Eaton Electrical, Inc.

Reduce maintenance costs and downtime with reliable vacuum technology. Most power circuit breakers require maintenance and lubrication every two years and proper maintenance can require 6–8 man-hours per circuit breaker. Thanks to our advanced lubrication system that creates a protective layer between wearing surfaces, we have taken maintenance intervals to the next level. Coupled with our utility hardened mechanism and applied in normal applications as defined by IEEE Std C37.04™-1999, the VR-Series+ circuit breaker will only require maintenance once every 10 years or 10,000 operations, whichever comes first. Both the mechanism and control components can be easily maintained and can take as little as an hour to service.

Solve parts availability issues

Replacement parts for old air-magnetic circuit breakers are becoming harder to find and may not comply with the original manufacturer’s specifications. VR-Series+ mechanism and control components are compatible with Eaton’s VCP-W and VR-Series+ circuit breakers and are current production items. This means that replacement parts are in stock and available, saving you time and money, should you ever need them. Additionally, spare parts inventory is considerably reduced because VR-Series+ circuits breakers have 50% fewer parts than traditional air magnetic circuit breakers.

Increased interrupting capability

Power demands may have increased your available short current beyond your existing switchgear’s capabilities. VR-Series+ circuit breakers along with the appropriate bus bracing upgrades can increase your switchgear’s interrupting capabilities in the same space as your original air-magnetic circuit breakers. This provides a cost-effective alternative to a complete switchgear replacement.

Eliminate arc chutes

Arc chutes degrade with usage and must eventually be replaced. VR-Series+ circuit breakers use sealed vacuum interrupters and do not require arc chutes. Arc chutes raise environmental and legal issues due to asbestos.

Designed and tested to exceed current IEEE/ANSI standards

All VR-Series+ medium-voltage circuit breakers are designed and tested to meet or exceed IEEE/ ANSI C37.59™-2018 standards. This assures compatibility with existing installations and IEEE/ ANSI application guidelines. IEEE/ANSI certification and certified factory production test reports are available.

Class 1 reconditioning can extend the useful life of vintage low voltage power circuit breakers. This unique multi-step process restores the breaker to its original capacity and is covered by a 3-year warranty on workmanship and any parts that were replaced. Original manufacturers standards and tolerances are adhered to in both reconditioning and testing. Trip unit upgrades and Arc-Flash Reduction Maintenance System upgrades are available.

When power circuit breakers have reached their end of life and reconditioning is not a good fit, Eaton’s Low Voltage Air Replacement (LV AR-Series) circuit breakers are a good solution. These replacement breakers are brand new and are designed to be the electrical and mechanical equivalents of the breakers they replace, utilizing a Magnum DS breaker with Digitrip technology in an engineered cassette that interfaces with the existing switchgear. Little or no modifications to the existing cell are required, and renewal parts availability issues are eliminated. Higher short-circuit interrupting ratings are available on many LV-AR models with a magnetic bus bracing analysis. 

Eaton offers the Low Voltage Vacuum Starter Replacement (LV VSR-Series) for applications with vintage circuit breakers that start and stop motors repetitively. These hybrid power circuit breaker and vacuum contactor devices replace the existing circuit breaker with minimum cell modifications. Current limiting fuses provide primary fault protection and hundreds of thousands of switching operations are possible, extending the useful life of the switchgear by as much as 20-30 years.

Eaton’s turnkey hydro solutions team can upgrade and modernize antiquated automation and control systems to improve efficiency, reliability and safety of hydroelectric power plants while reducing costs. Using Eaton or third-party specified equipment, our experts custom engineer each unit control panel to match your hydro facilities application needs. Visit our booth to see a custom integrated hydroelectric control system, with operating Eaton Human Machine Interface, Allen Bradley PLC, Basler DECS 250 Automatic Voltage Regulator, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories 700G Generator Protection Relay and manual control switches. Interact with a simulated control system to experience the actual user interface, respond to alarms, view control unit settings and operating status.