Electrical Contact Grease Question

[Coco_HueHueHue]

Hello,

I cannot identify a grease that would be good for breaker connections to switchgear busbars in 600V and 15kV equipment.
Am I asking myself too many questions and a simple good quality dielectric grease from an auto part do the job or if there are specific product for that.

I know for AL-AL or AL-CU connections you may use some Burndy Penetrox product or their equivalent, but the grease I saw in the past on breaker/switchgear racking connections usually does not look like a penetrox anti-oxydant compound.

Would be great if anybody of good field experience has any idea. Would be even better if someone can point out a product easily available in Canada by the way!

Thanks
Coco

 

[thermionic1]

The correct answer is always consult the manufacturer for latest maintenance recommendations. Other less correct answers might be GE Red / Mobile 28 or Anderol 757 for moving parts in the mechanism. Never WD-40. Auto parts store lubricants should be avoided.

The attached paper, discusses HV breaker lubrication in detail with some areas of crossover to LV&MV breakers.

https://www.doble.com/wp-content/uploads/Circuit-Breaker-Mechanism-Lubricant-Performance.pdf

 

[Coco_HueHueHue]

Thanks for the input.
I was more looking towards the breaker electrical racking connections to the equipment bus bars though.
If you have any idea for that one, it would be appreciated.

 

[che12345]

Coco_HueHueHue (Electrical)(OP)27 Sep 24 11:54
'..I was more looking towards the breaker electrical racking connections to the equipment bus bars though'
I made the presumption that you are looking for the lubricant on the racking connection between the fixed and the moveable contact on the withdrawable CB.
1. This lubricant characteristics defers from the normal metal-to-metal moving non-electrical mechanism parts, e.g. springs, rollers etc.
2. The lubricant you are looking for is applied on a set of fixed and the moving contact on the withdrawable CB. These contacts gripped tight when in connected position. There is NO switching arc. Its function is to lower the insertion/withdrawable friction and to prevent oxidation of the silver coated contact surfaces. Its film shall be of low resistance.
3. Consult the CB OEM maintenance manual for their recommendation. You can not expect the local Sales office to take up your case seriously. They usually are not knowledgeable or there is no incentive to ask their factory of advice.
4. Suggestion: Check whether the characteristics of fluorous grease such as Pyratex EP is compatible for the application.
Che Kuan Yau (Singapore)

 

[jraef]

Some of the tulip system maintenance manuals specifically warn you NOT to put grease on them, they claim to be "permanently lubricated" and putting anything on them strips that lubricant off.

But that said, if you do have to use it, in a previous life our field service team used stuff called "HVG", which was simply "High Voltage Grease".

https://electrolube.com/app/uploads/2019/09/HVG.pdf

" We are all here on earth to help others; what on earth the others are here for I don't know." -- W. H. Auden

 

[Coco_HueHueHue]

Thank you jraef, that is exactly the kind of product I was searching for to add on the contact when you see old breakers that seem to have a tulip system that looks like it has no more lubricant on it.