17 February 2017

Tavrida Electric retrofits in Oman

Tavrida Electric, with the assistance of the Bahwan Engineering Group, has completed a retrofit project in Oman. The main goal of this project was to provide the client with the quickest, most convenient solution to replace outdated oil circuit breakers BBC (Calor Emag) ZE7WL.

The project took place at the request of Oman’s Rural Areas Electricity Company (RAECO).  It is their mission to supply power to the most remote places in Oman. The substation feeds the desalinating plant, placed on Masire - the largest island in the Persian Gulf, which provides fresh water to the whole island, including the Omani air force base.

The client’s outdated oil circuit breakers run out of their operational lives, and as a result, created a problem in that they interrupted the substation operation. Switchgear panels, however, remained in good condition. Tavrida Electric offered a cost-effective solution:  the replacement of the circuit breaker only. The existing switchgear panels were not subjected to any modernization, except for small changes in the control circuits.

Tavrida Electric carried out a detailed survey of the existing switchgear and oil circuit breakers prior to the project execution. Our engineers designed and manufactured  a suitable draw-out unit on the basis of a vacuum circuit breaker ISM15_Shell_2. The draw-out unit had exactly the same dimensions and functionality of the original oil circuit breaker, keeping the existing logic of interlocking. This project also included the design of the control circuits for the circuit breakers and their integration into the existing secondary circuits with minimal modernization of the switchgear.  

Tavrida Electric has performed a full range of services - including acceptance testing - at the substation in Oman.  This installation and commissioning took just four months, of which, safe delivery to the island took the greater part of the time. 

The new circuit breaker is used as the incomer from a diesel generator 3MW. 

It is worth mentioning that this was the first retrofit project in Oman for 10 years.  As a result of this project Tavrida Electric has proved the effectiveness and economic benefit of replacing old circuit breakers, without replacing the panels. Now the growth of the retrofit projects has expected in the Omani market.