaks—find them and fix them
 Steve‘s experiences with SF6 CBs
© January 2013 Page 2

SF6...what is it?
Sulfur Hexafluoride
Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6)
is an inorganic, colorless,
odorless, non-flammable,
extremely potent
greenhouse gas, which is
an excellent electrical
insulator. SF6 has an
octahedral geometry,
consisting of six fluorine
atoms attached to a
central sulfur atom.

Why SF6 in electric utility apparatus?
Some history

Why SF6 in electric utility apparatus?
Some history

In the early 1950s high-voltage CBs of bulk oil
configurations were becoming the norm
These OCBs had an exemplary record but the

possibility of failure, and the risk of explosion and
oil fires existed
Systems grew & HV OCBs were located

increasingly in urban areas and the consequences
of OCB failure gained importance

In the early 1950s the New York Consolidated
Edison Company (Con Edison) in particular started
to push for an oil-less breaker design
In response to this oil-less breaker need, the

Westinghouse Electric Company initiated a program
to develop the GCB using SF6 as the insulating
dielectric & interrupting medium, transforming the
breaker industry
Thirty years later every manufacturer of H-V

breakers adoped SF6 as the medium of choice

Early Installations
PP&L 230kV GCB at Brunner
Island substation the first SF6 CB
placed in commercial service

Early Installations
ConEdison Hellgate substation May 1960 first two
installed SF6 GCBs 138kV 10,000MVA
ConEdison GCB failure February 1961, previous
experience with oil CBs indicated that total or near total
destruction occurred
This SF6 CB failure was repaired & the CB restored in
two days and subsequently ConEdison placed their first
substantial order for 138kV SF6 CBs

SF6
The good stuff...
 Higher dielectric strength than air or

nitrogen
 Provides for compactness in the
design of equipment
The bad stuff...
 Found to be the most potent

greenhouse gas known to date
 Emitted into the atmosphere it
accumulates in an undegraded state
for centuries

SF6
Bottom line...
 Allowing it to leak freely into the

atmosphere is not a good thing
US EPA regulations...
 Develop SF6 emissions reduction

strategies
 Inventory of SF6 using eqiupment
 Estimate current emissions

SF6—got leaks?
 SF6 leaks—find them and fix them

SF6 Leak Detection



SF6 Leak Survey & Sketch

Leak Repair Technique on SF6
Apparatus
External clamp

External clamp

External clamp

External clamp

External clamp

External clamp

External clamp

External clamp

External clamp

External clamp

External clamp

External clamp

External clamp

External clamp

External clamp

Clamp repair concept drawing

External clamp

External clamp

SF6 piping leaks in GCB control cabinet

SF6 piping leaks—typical measurements

SF6 piping leaks

SF6 piping leaks

GIS leaks

GIS leaks

SF6 leaks-find them and fix them
Initial leak detection can be performed with CB in service
Detailed survey and measurements without disassembly of

CB
Clamp design and fabrication performed in a day or two and
air freighted to the worksite
Repairs completed in a day or two with minimal outage time
and NO degassing of the CB required...depending on
customer safety/work practice requirements

SF6 leak a case study
Steve‘s actual experience ~1980
Westinghouse SFA GCBs 765kV

SF6 leak a case study


WWJD?

What Would Jesus Do?

What Would Jesus Drive?
What Would Judas Do?
We Want Jack Daniels

What Would John Do!!!






• TRANSMISSION & DISTRIBUTION SERVICES, LLC
28369 DAVIS PARKWAY, SUITE 401
WARRENVILLE, IL 60555
P∙775.586.8300
F∙775.586.1105
Steve Wickman
630.853.3104
swickman@tdsgroup.biz
John Edmon
775.240.1319
johnedmontds@msn.com

John Edmon
John Edmon…44 years in the Leak Sealing
business…starting out working for leak
seal firms working in the petrochemical
and electric power house industry. In
1988, upon the suggestion of an Electric
Utility equipment specialists John worked
with at a power plant on the west coast of
the USA, he developed his technique for
sealing low pressure leaks, initially in large
power transformers. The techniques then
flowed over to CBs initially oil CBs. As the
SF6 dielectric medium became more
prevalent in CBs in the industry, John
started applying the same techniques to
SF6 gas apparatus.

Steve Wickman
Steve Wickman, PE…37 year career as a
Power Engineer with Commonwealth
Edison in the greater Chicago, IL area.
BSEE from Iowa State University and MBA
from Keller Graduate School of
Management [DeVry University]. His 40+
year engineering career has spanned work
experiences in substation equipment
testing and commissioning, design
engineering, substation construction and
operations management, as well as
project management, work scheduling
and work controls areas. Steve is now
working as an independent consultant in
the electric utility industry.

references
Russell N. (Russ) Yeckley and R. Gerald (Jerry) Colclaser, Jr., “First

SF6 Breaker Design, Westinghouse engineers tell the inside story”,
IEEE Power & Energy Magazine, May/June 2016

DILO 2nd Annual SF6 Gas Management Seminar
Tampa FL, November 2017
Zero Emissions. No
Substitutes.
Managing SF6 gas leaks

in Circuit Breakers
Presentation By: Steve Wickman and John Edmon
Created On: October 12, 2017
Transmission & Distribution Services, LLC
Suite 401
28369 Davis Parkway
Warrenville, IL 60555
775-586-8300
www.dilo.com - www.dilodirect.com

Steve and John

Enviado por

Dados do documento

Direitos autorais

Formatos disponíveis

Compartilhar este documento

Compartilhar ou incorporar documento

Opções de compartilhamento

Você considera este documento útil?

Este conteúdo é inapropriado?

Direitos autorais:

Formatos disponíveis

Steve and John

Enviado por

Direitos autorais:

Formatos disponíveis

DILO 2nd Annual SF6 Gas Management Seminar

Tampa FL, November 2017

Managing SF6 gas leaks

November 15, 2017

Steve Wickman, PE electric utility independent consultant

© January 2013 Page 2

© January 2013 Page 3

© January 2013 Page 4

© January 2013 Page 5

These OCBs had an exemplary record but the

Systems grew & HV OCBs were located

© January 2013 Page 6

In response to this oil-less breaker need, the

Thirty years later every manufacturer of H-V

© January 2013 Page 7

© January 2013 Page 8

© January 2013 Page 9

The good stuff...

 Higher dielectric strength than air or

The bad stuff...

 Found to be the most potent

© January 2013 Page 10

 Allowing it to leak freely into the

 Develop SF6 emissions reduction

© January 2013 Page 11

 SF6 leaks—find them and fix them

© January 2013 Page 12

© January 2013 Page 13

© January 2013 Page 14

© January 2013 Page 15

© January 2013 Page 16

© January 2013 Page 17

© January 2013 Page 18

© January 2013 Page 19

© January 2013 Page 20

© January 2013 Page 21

© January 2013 Page 22

© January 2013 Page 23

© January 2013 Page 24

© January 2013 Page 25

© January 2013 Page 26

© January 2013 Page 27

© January 2013 Page 28

© January 2013 Page 29

© January 2013 Page 30

© January 2013 Page 31

© January 2013 Page 32

© January 2013 Page 33

© January 2013 Page 34

© January 2013 Page 35

© January 2013 Page 36

© January 2013 Page 37

© January 2013 Page 38

© January 2013 Page 39

© January 2013 Page 40

Initial leak detection can be performed with CB in service

Detailed survey and measurements without disassembly of

© January 2013 Page 41

Steve‘s actual experience ~1980

Westinghouse SFA GCBs 765kV

© January 2013 Page 42

© January 2013 Page 43

© January 2013 Page 44

© January 2013 Page 45