Flyer · EN — Product flyer for the 8VM1 Blue GIS, a compact gas-insulated high-voltage switchgear rated up to 72.5 kV for on- and offshore wind turbine installations. It combines maintenance-free vacuum interrupter technology with clean air insulation (80% nitrogen, 20% oxygen, GWP 0), eliminating SF6 and other fluorinated greenhouse gases entirely. The flyer covers the market drivers for higher voltages inside wind turbines, the clean air and vacuum technology rationale, typical switchgear configurations, main features, and a full technical data table (up to 1250 A, 31.5 kA breaking current, 325 kV lightning impulse withstand, indoor installation, >50-year expected lifetime).
Offshore wind power is a major contributor to environmental and resource-efficiency goals, and growing power demand is driving a new generation of wind power plants built on innovative technologies.
As wind turbine power ratings increase, the industry is moving to higher voltages within the wind turbine network to reduce current and thereby cable losses. Compact, environmentally friendly gas-insulated high-voltage switchgear is an ideal fit for this shift.
Vacuum circuit-breakers are the preferred technology in medium-voltage grids up to 52 kV thanks to their outstanding technical performance and low lifecycle cost.
Building on more than 40 years of medium-voltage vacuum-switching expertise and more than 6 million delivered units, Siemens Energy brought this proven technology to high-voltage grids above 52 kV in 2010. The technology is environmentally friendly: vacuum extinguishes the arc during circuit-breaker switching operations.
Vacuum interrupting technology makes it possible to use clean air as the insulating medium in gas-insulated switchgear. Clean air is composed of 80% nitrogen and 20% oxygen, cleaned and free of humidity, and is completely free of fluorinated greenhouse gases.
Clean air has a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 0 and is a non-toxic, non-harmful and safe medium. No specially trained personnel is needed for transport, handling, or operation of a clean air GIS, and the expensive purchasing, handling, and recycling costs associated with sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) or other gases do not apply.
Although SF6 has the best characteristics as an insulating and arc-quenching medium, the clean air solution emphasizes F-gas-free technology. The EU F-Gas Regulation no. 517/2014, in effect since January 1, 2015, imposes frequent reporting obligations, personnel training, labeling and handling requirements, with the goal of minimizing fluorinated greenhouse gas emissions. Movements to gradually ban SF6 based on available technology per voltage level also exist in the USA and Korea.
The 8VM1 Blue GIS is a compact GIS solution designed for on- and offshore wind turbine installations, based on proven component technology.
It uses a well-proven modular components platform concept built on decades of manufacturing and operating experience — the same concept implemented in Siemens Energy's new generation of high-voltage gas-insulated switchgear. The flyer illustrates typical single-line switchgear configurations for wind turbine installations, running from the HV transformer cable through the components designated -BC1, -XB1 and -QZ91, via the -QA1 circuit-breaker and -QZ92/-QZ93, down to the HV array cable interfaces (-XB2/-XB3), with voltage detection systems (VDS) at each cable interface.
World-leading environment-friendly and future-proof technology free of F-gases; the innovative clean air insulation medium significantly reduces carbon footprint.
Proven and maintenance-free vacuum interrupter technology; completely factory assembled, tested and shipped in a single transport unit; high operational safety; low operational costs throughout the entire life cycle.
Ratings as printed in the flyer. Other values on request; width and weight depend on GIS configuration.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Rated voltage | up to 72.5 kV |
| Rated frequency | 50/60 Hz |
| Rated short-duration power-frequency withstand voltage (1 min) | up to 140 kV |
| Rated lightning impulse withstand voltage (1.2/50 μs) | up to 325 kV |
| Rated continuous current | up to 1250 A |
| Rated short-circuit breaking current | up to 31.5 kA |
| Rated peak withstand current | up to 85 kA |
| Rated short-time withstand current (up to 1 s) | up to 31.5 kA |
| Internal arc classification of HV cable compartments | IAC A FLR 31.5 kA, 1 s (acc. IEC 62271-200) |
| Leakage rate per year and gas compartment (type-tested) | < 0.1 % |
| Drive mechanism of circuit-breaker | stored energy spring |
| Rated operating sequence | O-0.3 s-CO-3 min-CO |
| Interrupter technology | vacuum |
| Insulation medium | clean air |
| Weight of SF6 or other fluorinated greenhouse gases | 0 kg |
| Rated filling pressure | 0.56 MPa (abs.) |
| GIS width¹ | up to 2935 mm |
| GIS height | 2430 mm |
| GIS depth | up to 1230 mm |
| GIS weight¹ | up to 2.6 t |
| Ambient temperature range | -30 °C up to +45 °C |
| Installation | Indoor |
| First major inspection | > 25 years |
| Expected lifetime | > 50 years |
| Standards | IEC / IEEE |
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