New Product Release: NOJA Power Unveil 16kA and 1000A Overload Rating for New 38kV Recloser

Following the successful type testing at KEMA’s facility in the Netherlands, NOJA Power are pleased to unveil their new 38kV Automatic Circuit Recloser system rated to 16kA fault break with a 1000 ampere one hour overload time. With these type test certificates awarded to NOJA Power, the new OSM38-16 recloser gains access to even more applications within the modern distribution utility network.

Driven by the demands of substation applications and petrochemical processing plant standards, NOJA Power were encouraged to develop a 38kV rated Recloser which could meet the 16kA interruption requirements. These new higher standard specifications have been met through intelligent development modification to the traditional 12.5kV variant of the OSM recloser system. By upgrading the Vacuum Interrupter heart of the OSM38, far greater interruption capabilities have been achieved.

To further address the substation market, NOJA Power’s interruption Type Tests at KEMA were successfully conducted at the 40.5kV level stipulated in IEC62271-100, certifying the product use for a greater multitude of applications. At 40.5kV, 16kA Interruption, 1000A temporary overload, 200kV BIL and out-of-phase switching as demanded by the substation standard IEC62271-100 were all achieved. As the OSM38-16 shares the same enclosure as the OSM38-12 model, all Arc Fault venting capabilities have been inherited by this new switchgear model.

NOJA Power hold a patent as the world’s only Arc Fault Venting Solid Dielectric Recloser which does not use SF6 gas, and this feature is now available to enjoy not only out on the distribution feeders but in the substation as well. The new OSM38-16 product is testament to the ingenuity and expertise of the NOJA Power Research and Development team, as the modification of a field proven device to develop an entirely new product has achieved such an impeccable result.

Substation circuit breakers often call on significant current interruption capabilities beyond the typical scope of midline reclosers. Traditionally, 12.5kA was a sufficient breaking capacity for most applications as fault currents fall quickly as the line length from the substation increased. However, through field deployment practices NOJA Power Reclosers have progressively found greater favour in installation in rural substations where the peak fault current tends to be less demanding than urban substations. This migration from typical substation circuit breakers has largely been driven by the economic and simplicity benefits of a recloser system, as all protection, metering and SCADA RTU functionality is provided by the paired recloser controller.

The quintessential substation circuit breaker installation requires purchase of additional relays, instrumentation and controllers, along with the exceptional price premium of higher interruption capability. This compound effect of greater price for substation breakers has motivated recloser manufacturers to develop a simple, universal product with on board relays and control which can meet the more rigorous demands of substation applications. The OSM38-16 recloser has been designed with these intentions in mind, to create a single item solution to the substation switching application, including the capacity to run an emergency overload current. Just like its smaller siblings the OSM15 and 27, the NOJA Power OSM38 has inbuilt voltage sensing in all six bushings along with 3 CT’s providing a sensing range from 1A through to 16kA, ensuring that all protection instrumentation requirements have been met by the standard product. The cost benefits of using the OSM38 recloser in the substation is extended to the organizational simplicity of maintaining a single software system and SCADA point configuration. In any substation installation, if the maximum fault current does not exceed 16kA it would be difficult to justify the cost of any solution other than a NOJA Power OSM38-16.

The OSM38-16 system is paired with the standard RC-10 Recloser Controller, which is used across the entire suite of NOJA Power Reclosers. This same controller which has been installed in well over 80 countries around the world can be used with the new 16kA rated OSM38. With the same controller applied across multiple switchgear utilities can realise a multitude of cost saving benefits such as the standardisation of warehousing parts, organisational maintenance of a single software package, along with minimal training requirements for operators. This level of versatility is unsurpassed at the 38kV Recloser level.

There have been considerable research and development challenges associated with creating this switchgear. NOJA Power have a meticulous policy of avoiding SF6 gas for switchgear design, so accomplishing the substation level specification items has been met with some considerable engineering. The greatest challenge associated with developing this switchgear is associated with optimising the energy demands of the switch actuator to achieve a greater switching capacity using the same controller infrastructure. The design mantra of NOJA Power Switchgear is to be the most efficient and environmentally friendly available, so the constraint of maintaining the 5 day AC Off battery life is mandatory for the new switchgear development. With over a decade of experience in Vacuum Interrupter switchgear with solid dielectric insulation and no SF6 gas, NOJA Power have applied their expertise to create a new piece of switchgear which defines what the industry should demand from manufacturers today.

“The introduction of the new OSM 38 with 16kA rating is a credit to NOJA Power’s R&D team for their capacity to re-engineer a proven field product to achieve even greater ratings,” says Neil O’Sullivan, Group Managing Director of NOJA Power. “With our extensive in house testing capability, we were able to verify our new switchgear performance at our manufacturing facility in Brisbane prior to committing to international testing. This level of verification allowed us to go to KEMA with the utmost confidence that we would succeed in achieving our goals”.

NOJA Power’s introduction of the 16kA 38kV Recloser is a perfect complement to the available family of OSM Reclosers. The OSM15 recloser already has a 16kA interruption capacity, and now the 27, 38, and 40.5kV applications can be covered by the OSM38-16. For all applications which only require 12.5kV interruption, the OSM38-12’s lower specification model will still be available. With the engineering achievements demonstrated by the NOJA Power Engineering team at KEMA with their latest debut switchgear NOJA Power is a demonstrating its drive to be the world leader in pole mounted switchgear. The versatility and cost savings which this product provides are benefits that all utilities can enjoy. Paired with the NOJA Power RC-10 Recloser controller it is easy to see that the NOJA Power OSM Recloser is clearly the most advanced Recloser System on the market today.