Natural disasters caused by extreme weather, including flooding, heat, and drought, continue to affect energy security and impact millions of people and businesses each year, costing billions. In response to these challenges and to meet customer demand for power safety and reliability, ABB has designed a next-generation extreme weather-resistant housing cabinet for its R-MAG magnetically actuated dead tank breaker for medium-voltage primary substations.

Available for 15-, 27-, and 38-kV units, the housing has been designed to the stringent NEMA 4 rating standards, offering unparalleled protection against even the most severe water and dust ingress. Featuring seamless roof-to-wall joints and external self-sealing bolts that prevent any gaps, the housing is completely secure and watertight. A new roof overhang also helps limit water exposure, plus the bushings-to-roof interface is secured by a superior aerospace-grade, UV-resistant, and more robust gasket.

These technological improvements on the traditional NEMA 3R housing make this outdoor circuit breaker altogether safer and more reliable. Additionally, ABB is also releasing a new arc-resistant housing variant for the R-MAG breaker. This new enclosure ensures any fire and gases are expulsed in a controlled manner in the event of an internal arc fault; there is increased protection for substation personnel on all sides of the equipment, much lower risk of failure and downtime, plus faster overall restoration of the system. 

Even better for OEMs, a three-point latch and self-aligning hinges help ensure a smooth and uniform door fit, while the enhanced position indicator window design also repels excess water levels. The footprints of the R-MAG 15- and 27-kV units have even been reduced from 60 inches wide to 52 inches, offering space and resource savings.