What is BS EN 50068 about?
BS EN 50068 covers the requirements for the design, construction, testing, inspection, and certification of gas-filled enclosures for use specifically in high-voltage switchgear and control gear, or for associated gas-filled equipment.
BS EN 50068 applies to wrought steel enclosures and their welding. These enclosures are pressurized with dry air, inert gases, for example sulphur hexafluoride or nitrogen or a mixture of such gases, used in indoor and outdoor installations of high-voltage switchgear and control-gear with rated voltages above 1kV, where the gas is used principally for its dielectric and/or arc-quenching properties.
BS EN 50068 also covers enclosures of pressurized components such as the centre chamber of live tank switchgear, gas-insulated current transformers, etc.
Who is BS EN 50068 for?
BS EN 50068 on high-voltage switchgear and control gear is useful for:
- Manufacturers and suppliers of wind turbine blades
- Manufacturers and suppliers of switch gears and control gears
- Manufacturers of gas-insulated switchgear
- Testing houses/ service/certification providers for switch gears and control gears
- Entities dealing and ensuring efficiency of the system
Why should you use BS EN 50068?
Control-gear refers to the electrical disconnect switches, fuses, and circuit breakers used to control, protect, and isolate electrical equipment.
BS EN 50068 states that the switchgear manufacturer is responsible for maintaining a consistent and adequate level of quality of the product. The enclosure manufacturer shall conduct adequate examinations to ensure that the materials, production, and testing comply with the standard.
BS EN 50068 describes complete criteria for material selection, analysis, calculation methods, test procedure requirements, manufacturing equipment, and welding process specifications as well as testing and certification.
Overall, BS EN 50068 guides users to use a structured methodology and a systems approach to support Gas-filled wrought steels and steel alloy enclosures and to accelerate the uptake of the next generation of energy-saving technologies. These guide users to use enabling technologies to move toward energy efficiency.