May 11, 2010 - Eaton launched a line of type VCP-W medium voltage vacuum circuit breakers designed to improve system reliability and safety for all segments of the electrical industry. The line is engineered to safely interrupt currents when a fault occurs and to meet the requirements of utility commercial, industrial, mining, and marine applications. The products have a voltage range factor (K) of K=1 and are tested to the latest capacitor switching standards. The expanded line incorporates Eaton’s environmentally-friendly vacuum interrupters, which reliably switch high stress current and require no cooling or ventilation systems. Eaton’s vacuum interrupters avoid the use of Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF6) gas, which poses environmental and safety concerns.
They need virtually no maintenance over the product life-cycle. By assigning interrupting ratings based on K=1, users and manufacturers are better able to take advantage of the short-circuit interrupting capabilities of state-of-the-art circuit breaker technologies. Eaton’s new VCP-W breakers with K=1 ratings are designed to meet and exceed the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards. Available in fixed or drawout configurations, the VCP-W breakers with K=1 ratings offer Underwriters Laboratories (UL) listed ratings up to 15 kilovolts (kV), 3000 amperes (A) and 63 kiloamperes (kA). Designed for harsh industrial environments, the new line also includes the VCP-WSE circuit breaker, which features cycloaliphatic epoxy insulation and ratings up to 15 kV, 3000A and 50 kA.
Additionally, capacitor switching ratings are confirmed by testing to the latest standards with Class C2 performance for most single and back-to-back bank configurations, which has a low probability of restrike during capacitance current rating.
