Gas density monitoring/analysis/handling I Asset protection

WIKA in brief A family business since 1946 > 11,200 employees Global service and distribution 1.2 billion euro turnover Quality management: ISO 9001, ISO 13485 Environmental WIKA’s unique experience and know-how make sensing technology smarter, add more value and prepare it for a sustainable future

Products for alternative gases 8 Filling and handling equipment 32 Partial discharge and temperature monitoring 38 WEgrid Asset Protection 40 Wireless gas density measurement 44 Power transmission and distribution is undergoing radical change. The megatrends of decarbonisation and digitalisation pose challenges for the industry. Energy companies have to integrate renewable energy sources into existing electricity grids, which makes their operation more complex. Furthermore, it is important to implement smart digital technologies and develop new business models. Successfully shaping change requires...

SUSTAINABILITY AT WIKA Enabling sustainable progress Preserve a planet that can be lived on for future generations. This goal increasingly determines the actions and thinking at WIKA – and makes sustainability a driver for innovations. Sustainability, as we understand it, has many facets. It includes ecological, social and economic aspects. We are therefore firmly convinced that we can only shape our future positively with solutions and processes that are conceived holistically. The demands we place on our ecological endeavours are therefore: to use resources as sparingly as possible, to minimise...

■ “Aim: Global warming below 1.5 degrees by 2100”. ■ This means reducing the man-made global temperature increase caused by the greenhouse effect to 1.5 degrees Celsius. ■ At the 21st UN Climate Conference in 2015 (COP 21), almost all the countries of the world, with the Paris Agreement, signed a treaty whereby they would make efforts to achieve the 1.5 degree target. ■ SF6 gas is the strongest greenhouse gas worldwide and thus has a negative impact on global warming. ■ The correct and safe handling and online monitoring of SF6 gas is very important. > 3,800,000 cars each driving 200,000 km Leakage...

ALTERNATIVE GASES The introduction of new insulating gases to the switchgear market brings a significant advancement in reducing CO2 emission. Traditionally, sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) has been the preferred insulating gas due to its excellent dielectric properties and arc-quenching capabilities. However, SF6 is a potent greenhouse gas with a Global Warming Potential (GWP) 24,300 times that of CO2 (GWP100). The European Union has been actively pushing towards alternatives to SF6 to mitigate its environmental impact and lead the way to a more sustainable grid. Recent innovations have led to the...

The main alternatives to SF6 gas currently being explored and implemented include: ■ Other fluorinated gases (F-gases, mainly Fluoronitrile – common name “C4-FN”): These gases are used in combination with CO₂, O₂ or N₂. They offer excellent dielectric properties and significantly lower global warming potential (GWP) compared to SF6. These mixtures can reduce the GWP by up to 99 % while maintaining similar performance levels and sizes. ■ Synthetic air: Comprising 80 % nitrogen and 20 % oxygen, synthetic air is used for insulation purpose and combined with vacuum switching technology. It has zero...

Alternative gases, have different chemical properties and pressures, compared to SFg. These differences can affect the materials used in seals, gaskets, and other components to ensure compatibility and prevent leakages. To avoid the intermixing of two or more gases/gas mixtures and therefore contaminating gas compartments filled with different kinds of gases, different thread sizes and colour-codes have been introduced to the industry. These are the ones that are commonly used: Gas handling The introduction of alternative insulating gases has necessitated significant changes in gas handling procedures....

Gas density monitoring WIKA offers leakage monitoring solutions for alternative insulation gases. Materials, sealings and algorithms have been adapted to continue to provide best-in-class monitoring, also for the new generation of insulating gases, from mechanical instruments up to AI-based online monitoring solutions. Our automatic calibration instruments are designed to work with all common alternative gases. Analysis and detection The shift to alternative insulating gases has led to significant changes in gas analyser technology. Traditional gas analysers designed for SF6 are not suitable...

WEGRID SOLUTIONS Alexander Hein Vice President WEgrid Solutions We support the digital transformation of the power transmission network with solutions to modernise maintenance processes and radically reduce greenhouse gas emissions of electrical switchgear.

Innovation is our passion - quality our principle Proper operation of gas-filled equipment requires a large number of special instruments and specialist know-how. WEgrid Solutions is an expert team, consisting of WIKA employees specialised in specific requirements of the power transmission industry. WEgrid Solutions is the only supplier on the market that offers a complete product portfolio and customised complete solutions for assets filled with SF6 gas and alternative gases. Our daily motivation is to constantly improve the protection of people, machinery and not least the environment. To accomplish...

PLANT SAFETY WEgrid Products – Gas density instrumentation ensures plant safety For safety reasons, the filling volume of SF₆ gas, or alternative gases, is defined for each gas compartment and monitored using a density measuring instrument. WIKA's gas density determination is made with pressure measurement that has been specifically adapted to the 'real gas' behaviour by compensating for the effects of temperature changes. Measurement uncertainties, resulting from the fluctuating ambient pressure, are also eliminated by the hermetically sealed case. Should the gas density decrease due to leakage,...