High-Voltage

Circuit-Breakers 3AP1/2
72.5 kV up to 550 kV
Power Transmission and Distribution
The 3AP1/2
High-Voltage Circuit-Breakers
Now Applicable for 550 kV

Decades of our experience in high-volt- Our standard is reliability and safety at

age switching technology go into the all times
design and production of the 3AP1/2 The 3AP1/2 circuit-breaker family is avail-
circuit-breakers which set an interna- able for rated voltages from 72.5 kV up
tional trend. We are a powerful partner to 550 kV. The latest development of our
for our customers and a competent well established circuit-breakers com-
supplier of attractive products and so- pletes our 3AP product range for rated
lutions at competitive prices with the voltages up to 550 kV. For the application
high standard of quality that Siemens of 362 kV up to 550 kV the circuit-break-
is known for. We comply with our cus- ers can be equipped with optional closing
tomers’ demands for reliability, safety resistors. It features approved technology
and cost-effectiveness and serve them and ensures efficient operation. Based
throughout the world. No matter what on our well proven modular design, we
your application is, the 3AP1/2 circuit- manufacture all of the core components
breakers provide the best solution for ourselves, which include the stored-ener-
your requirements every time. gy spring mechanism and the arc-assisted
interrupter unit.

More than 50,000 3AP-circuit-breakers

have been delivered to over 120 coun-
tries around the world in all climatic
areas, proving on a daily basis the value
and the reliability of the 3AP high-volt-
age switchgear. The 3AP1/2 high-voltage
circuit-breaker operates safely and is
capable of withstanding high mechani-
cal loads. Particularly strong porcelain
insulators and a circuit-breaker design
optimized by using the latest mathemati-
cal techniques, give it very high seismic
stability whilst in operation enabling it
to perform to its full potential during its
entire service life.

3AP2 FI 420 kV
Live-tank circuit-breaker
in operation at a major
power transmission and
distribution company

2
With High-Voltage Circuit-Breakers
from Siemens you are always on
the Economically Safe Side

Great demands for highest quality

Our quality management system, certi-
fied in accordance with DIN EN ISO 9001,
confirms that our quality always remains
at the same high level. We carry out
regular management reviews, internal
audits in every department and the con-
tinuous development and maintenance
of documentation for all processes. Most
modern manufacturing technologies and
investments in our worldwide production
sites, assure reliable and long-lasting
products and process quality according
to Siemens’ well-proven high standards.

The high quality, as well as excellent

operating experience, is inherited by
the 3AP series. The result is very high
SF6 tightness of our switchgear: The SF6
leakage rate is less than 0.5% per year.
This not only increases reliability and
decreases operating costs as a result of
long maintenance intervals, but also has
a positive impact on the environment; an
important indication of our responsibility.
Our switchgear will fulfill your demands
for low life-cycle-costs with highest avail-
ability and economical and continuous
operation. Because we use strong mate-
rials under low mechanical loads in the
construction of individual switchgear
components, maintenance is not needed
for 25 years or 10,000 operating cycles.
By standardizing our internal processes
and systematically implementing module
strategies for our 3AP product series, we
can offer minimal delivery times.

The result is low service and investment

costs which provide our customers com-
petitive advantages worldwide, which
equates to greater success for their own
businesses.
3AP1 FG 145 kV Live-tank circuit-breaker

3
 The Structure
The self compression arc-quenching the breakers are available with four inter-
principle is applied in our 3AP circuit- rupter units.
breakers.
The arc-assisted interrupter unit of the The stored-energy spring mechanism
3AP circuit-breaker utilises the energy of The compact design of this operating
the arc during opening for an optimal arc mechanism allows to place the stored-en-
quenching, allowing to reduce the oper- ergy spring mechanism within the control
ating energy to a minimum. Our circuit- cubicle. The main components such as
breakers for the voltage range 72.5 kV up the interrupter unit and the operating
to 300 kV have one interrupter unit per mechanism of our 3AP1/2 high-voltage
pole and up to 245 kV the circuit-breakers circuit-breakers, are identical to the ones
are available with a common or a single- in our 3AP deadtank circuit-breaker fami-
pole operating mechanism. 3AP high- ly. By applying this proven modular design
voltage circuit-breakers from 362 kV up to we can fulfill the highest expectation with
550 kV are equipped with two interrupter regard to availability, reliability, as well as
units per pole. For special technical re- economical performance. This results in
quirements, e.g. increased TRV values, continuously high customer satisfaction.

