October 25, 2004

Kibbutz Chooses Vista^® Switchgear Over Traditional Gear.

Kibbutz Cabri, a cooperative settlement in Israel located a few miles from the Lebanon border, is involved in agricultural endeavors such as cattle production and avocado, banana, and pear farming. The kibbutz also includes a number of manufacturing facilities, among them makers of precision aluminum castings and plastic parts.

Kibbutz Cabri needed to upgrade their 22-kV system for underground service. They wanted compact switchgear that would be easy to operate and simple to understand. S&C’s Vista® Underground Distribution Switchgear met all the requirements.

Vista Underground Distribution Switchgear features load interrupter switches and resettable, vacuum fault interrupters in series with disconnect switches, elbow-connected and enclosed in a submersible SF6-insulated, welded steel tank. Vista UDS is available with up to six “ways,” in ratings through 38 kV and 25 kA symmetrical short circuit. Large windows in the tank provide a clear view of the open gaps, ground position, and ground bus.

Kibbutz Cabri’s architects liked the low-profile design of Pad-Mounted Style Vista UDS since it would greatly improve site aesthetics. And they liked the space-saving qualities of Vault-Mounted Vista UDS too, since it would allow placement of a switching center in the restricted space available . . . their existing electrical vault.

Two switching centers were specified. A Vault-Mounted Vista Model 321 was selected to switch and protect a local transformer and a Pad-Mounted Vista Model 550 was selected to feed the residential community and industrial area.

In April 2004, a new underground service feeder was connected to the kibbutz.

Some challenges were experienced in connecting the Vista gear to the new feeder. The bushings utilized in Vista UDS are based on ANSI and IEEE standards but the connecting elbows used by the local utility are based on IEC standards. Since ANSI threads are in inches and IEC threads are metric, it was not possible to connect surge arrestors directly to the bushings. Research was done to identify and locate the correct adapter and, after much work, the proper connections were made.

Kibbutz Cabri is very satisfied with the Vista UDS. It meets all their expectations for gear that is compact and easy to operate. S&C is now working with the Israel Electric Corporation to make Vista UDS a standard component of their underground distribution system.

For more information about Vista UDS, contact your local S&C Sales Representative.