Electricity + Control August 2019

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TRANSFORMERS + SUBSTATIONS

Gas-insulated electrical substation

later. Over the decades, ABB has provided safety and reliability in power networks to address growing power challenges all over the world. As a market and technology leader in high voltage GIS technology, the group offers ratings and applications from 72.5 kV to 1 200 kV and has a global installed base of more than 35 000 bays. Its latest product developments include eco-efficient and digital capabilities. Enquiries: ABB Power Grids Division, Southern Africa.Tel +27 (0)10 202 5841 The gas-insulated Sebenza substation in Johannesburg serves as a new interconnection point for the city’s north-eastern region and the national transmission grid.

switchgear consisting of high voltage components, such as circuit breakers and disconnectors, that can be operated safely in confined spaces. It is a valuable enabler for urbanisation in cities like Johannesburg where land is scarce and costly, as it can save up to 70% of space that would be required for an air-insulated substation. Mauro Damonte, Hub Business Unit Manager, Middle East and Africa for High Voltage Products in ABB’s Power Grids division, says, “Our technology is powering one of the largest GIS installations in Africa and we are proud to support South Africa’s development and the region’s growing need for power. We are helping our customer, City Power, which provides electricity and network services to the municipality of Johannesburg, to strengthen its network and the reliability of the electricity supply.” ABB pioneered GIS technology 50 years ago and continues to drive innovations in this space. In South Africa, it supplied its first 800 kV GIS to Eskom in 1987 and that power station is still in existence 30 years

Johannesburg is the largest metropolis in South Africa and its substantial economic and population growth over the past decade have increased its need for more reliable power. As part of the solution to address this requirement, Sebenza substation will deliver 30% additional electricity into the national grid. The Sebenza substation features 38 bays of 132 kilovolt (kV) gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) from ABB, making it the largest installation of GIS at this voltage level to be commissioned in Africa. ABB also supplied 132 kV, 275 kV and 400 kV circuit breakers, surge arresters and point- on-wave controllers that remove electrical transients in the network. Operated by City Power, the municipal utility owned by the City of Johannesburg, and built by Consolidated Power Projects (CONCO), the substation will play a key role as the new interconnection point for the city’s north-eastern region and the national transmission grid. GIS is a compact metal encapsulated

Multi-level E-house for oil and gas sector

“Our expertise and experience in designing appropriate mechanical and electrical solutions using 3-D modelling software makes this kind of innovation possible,” says Richards. Using a turnkey approach allows WEG Automation Africa to construct the full solution efficiently at its dedicated E-house facility in Heidelberg, saving customers the complexity of managing multiple contractors on site. At the Heidelberg facility, the modules are trial-fitted, assembled and tested before being transported to the installation site. “As with our other E-house projects, we are able to provide quality assurance before units leave the facility, reducing the risks and costs of on-site construction and commissioning, including specialised resources,” Richards says.

WEG Automation Africa, formerly known as Shaw Controls, has designed, engineered, manufactured and supplied a fit-for-purpose E-house solution for an oil and gas sector application at a major South African port. Using a draft concept supplied by the customer, WEG Automation Africa has taken its E-house design and manufacturing capabilities to new heights. Bevan Richards, Managing Director of WEG Automation Africa, says that the company was responsible for the complete mechanical and electrical design as well as the manufacture of the E-house solution. Accommodating space constraints on site, and in what Richards says is probably in a first for South Africa, the design is a multi- level construction which will be fitted onto the available footprint. It comprises five modules, three at ground level with two above. The structure, including all electrical substation equipment, weighs about 90 tonnes. A section of the ground floor houses a medium voltage (MV) switch room with a dry-type transformer for enhanced safety, and a module fitted with three 450 kW MV variable speed drives (VSDs). The third module contains a 1 MVA generator set, sourced from Zest WEG Group’s dedicated genset manufacturing facility in Cape Town, to provide backup power. The first floor comprises one module with a low voltage motor control centre (MCC) and four freestanding low voltage (LV) VSD panels, plus a second module for control and automation. An additional E-house comprising one module for a separate LV substation has also been supplied.

Enquiries:WEG Automation Africa, ZestWEG Group: www.zestweg.com

The E-house in construction at WEG Automation Africa Heidelberg, showing ground and upper floors which house the different modules.

6 Electricity + Control

AUGUST 2019