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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteCompare each SF₆-free medium-voltage (MV) switchgear offer against the data center’s electrical duty, verified assembly evidence, operating model, physical design and project jurisdiction. Ask vendors to identify the insulation medium and interruption method separately, and to document the exact ratings and configurations covered by their tests. A “SF₆-free” label alone does not establish that a lineup is suitable for the facility.
What should you define before comparing offers?
Give every bidder the same project data sheet. Set the required values from the facility design and utility requirements; the applicable standard defines equipment scope, not the ratings your data center needs.
- System: nominal and highest voltage, frequency, utility interface and installation conditions, including indoor or outdoor location and ambient conditions.
- Electrical duty: bus and feeder continuous current; short-time withstand current and duration; peak withstand; and switching duty.
- Lineup: number and type of functional units, transformer and generator interfaces, protection, metering and control requirements, and any bus-section or other functional arrangements.
- Facility plan: expansion assumptions, redundancy and maintenance strategy, room constraints, cable entry and required access.
The current consolidated listing for IEC 62271-200:2021+AMD1:2024 covers prefabricated AC metal-enclosed assemblies above 1 kV and up to and including 52 kV, for frequencies up to and including 60 Hz and indoor or outdoor installation. Confirm with the project engineer which edition and requirements apply to the procurement.
What does “SF₆-free” mean in the proposed design?
Ask the vendor to state separately what provides electrical insulation, what interrupts current, and which gases—if any—are used in each compartment. Request the gas inventory and global-warming-potential information where applicable. “SF₆-free” does not, by itself, describe every medium in the design or establish that the equipment contains no other fluorinated gas.
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One manufacturer example is ABB UniSec Air: ABB describes dry air as the insulation medium and a vacuum interrupter for breaking, states GWP zero, and identifies data centers as an application for the UniSec family. These are manufacturer claims about a product example, not independent comparative evidence or a finding that a particular offered lineup meets a project’s needs.
Alternatives are not one interchangeable technology class. CIGRE’s 2026 guide summary describes non-SF₆ options that include fluorinated and natural-origin gas mixtures, used with gas or vacuum interrupters. It presents the guide as complementing existing standards, including IEC 62271-4. Use the proposed medium and equipment design—not the “SF₆-free” label—to frame questions about service, handling and end of life.
What evidence should you request for the offered assembly?
Request documents that identify the actual offered configuration and its limits. A family brochure or a statement of standards compliance is not a substitute for evidence covering the lineup, ratings and functional units in the bid.
- The applicable IEC standard edition and clauses, plus certificates or declarations of conformity.
- Type-test reports and rated values, with the configuration boundaries and any limitations clearly identified.
- The internal-arc classification, tested sides and accessibility conditions, and the assumptions for room layout or exhaust arrangements.
- Drawings and schedules that map the tested or declared configuration to the proposed functional units, options and ratings.
IEC’s public listing for IEC 62271-200 identifies the standard’s scope and notes changes to internal-arc test provisions. The listing is not the full normative text or a report for a vendor’s product. If a bidder’s evidence does not let the project team trace the proposed lineup to the claimed test coverage, ask the vendor to resolve that gap before treating the claim as established.
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Review the equipment in the context of the electrical room and the facility’s operating procedures. The project’s risk assessment and engineering requirements—not a generic product comparison—must determine the required safety provisions and internal-arc performance.
- Access and protection: establish who can access each side, which sides must be protected, and what the internal-arc test accessibility conditions mean for the planned room and operating model.
- Isolation and maintenance: review interlocks, earthing, segregation and safe isolation steps. Determine how faults are isolated and whether maintenance can proceed while other sections remain energized, as required by the facility’s plan.
- Controls and resilience: verify protection, metering, monitoring and control interfaces, along with the proposed bus and feeder arrangements, against the facility’s operating and outage-planning requirements.
- Physical integration: compare dimensions, room clearances, cable interfaces, access, installation conditions and the extension approach with the building design and future-capacity plan.
- Lifecycle support: obtain the proposed commissioning and training scope, preventive-maintenance tasks, spares strategy, local service coverage and response commitments, and instructions for handling the actual insulating medium at end of life.
