Electricity Today T&D Magazine

Same day switching avoids the extended outages and human and equipment costs associated with inoperable and broken switches.
The vast majority of air break disconnect and ground switches in electric power networks typically receive no appreciable maintenance. This invariably results in the inability to operate switches when needed. A pretreatment method is now available that is safe to use on energized switches. It consists of a remote radio-controlled hot stick tool and a non-flammable aerosol fluid engineered to dissolve the corrosion and dried grease deposits that often inhibit switch movement. The method has been shown to reliably restore normal function and operation to previously inoperable air disconnect switches.
During a test phase, the tool was used to apply fluid to a variety of types and voltages of known inoperable switches in varying environmental conditions. Switching functions were successfully restored in a short time to allow same day switching activities. Testing...