1
1

2
2

4,5
3

3
4,5
3AP1 FG up to 72.5 kV 3AP1 FG up to 245 kV
One interrupter unit per pole. One interrupter unit per pole.

Laterally stored-energy spring mechanism, circuit-breaker Stored-energy spring mechanism, circuit-breaker

with common breaker base for three-pole operation with common breaker base for three-pole operation

1
1
6/7
2
2

5
5 3
4
4 3

3AP1 FI up to 300 kV 3AP2 FI up to 550 kV

One interrupter unit per pole. Two respectively interrupter units per pole.

Stored-energy spring mechanism, three-pole breaker with Stored-energy spring mechanism, circuit-breaker
seperate breaker base, for one or three-pole operation with separate breaker base for one or three-pole operation

3AP circuit-breakers are available in different designs 1 Interrupter unit

2 Post insulator
3 Pillar
4 Control cabinet
5 Operating mechanism cubicle
6 Grading capacitor
7 Closing Resistor (optional)

4
 6 5 2 4 3 1

The Quenching
Principle

Closed position

The conducting path

The current conducting path of the inter-
rupter unit consists of the contact carrier
(1), the base (6) and the moveable con-
tact cylinder (5). In the closed position,
the current flows via the main contact (2)
and the contact cylinder (5).

Breaking operating currents

During the opening operation, the main
contact (2) opens first, and the current
commutates to the still closed arcing
contact. During the further course of
opening the arcing contact (3) opens and
Opening: main contact in open position
an arc is drawn between the contacts. At
the same time, the contact cylinder (5)
moves into the base (6) and compresses
the SF6 gas located there. This gas com-
pression creates a gas flow through the
contact cylinder (5) and the nozzle (4) to
the arcing contact extinguishing the arc.

Breaking fault currents

In the event of interrupting high short-
circuit breaking current, the SF6 gas is
heated up considerably at the arcing
contact due to the energy of the arc.
This leads to a pressure increase in the
contact cylinder. During the further
course of opening this increased pressure Opening: arcing contact in open position

initiale a gas flow through the nozzle (4)

extinguishing the arc. In this case, the
arc energy is used to interrupt the fault
circuit breaking current. This energy
needs not to be provided by the operat-
ing mechanism.

The interrupter unit of the 3AP circuit-

breaker is very efficient
A fixed arcing contact is used for rated
voltages up to 145 kV. This results in a
reduced number of mechanical parts in
the interrupter unit.

Open position

1 Contact carrier
2 Main contact
3 Arcing contact
4 Nozzle
5 Contact cylinder
6 Base

5
 The Stored-energy
Spring Mechanism

The advantages of the stored-energy

spring mechanism:

Same principle for rated voltages from

72.5 up to 550 kV
High reliability thanks to low operating
energy
Simple principle of operation
Controllable switching state at all
times
Low maintenance, economical and
long lifetime
Low environmental impact

There are a number of advantages to

our stored-energy spring mechanism
Compact housing can be utilized by ap-
8
plying the most modern production
techniques. Since the closing and open-
ing springs are housed in the operating 1
mechanism, a compact and sturdy struc-
ture is achieved. 2
This design results in a small number 9
of moving parts. The use of roller bear-
ings and the maintenance-free spring 3
10
mechanism are a prerequisite for decades
11
of reliable operation. Proven design prin-
ciples such as vibration-isolated latches 4 12
and load-free isolation of the charging 13
5
mechanism are retained.