ABB says UniSec Air uses the same footprint and operating principles as UniSec; ABB also identifies data centers as an application for the UniSec family. Treat these as product-family claims to check against drawings, ratings and service availability for the exact variant and project country. ABB also identifies SafeRing Air/SafePlus Air for many 6–24 kV switching applications and describes dry-air insulation, GWP zero and family-level interface and footprint continuity. Those statements do not establish reliability or suitability for every application.
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Which EU dates may apply?
For projects in the EU, Article 13(9) of Regulation (EU) 2024/573 sets dates for putting into operation specified medium-voltage switchgear that uses or relies on fluorinated greenhouse gases as insulating or breaking media:
| Equipment scope in Article 13(9) | Relevant date |
|---|---|
| MV primary or secondary distribution up to and including 24 kV | 1 January 2026 |
| MV primary or secondary distribution above 24 kV through 52 kV | 1 January 2030 |
The regulation includes limited, procurement-conditioned derogations, with detailed conditions that depend on the case. Do not assume a derogation applies: establish the project jurisdiction, equipment scope, voltage, intended commissioning date, procurement record and basis for any claimed exception, then seek advice from qualified counsel or the competent authority. These dates are not a global rule and do not, by themselves, require automatic replacement of already installed equipment.
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What should the bidder comparison matrix contain?
Use one row per offer and require comparable, document-backed answers. Record missing or conditional information explicitly instead of treating it as confirmed.
| Comparison axis | Request from each bidder | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical duty | Voltage, current, short-time and peak withstand, switching duty, frequency and derating limits | Checks that every offer covers the same facility and utility conditions. |
| Compliance and testing | Applicable IEC edition, type-test reports, offered-configuration scope, internal-arc class and access assumptions | Connects evidence to the assembly being offered and the room arrangement. |
| Technology | Insulation medium, interruption method, gas inventory and GWP where applicable | Distinguishes designs that a broad “SF₆-free” label does not describe. |
| Resilience and operation | Functional arrangement, protection and control interfaces, interlocks, isolation and maintenance method, monitoring | Shows how the equipment fits operations and outage planning. |
| Physical integration | Dimensions, access and clearances, cable interfaces, room conditions and extension method | Surfaces building, installation and future-capacity constraints. |
| Lifecycle | Commissioning, training, preventive maintenance, spares, service coverage and end-of-life instructions | Captures obligations beyond equipment purchase. |
| Regulation | Jurisdiction, voltage, commissioning date, gas use, procurement record and any claimed exception basis | Allows the project team to assess rules against the actual project facts. |
How should you turn the comparison into an RFI?
Issue the same requirements and response format to every shortlisted vendor. Ask for evidence and project-specific clarifications, not just a product name or a general compliance statement.
- Attach the common duty sheet. Include the project’s required electrical values, utility requirements, interfaces, environmental conditions and expansion assumptions.
- Require a design description. Ask the bidder to identify insulation and interruption methods, all gases by compartment, offered functional units, ratings and any derating or application limits.
- Request traceable compliance evidence. Ask for applicable standard editions, reports and declarations, and a clear mapping from each document’s tested configuration to the proposed lineup.
- Request safety and layout information. Obtain internal-arc classifications and test assumptions, interlock and isolation details, room drawings, clearances, cable interfaces and exhaust assumptions where relevant.
- Set out operating and lifecycle needs. Specify required control and monitoring interfaces, maintenance strategy, commissioning and training, spares and service response expectations.
- Ask for a jurisdictional statement. For EU projects, ask the bidder to identify the regulation’s relevance to the offered equipment and intended commissioning date, and to document the basis for any claimed derogation for review by the project’s advisers.
- Score evidence separately from claims. Mark each requirement as demonstrated by project-specific evidence, conditional, or unresolved; do not treat a product-family statement as proof about the exact lineup.
This framework supports a project-specific procurement decision; it cannot determine required fault levels, redundancy, internal-arc class, reliability, maintenance interval, lifecycle cost or a preferred vendor without facility data and the actual bid documents.
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