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G&W has established its dominance in supplying reclosers through a partnership with SEL—the first North American built recloser package (interrupter plus control) with integrated six built-in voltage sensors on dead tank design. “This has not only resulted in fewer animal flashovers but facilitates improved dielectric stability of the equipment,” says John Gounaris, the VP of marketing of G&W Electric.

The solid dielectric Viper recloser weighs considerably less than oil insulated devices and doesn’t need any special lifting equipment to operate. It utilizes G&W’s time-proven EPOX polymer system to fully encapsulate the vacuum interrupters. This system provides excellent insulation properties while delivering completely shielded, void-free construction. “All overcurrent protection modules are UV protected, and 100 percent factory tested for partial discharge,” adds Gounaris. Further, the product maintains operator safety as vacuum fault interrupters are sealed within solid dielectric insulation providing dead tank construction. While the combination of its hook stick, the manual trip, and lockout handle enables users to prohibit operation either directly or remotely, the mechanical blocking device assists against accidental closure from the ground level. “The device also has an open and closed contact indicator that verifies contact position,” adds Mueller.

Flexibility and Customization

On the application flexibility side, Viper units are designed for overhead, substation, and padmount applications. The product comes with a combination of pole-mounted units equipped with either horizontal or vertical insulators or removable silicone insulators for overhead applications. This feature permits easy field replacement if an insulator is damaged. Higher external BIL-rated insulators can also be used in high pollution areas and can be retrofitted if necessary.

Unlike the traditional manufacturers, G&W takes custom engineering to the next level by delivering various iterations of the basic reclosers’ design specifically crafted for each utility. This allows utility and energy clients to standardize their installation, operation, and maintenance procedures without being restricted by the market’s limitations. G&W’s pre-wired and tested reclosers effectively help clients to save on labor costs, and ultimately perform quicker installations.

While presenting the numerous capabilities of G&W’s vast portfolio offerings, Mueller highlights an impressive use case scenario that involved a customer in the western part of the U.S. The utilities client wanted to add reclosing devices and new poles to reduce the congestion, as the existing poles were housing phone and cable lines in addition to the multiple electrical lines. As the traditional reclosers require up to six feet of vertical space to install, the client approached G&W to find a custom solution with lower height requirements. Being the only manufacturer offering numerous recloser configurations, G&W provided the client with the Z-shaped Viper reclosers—as opposed to the traditionally L-shaped—which reduced its overall footprint by one and a half feet.