ACTOM MV Switchgear has recently had an upsurge of orders for its well-known RMV gas-insulated fixed pattern secondary switchgear.
The RMV switchgear is available in both non-extensible and extensible formats. The latest spate of orders have included RMV indoor switchboards incorporating extensible units for a variety of secondary distribution substations.
“We were awarded a 12-months’ contract in April this year by Eskom KwaZulu-Natal for various remote-controlled coastal-spec outdoor free-standing non-extensible RMV ring main units for use in the utility’s MV distribution networks in the province. To date we have already received orders for over 50 units,” said Rhett Kelly, MV Switchgear’s Design & Development Manager.
The contract award was preceded by a thorough evaluation Eskom conducted into the RMV range of switchgear on offer by the division.
“The internal arc classified RMV solution supplied to Eskom is fully motorised to allow for remote operation, using an open/close pendant control unit. We developed a 24V DC portable battery pack which can be plugged into the ring main unit to provide a temporary DC supply for the remote operation of the switchgear, as required by the customer,” Rhett explained.
Other orders received over the past year include RMV indoor extensible gear for two switchboards ordered by First National Batteries in July last year for installation in its manufacturing plant in Benoni to replace and upgrade the indoor switchgear equipment previously in use there. One of the units is the internal intake substation from Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality and the other is the distribution board for the factory.
“The switchboards consist of a combination of extensible RMV functional units, including circuit-breaker panels, a metering panel, a battery terminal unit and a remote control cubicle,” Rhett stated.
Orders have also been placed with MV Switchgear by Reyrolle Pacific Switchgear in New Zealand for two non-extensible outdoor free-standing RMV units, which will be installed at a power generation plant at South Tarawa, a remote island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. They require a specially developed Grade 304 stainless steel IP54 enclosure with ACTOM’s type tested C5 corrosion class paint system, due to the close proximity of the sea and the tropical climate.
Another purchaser was a security company based in a neighbouring state that ordered an RMV indoor switchboard incorporating extensible circuit-breaker panels, switch-disconnector panels and a bus section panel in October last year on behalf of the state’s defence force to serve as a main intake substation at one of its military camps.
