MR launched the VACUTAP® VV® on the market in 2000. Since then, it has enabled customers all over the world to operate their transformers virtually maintenance-free. A pioneering achievement.
Just in time for the start of the new millennium, MR presented a world premiere: the VACUTAP® VV® was the first on-load tap-changer with vacuum technology for oil-filled transformers. It made it possible to operate the tap-changer almost maintenance-free. Although conventional tap-changers work extremely reliably, they have one unavoidable problem: during every switching operation, an arc contaminates the insulating oil. As a result, the oil must be changed regularly, especially in applications with a high number of switching operations, such as steelworks or electrolysis plants. For operators, this represents a significant cost factor; in addition, frequent oil changes are harmful to the environment.
2.525
operators
worldwide use the vacuum tap-changer, which operates in transformers from 399 different manufacturers.
600.000
switching operations
can be achieved by the VACUTAP® VV® with just one maintenance after 300,000 operations.
7.407
tons
of CO₂ equivalents have been saved since its introduction thanks to avoided oil treatment and reduced travel for maintenance.
Therefore, MR’s engineers sought a new solution and opted for vacuum switching technology, which was still largely untested at the time. Rolf Strempel, part of the development team, recalls: “This was new territory. Although we had gained experience with this technology since the 1980s, we had to develop the right vacuum interrupters with a partner. That was tricky because of the high number of switching operations required, but we succeeded!”
“Over the last 25 years, the VACUTAP® VV® has become a real hit in every conceivable application. This tap-changer shows its strengths in easy handling in transformer production and also when carrying out maintenance work in the field.”
Uwe Seltsam, Head of Global Execution & Product Services (TS)
The great advantage of the technology: switching takes place in a vacuum instead of in oil. This means the arc cannot cause damage, and an oil change is no longer necessary. This technology also enables the use of alternative, environmentally friendly insulating fluids. Strempel can also illustrate that the tap-changer withstands extreme conditions with an example from the field: “In Russia, we once had a service case in winter where a lump of ice formed on the tap-changer due to a high water content in the oil, causing a failure. So we poured hot oil into it, and the VACUTAP® VV® continued to operate reliably.” Over the years, new variants were added, but aside from minor technical adjustments, the VACUTAP® VV® still operates on the same concept as when it was launched. Proof for Strempel: “The technology is fully developed!”
