High voltage CO2 circuit breaker type LTA
Enhancing eco-efficiency
ABB and environmental stewardship
ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation
technologies that enables utility and industry
customers to improve their performance while lowering
environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies
operates in approximately 100 countries and employs
around 145,000 people.
A complete range of high voltage circuit breakers
ABB offers the widest range of high voltage circuit breakers in
the market. Our portfolio of live and dead tank circuit breakers
ranges from 72.5 kV to 1200 kV, and of disconnecting circuit
breakers from 72.5 kV to 550 kV. The LTA 72D1 circuit
breaker is currently available in 72.5 kV.
We strive to:
−− Design eco-efficient and recyclable products
− − Reduce the use of energy and materials in our operations
− − Phase out hazardous materials
−− Enhance suppliers’ environmental performance
−− Streamline the means of transporting goods
− − Reduce the impact of business travel
While meeting the growing needs of high voltage circuit
breakers globally, ABB aims to do so with the minimum
environmental impact.
2 CO2 high voltage circuit breaker | ABB
Available as both live tank and disconnecting circuit breaker,
the LTA CO2 circuit breaker introduces a step change in
environmental stewardship.
Table of contents
ABB and environment stewardship
2
Standards
4
Applications
4
User benefits
4
High reliability
Simplicity
Ease of installation and operation
High Switching performance
Enhancing eco-efficiency over the life cycle
5
Material and manufacturing phase
Use phase
End of life phase
The disconnecting circuit breaker option
6
Performing flawlessly in a European grid system
6
Product dimensions and specifications
7
ABB | CO2 high voltage circuit breaker 3
Reliable and simple
The high performance LTA 72D1 is the first high voltage
circuit breaker to use carbon dioxide (CO2) as the
insulating and arc extinguishing medium.
Standards
The LTA circuit breaker fulfils IEC 62271-100 circuit breaker
and IEC 62271-108 disconnecting circuit breaker standards.
Applications
The LTA 72D1 circuit breaker is designed for:
−− 72.5 kV distribution networks with short-circuit breaking
current requirements up to 31.5 kA.
−− use as a conventional circuit breaker as well as a
disconnecting circuit breaker.
− − areas where reducing environment impact is high priority.
User benefits with ABB’s advanced technology
High reliability with an optimized low energy self-blast
CO2 interrupter and mechanical spring drive.
The LTA circuit breaker platform uses an optimized selfblast CO 2 interrupter requiring extremely low operating
energy and therefore lower operating forces within the
breaker. It is developed using the same technology and
similar components as applied in ABB’s widely used SF 6 LTB
product range, including the high conductivity, low resistive
loss copper current paths. ABB has the world’s most extensive range of mechanical
spring drives for high voltage circuit breakers. The LTA 72D1
uses the same type of mechanical spring drives as applied in
ABB’s SF6 LTB product range. This provides our customers
with IEC Class M2, 10,000 operation lifetime drives which
have common components with ABB’s extensive worldwide
installed base of mechanical spring drive operated high
voltage circuit breakers.
Simplicity with a common, single pressure dielectric and
interruption medium
By virtue of the optimized interrupter design, the LTA 72D1
uses a common single pressure CO 2 gas mixture providing
both the interrupting function and internal dielectric withstand.
The CO2 level is monitored directly and continuously online
(similar to other ABB gas-based circuit breakers). No separate
dielectric media versus interruption media level monitoring is
needed. No special training or tools are needed.
Ease of installation and operation
The LTA 72D1 allows simple and adjustment free installation.
The centrally mounted mechanical spring operating
mechanism allows operators safe and convenient access to
all circuit breaker status indicators and operating controls. No
special training or tools are needed.
High switching performance
The LTA 72D1 offers the highest dielectric withstand
capability of any (non-SF 6) live tank breaker in its class, while
at the same time providing long electrical contact endurance.
4 CO2 high voltage circuit breaker | ABB
Enhancing eco-efficiency over the life-cycle
ABB believes in minimizing environmental impact over the
entire life cycle of the product, which includes the three
phases of design & manufacturing, use and end of life.
ABB follows the ISO standards for product development
and for giving environmental declarations.
For the LTA circuit breaker the environmental impact evaluation has been made with regard to the global warming potential (GWP). This is because GWP is generally the dominating
category of environmental impact for products consuming
energy during their lifetime. The result is expressed in CO2
equivalent emissions over the product’s life cycle.
The graph below shows a comparison of life cycle
environmental impact of ABB’s LTA CO 2 circuit breaker with
ABB’s LTB SF6 circuit breaker considering service life of 30
years. The points below elaborate how the LTA technology
has evolved for reducing environment impact in each of the
three life cycle phases.
Design and manufacturing phase
− − The LTA circuit breaker is designed for minimum material
usage for its required ratings.
− − By replacing the conventionally used SF 6 gas with CO2, the
impact of any SF6 gas leakage during the filling phase is
avoided.
− − ABB’s factory is ISO 14001 certified for environmental best
practices and we also conduct regular environmental audits
at our suppliers’ facilities.
Use phase
− − The high conductivity, low resistive loss copper current
paths reduce resistive losses.
