Protecting the Four Wire Distribution System

Electrical switchgear engineering firm NOJA Power has confirmed successful installations and service performance of their Single Triple OSM Recloser product in over 10 US states. The modular arrangement of NOJA Power’s Single Phase Reclosers paired with the RC-10 or RC-15 controller allows for independent phase reclosing or optional ganged operation, providing maximum reliability for utilities operating a four-wire distribution system.

Supported locally by the US office in Miami Florida and an extensive network of manufacturer’s representatives, NOJA Power’s Single Triple installations are the latest use-cases for NOJA Power in the US, following over a decade history of supplying 3 phase distribution Automatic Circuit Reclosers (ACRs) to municipal utility districts and coops.

NOJA Power’s policy of equipment integration is a key advantage in distribution applications. By supplying the entire system in a single package, including the ACR, controls, auxiliary supply, communications peripherals and SCADA Remote Terminal Unit (RTU), commissioning and protection design becomes greatly simplified. With a simple installation comes higher reliability and reduced operational costs.

The standard control system supplied with the NOJA Power OSM Recloser is the RC-10 or RC-15, providing comprehensive protection capabilities to utility engineers. When paired with the Single Triple ACR, this control allows for single phase reclosing and independent protection on each device, whilst simultaneously providing 3 phase protection and lockout features.

Advanced capabilities such as Smart Grid Automation, Broken Conductor and High Impedance Fault detection have provided significant reliability improvements to utilities throughout the world, and these features are now well applied in the Single Triple OSM Recloser in the US.

“The network in North America is quite unique in the world in that it employs a four wire system and typically unbalanced loads. This offers the advantage of being able to run the network with only one or two phases connected supplying load and the faulted phase isolated,” says NOJA Power Group Managing Director Neil O’Sullivan. “The development of our single triple product that allows for independent fault operation and phase isolation is specific to the four wire application. We have recently developed a single triple product incorporated into a single tank that will reduce the size and cost of installations.”