1 Trip coil CLOSE 14

2 Cam plate
3 Corner gear
4 Connecting rod
15
5 Connecting rod for closing spring 6
6 Connecting rod for opening spring
7 Closing spring
8 Emergency hand crank 16
9 Charging gear
10 Charging shaft
11 Roller lever 7
12 Damper (for closing)
13 Operating shaft 17
14 Damper (for opening)
15 Trip coil OPEN
16 Drive mechanism housing
17 Opening spring
6
The Control

Control cabinet
with the stored-
energy spring
mechanism

The control system includes all the sec- Compact variant our circuit-breakers and are all located in
ondary components required for oper- In addition to the basic variant, this vari- a weatherproof cubicle (IP 55 degree of
ating the circuit-breaker, most of them ant includes: protection). They are resistant to switch-
are located in the control cabinet. ing vibrations, and meet the require-
The control, tripping, motor and heat- Spring monitoring by motor run time ments for electromagnetic compatibility
ing power supplies are, to a great monitoring (EMC).
extend, selectable. Depending on cus- Heating monitoring (current measur
tomers requirements requirements, ing relay) The circuit-breaker documentation in-
two standard control variants are avail- Light and socket attachment with a cludes the wiring diagram of the control
able. common circuit-breaker to configuration. This diagram comprised
facilitate servicing and maintenance the following documents:
Basic variant work
The basic variant includes all control and Overvoltage attenuation Location diagram
monitoring elements that are needed for Motor circuit-breaker Circuit diagram
operation of the circuit-breaker. In addi- Heating circuit-breaker Extended equipment diagram along
tion to the elementary actuation func- with technical data and equipment
tions, it includes: Special features parts list
Above and beyond these two standard Connection diagram
19 auxiliary switch contacts variants, a great number of further com-
(9 normally open, 9 normally closed, ponents and options are at our custom- The circuit diagram documentation is bi-
1 passing contact) ers’ disposal. Every control configuration lingual in one common customer specific
Switching operation counter of a circuit-breaker can therefore be language and in German.
Local actuator designed individually. All control com-
ponents have been type-tested for use on

7
Quality
Right from the Start

3AP2 FI 550 kV Live-tank circuit-

breaker at our highvoltage test-
ing laboratory

Development All 3AP1/2 circuit-breakers can be used in

The foundations for the quality of earthquake areas up to 0.5 g without ad-
Siemens high-voltage circuit-breakers is ditional fittings.
laid down right from the beginning of the
development of a new product. Switch- Testing laboratories
ing performance, high-voltage stability In our Berlin circuit-breaker plant, there
and performance under mechanical loads are most modern testing laboratories, in
(wind and short circuits) and during an which all required facilities are available:
earthquake are simulated and optimized
in the outline design phase using compu- Physics laboratory
ter-aided calculations. High-voltage testing laboratory
Switching performance testing
The use of common parts and assembled laboratory
units in a large number of breaker types Mechanical testing laboratory
such as live-tank, dead-tank, as well as in Temperature rise testing laboratory
the GIS means the production of a large
number of the same type of main com- The testing laboratories are certified by
ponents. Steady and regular quantities of the German accreditation body Technik
produced units allow a continuous pro- e.V. in accordance with DIN 45001. With
duction process and ensure the highest the society for electrical high-power tests
quality standards. Statistic quality control (PEHLA), the testing laboratories are part
is based on large quantities. This results of the European network of independent
in a higher achieved validity. testing organizations (STL). The 3AP1/2
circuit-breakers are fully typetested in
accordance with the new IEC 62271-100
and ANSI-Standard.

8
Routine testing Routine testing is performed in accord-
The main components of the circuit- ance with the IEC- or ANSI-standards and
breakers are subjected to complete it includes at least the following opera-
pre-acceptance testing before assembly. tions and measurements:
Based on this quality level, it is possible
to confirm a leakage rate of less then Series of 100 mechanical switching cycles
0.5% per year for the circuit-breaker. Each Switching time determination
circuit-breaker is completely assembled in Release and motor currents
the test bay. The product specific inputs Gas monitoring
for computer-assisted routine testing are Testing of control circuits in
imported automatically from the order accordance with the circuit diagram
processing tools. This ensures that in Voltage drop of the main
addition to the standard test procedure conducting path
the fulfillment of every customer require- High voltage tests
ment is checked before delivery.