− − The low operating energies used by ABB’s self-blast
interrupters combined with the efficient mechanical spring
drives result in lower auxiliary power supply consumption
− − By replacing SF6 gas with CO2, the impact of any SF6 gas
leakage during the use phase is avoided. The LTA uses
highly reliable gas sealing designs that are same as our SF 6
gas circuit breakers and ensure a leakage rate of less than
0.5% per year.
End of life phase
−− On-line monitoring for preventive maintenance.
− − By replacing SF 6 gas with CO2, the complications of SF6
gas recovery and disposal are avoided.
−− Use of materials which are easy to recycle or dispose.
−− Improved recycling and disposal through clear declarations
adjusted to different global boundary conditions.
Replacement of SF6 with CO2 has been the pre-dominant
factor in reducing CO2 equivalent emissions over the
product’s life cycle by ~10 tons or 18 percent over a 30
year life time period. This estimate is based on modeling
developed in accordance with IPCC (Inter-Government Panel
on Climate Change) 2007 methodology.
Comparative CO2 equilavent GWP impacts in 30 year service life
120 %
SF6 losses: Use Phase
Auxiliary circuit: Use phase
Primary circuit losses: Use phase
100 %
Design & manufacturing and
End of life phase
80 %
60 %
40 %
20 %
0%
SF6 circuit breaker
(LTB 72D1/B with BLK222 spring drive)
CO2 circuit breaker
(LTA 72D1/B with MSD1 spring drive)
Comparison based on average operational data. Not intended to indicate any
guaranteed performance values. Estimations are based on recommended
methodologies of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and
ISO standards.
ABB | CO2 high voltage circuit breaker 5
Performing flawlessly in a European grid
system
An LTA CO2 concept breaker has been performing
faultlessly since 2010 as a pilot installation at a
132/45 kV substation in Sweden. It is operated by
Vattenfall and comprises of six 132 kV bays and nine
45 kV bays.
Positioned as a busbar circuit breaker, the LTA CO 2 serves as
a capacitor bank circuit breaker part of the year and as a line
circuit breaker for the rest of the year. It performs about 400
breaking operations a year. The pilot LTA breaker has performed
flawlessly.
Vattenfall is one of Europe’s largest generators of electricity,
and its largest generator of heat. The company has long been a
leader in developing and embracing new technologies that foster
environmentally sustainable energy production. The deployment of
ABB’s LTA CO2 disconnecting circuit breaker is an important part
of Vattenfall’s efforts towards achieving this objective.
The disconnecting circuit breaker option
The LTA circuit breaker is also available as a disconnecting
circuit breaker (DCB). ABB pioneered the concept of DCB in
2000. In a DCB the disconnecting function is integrated in
the breaker and no separate disconnectors are required. In
the past, circuit breakers were mechanically and electrically
complicated and required a lot of maintenance. Modern
circuit breakers however require less maintenance than
disconnectors and DCBs give the best results for equipment
reliability and availability.
DCBs also further enhance equipment eco-efficiency of the
equipment over the life cycle as:
− − they use less primary apparatus and therefore lower raw
material.
− − have lower electrical losses during the use phase.
− − provide space saving of up to 60 percent.
Scalable Technology
The LTA 72D1 is designed for 72.5 kV but the flawless
operations of the pilot project on 145 kV confirms the
potential for applications on even higher voltage levels for
ABBs CO2 technology in the future.
The 145 kV pilot installation in Sweden has been working perfectly for the past two years.
6 CO2 high voltage circuit breaker | ABB
Dimensions and specifications
F
E
E
LTA D1, Two-column stand, Three-pole operation
Rated voltage: 72.5 kV
B
Dimensions (mm)
Rated voltage
72.5 kV
185
C
2487
1438
2205
D
866
890
A
B
C
D
E
F
5204
1214
1260
3837
1500
3674
A
Available dimensions for phase distances and height to
lowest part of insulator (mm)
Rated voltage
Phase distance
1050
72.5 kV
LTA Circuit Breaker
LTA Ratings
1500
1750
LTA Disconnecting Circuit Breaker (DCB)
LTA DCB Ratings
Voltage
72.5 - 84 kV
Voltage
72.5 - 84 kV
Current
2750 A
Current
2750 A
Breaking current
31.5 kA
Breaking current
31.5 kA
Frequency
50 Hz
Frequency
50 Hz
Ambient temperature
-50 to +50°C
Ambient temperature
-50 to +50°C
Operation
Three-pole
Operation
Three-pole
Product main parts
Product main parts
Circuit breaker
LTA D
Circuit breaker
LTA D
Operating mechanism
MSD 1
Operating mechanism
MSD 1
Earthing switch
NVA
Operating mechanism
SM 800
ABB | CO2 high voltage circuit breaker 7
ABB AB
High Voltage Products
©Copyright 2012 ABB. All rights reserved
NOTE: ABB AB works continuously with product improvements. We therefore
SE-771 80 Ludvika, Sweden
Phone: +46 (0)240 78 20 00
E-mail: circuit.breaker@se.abb.com
www.abb.com
www.abb.com/highvoltage
reserve the right to change designs, dimensions and data without prior notice.
Publication 1HSM 9543-21-06en,High voltage CO2 circuit breaker type LTA, Edition 1, 2012-06
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