The next level for the VRDT

Distri­b­u­tion grids are a key element on the path to a fully elec­tri­fied world. To prepare them for the chal­lenges of tomorrow, large-scale use of voltage regu­lated distri­b­u­tion trans­formers (VRDTs) is the most effi­cient solu­tion. The third gener­a­tion of the ECOTAP® VPD® enables voltage regu­la­tion to become stan­dard in distri­b­u­tion trans­formers.

Why VRDTs are becoming ever more impor­tant

1 DECENTRALIZED GENERATION

is increasing, and with it the need to increase the perfor­mance of distri­b­u­tion grids.

2 ADDITIONAL LOADS

Mobility and heat will be elec­tric in the future. The hosting capacity for these addi­tional loads must increase.

3 DUAL ROLE

With solar systems on roofs, more and more consumers are also becoming producers. Distri­b­u­tion grids have to dynam­i­cally respond to these dynamics.

4 MORE FLEXIBILITY

in sector coupling can be utilized more effi­ciently of distri­b­u­tion grids have greater capacity.

5 THE COMPLEXITY OF GRIDS IS INCREASING

and the digi­tal­iza­tion of distri­b­u­tion grids helps master this issue.

Simply powerful

The third gener­a­tion of ECOTAP® VPD® makes voltage regu­la­tion the stan­dard in distri­b­u­tion trans­formers.

500,000 SWITCHING
is what ECOTAP® VPD® is capable of. This exceeds the average service life time of a typical local grid trans­former.

Smartly into the future
Thanks to ECOTAP® VPD®, digital connec­tion is no problem and the VRDT becomes active equip­ment in the digital distri­b­u­tion grid.

Very compact
The volume of the new ECOTAP® VPD® has been reduced by 50 percent in compar­ison to its prede­cessor.

30 %
less weight is what the new ECOTAP® VPD® including motor-drive unit brings.

Main­te­nance-free oper­a­tion
Vacuum tap-change tech­nology ensures a long service life and virtu­ally no main­te­nance effort.

Auto­mated produc­tion
The new ECOTAP® VPD® was designed for auto­mated produc­tion in high quan­ti­ties. As a result, costs can be reduced signif­i­cantly and voltage regu­la­tion can become the stan­dard in distri­b­u­tion grids. Produc­tion takes place in a newly constructed plant in Italy.

 

How does a VRDT work?

New power suppliers, such as photo­voltaic systems on roofs, lead to voltage increases in local networks. New loads, such as those caused by e-mobility, lead to addi­tional voltage drops. Distri­b­u­tion grids to date have not been designed for this. Since medium-voltage and low-voltage grids are rigidly coupled via distri­b­u­tion trans­formers, the most common option used in the past, was to expand the grid. That is expen­sive! Depending on grid condi­tions, the hosting capacity for addi­tional loads and suppliers can be increased two to four times using a VRDT, without needing to rein­force the cable network. How does this work? The control and regu­lating unit 1 contin­u­ously measures the secondary voltage 2 uand auto­mat­i­cally outputs a signal to the tap changer when it needs to change the trans­former ratio 3. The control and regu­lating unit can also be connected with SCADA systems 4 to support more sophis­ti­cated voltage control schemes.

 

Where does the ECOTAP® VPD® fit in?

In addi­tion to distri­b­u­tion grids, VRDTs are also suit­able for indus­trial appli­ca­tions and renew­able produc­tion systems.

 

Distri­b­u­tion grid

The distri­b­u­tion grid is the main appli­ca­tion for the new ECOTAP® VPD® with 30 amperes.It keeps the voltage in the low voltage grid stable and is designed for trans­formers up to a voltage class of 24 kV.

 

Industry

If very precise voltage or a larger regu­lating range is needed, ECOTAP® VPD® with 100 amperes and change-over selector is the right choice. It offers 17 oper­ating posi­tions and supplies indus­trial, agri­cul­tural or commer­cial processes with a defined, stable voltage range, protected against outside influ­ences.

 

Renew­ables

At higher power levels but with less space, such as in wind power systems, ECOTAP® VPD® with 100 amperes and 9 oper­ating posi­tions is the right on-load tap-changer. It can be easily inte­grated into existing trans­former design and helps opti­mize

 

 

Tech­nology from the pioneer

Rein­hausen has adapted its exper­tise from several decades of expe­ri­ence with on-load tap-changers to the specific require­ments in distri­b­u­tion trans­formers contin­u­ously further devel­oping the solu­tion

  • 2009
    The first pilot projects start

    n initial field tests, trials were still conducted with conven­tional tap changers in oil tech­nology and the effec­tive­ness of voltage regu­lated distri­b­u­tion trans­formers was proven in real-world oper­a­tion.

  • 2012
    First series solu­tion for voltage regu­lated distri­b­u­tion trans­formers.

    GRIDCON® iTAP® was the first main­te­nance-free, highly-compact vacuum on-load tap-changer for distri­b­u­tion trans­formers. Rein­hausen devel­oped the system specif­i­cally for use in distri­b­u­tion grids. The system consists of an on-load tap-changer, motor-drive unit and voltage regu­lator.

  • 2016
    First high-speed resistor-type tap-changer for distri­b­u­tion trans­formers

    Rein­hausen launched ECOTAP® VPD® , the world’s first high-speed resistor-type tap-changer for distri­b­u­tion trans­formers with direct drive. It solved the problem of addi­tional losses in the trans­former.

  • 2018
    The second gener­a­tion of the ECOTAP® VPD® is brought to market

    It is even more econom­ical than its prede­cessor and is suit­able for a a broader range of appli­ca­tions.

 

YOUR CONTACT


Do you have any ques­tions about ECOTAP® VPD® ?
Franco Pizzutto is here to help:
F.Pizzutto@reinhausen.com