EE0071 : Switchgear Life Assessment

 Switchgear represents a significant capital investment in the electric power grid. The reliable performance of low & medium voltage distribution switchgear within industries is a basic requirement for overall reliability of the plant. 

A traditional equipment management strategy, which is often followed by plant management, is to replace switchgear when it has reached the end of its economic life. This choice provides maximum equipment lifespan whilst incorporating the latest technology and safety features upon replacement; however, it usually requires high economic investment. Conscious end of life decisions often mean a struggle to balance both a minimum investment and economic life cycle costs. The traditional replacement strategy does not necessarily fit with the overall needs of a particular plant. 

Asset managers are fully assisted in moving from conventional approaches such as corrective maintenance and preventive maintenance to advanced strategies as well as risk-based maintenance and condition-based maintenance. This way, the service activity is no longer driven by predefined timeframes, observations and past experiences, but takes the actual condition of the equipment, the required reliability level and the life time extension expectation into account. 

 This course is designed to provide participants with a detailed and an up-to-date knowledge on switchgear life assessment. It covers the switching phenomena, switchgear components, system configurations, switch gear mechanisms, switchgear fundamentals, switchgear specifications and switchgear life span .

 At the completion of the course participants will be able to employ switchgear lifespan practice; assess switchgear lifespan; carryout switchgear lifecycle management, apply various tips to optimize the life of electrical switchgear and consider the right decision for renewal or upgrading switchgear that includes budget limitations, risk limitations, risk limitations, operational limitations and safety limitations.