9
 Installation –
Simply Easy

Transport unit of a
3AP1 FG 145 kV
Live-tank circuit-breaker

2 1 3
Install pole Install pole Install pole
Installation and commissioning column A column A column A
The circuit-breaker is dismantled into few
subassemblies for transportation. Trans-
portation costs are minimized by using a
very compact transport unit and by pack-
ing several circuit breakers together into
one transportation unit.
The subassemblies can be quickly assem-
bled into a complete circuit-breaker on
site.
The 3AP circuit breakers can be installed
by a single installation fitter:

3AP1 3

one working day Install double interrupter

head
3AP2
two working days

No special tools are required

Service by the manufacturer is avail-

able to the operator
Throughout the entire service life of the
circuit-breaker we provide installation
and commissioning and any other serv-
ices on request.
The first visual inspection of the circuit-
breaker is not necessary until after 12
years, and the first maintenance is rec- 2
ommended after 25 years. Install post insulator
Depending on customer requests, differ- with operating rod

ent diagnostic tools can be offered.

A worldwide 24 hours service is avail-
able, which immediately sends out serv-
ice personnel and/or delivers spare parts
as needed. 1
Install breaker base with
operating mechanism
and control cubicle
10
Technical Data

Type 3AP1 3AP2

Rated voltage kV 72.5 123 145 170 245 300 362 420 550
Number of interrupter units per pole 1 2
Rated power frequency withstand voltage/min kV 140 230 275 325 460 460 520 610 800
Rated lightning impulse withstand voltage/min kV 325 550 650 750 1050 1050 1175 1425 1550
Rated switching impulse withstand voltage kV 850 950 1050 1175
Rated normal current, up to A 4000 4000 4000 4000 4000 4000 5000 5000 5000
Rated short-time withstand current (1 s - 3 s), up to kA(rms) 40 40 40 40 50 40 50 50 63
Rated peak withstand current, up to kA(peak) 108 108 108 108 135 108 170 170 170
Rated short-circuit breaking current, up to kA(rms) 40 40 40 40 50 40 63 63 63
Rated short-circuit making current, up to kA(peak) 108 108 108 108 135 108 170 170 170
Temperature range °C -30 or -40 ... +40 or +50
Rated operating sequence 0-0.3 s-CO-3 min-CO or CO-15 s-CO
Rated break time 3 cycles 2 cycles
Rated frequency Hz 50/60
Type of drive mechanism Stored-energy spring mechanism
Control voltage VDC 48...250
Motor voltage VDC 48/60/110/125/220/250 or
VAC 120...240, 50 Hz; 120...280, 60 Hz
Flashover distance phase/earth mm 700 1250 1250 1500 1900 2200 3400 3400 3800
across open breaker mm 1200 1200 1200 1400 1900 2200 3200 3200 3800
Min. creepage distance phase/earth mm 2248 3625 3625 4250 6125 7626 10375 10375 13750
across open breaker mm 3625 3625 3625 4250 6125 8575 10500 10500 13750
Dimensions height mm 3810 4360 4360 4810 6050 6870 6200 6200 7350
width mm 3180 3880 3880 4180 6640 8235 8847 9847 13050
depth mm 660 660 660 660 880 880 4380 4380 5050
Phase spacing (min.) mm 1350 1700 1700 1850 2800 3600 4000 4500 6000
Circuit-breaker weight kg 1350 1500 1500 1680 2940 3340 5370 5370 7160
Maintenance after 25 years
Values in accordance with IEC, other values available on request

11
For further Information

Please fax this page Name

to the following number:
Fax +49 30/386-25867
or send us an e-mail: Position

circuit-breaker@siemens.com

Company

Street

Postcode/City/Country

Phone/Fax

Please send me more information on the following topics:

High-voltage circuit-breakers for outdoor installation
Live-tank and dead-tank high-voltage circuit-breakers technology
High-voltage compact switchgear 3AP1 DTC for 145 kV
Eliminate stress: Controlled switching of high-voltage circuit-breakers
SF6 in power engineering – acting responsibly
Ruhrtal – Disconnectors and Earthing Switches
Further copies of this brochure

The information in this document contains Subject to change wit hout prior notice
Siemens AG Order No. E50001-U113-A165- V3-7600
general descriptions of the technical options
Power Transmission and Distribution available, which do not always have to be present Printed in Germany
in individual cases. The required features should
High Voltage Division therefore be specified in each individual case at
Dispo-Stelle 30000
By. PA 03075.0
Nonnendammallee 14 the time of closing the contract.
13629 Berlin
Germany

www.hv-circuit-breaker.com
www.siemens.com/ptd

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