Hubbell Power Systems Blog

Multiple variations of the Versa-Tech® recloser are available to fit any single-phase application on the system, outside substation or anywhere down the line. The same base design allows for easy adaptation for engineering and linemen.

In 2014, a new generation of the Versa-Tech® recloser was introduced. The Versa-Tech II recloser was built on its predecessor’s, the Versa-Tech I, foundation with a number of additional capabilities such as protection, monitoring, and logging features.

There are several types of automatic circuit recloser technologies for the electric utility industry. Each technology incorporates various feature classifications: number of phases, voltage class, medium for interruption, and control mechanism type. Both Oil Circuit Reclosers (OCR) and Electronic Reclosers have been in the industry for quite some time. Each of these recloser types provides a unique benefit to the power grid but also both present certain challenges.  

Introduction

The Versa-Tech® I and Versa-Tech® LT reclosers use a 2.4GHz remote radio to communicate over WiFi. Utilizing this option, there is no need for a local radio. The module is compatible with Versa-Tech I recloser running firmware versions 3.xx or 4.xx and with Versa-Tech LT recloser running firmware version 5.xx. The WiFi radio attaches in the same location as the Digi/XBee and SiFLEX radios and has the capability of communicating up to 100 feet from the recloser.

DORELCO is a rural electric cooperative located in the town of Tolosa, Island of Leyte, in the Philippines. They provide electrical service to 13 municipalities throughout a mostly rural area.

Owen Electric is located in Northern Kentucky and serves about 58,000 members. The Boone feeder stretches several miles out from the Boone substation. It has both single and three-phase conductors (12.47/7.2 kV, grounded Wye), with multiple taps branching off. The area is fairly hilly, rural and has lots of trees.

The Investigation
James Bridges, VP of Engineering, explains, “At that time, we believed that trees might be causing the momentary outages, but we did not see any evidence that trees were in the lines. 

In an industry driven by the size of performance indices, minimizing the size of an outage is vital. Alabama Power does this by adding interrupting devices to the lines. "Just like everyone else, we're driven by SAIDI, SAIFI, MAIDI and MAIFI," said Robert Cheney, Team Keader of Alabama Power Test Lab. "We're taking a hard look at our system and figuring out what we can to do improve those numbers."