Gas-Insulated Switchgear & SF6 Handling
This course covers gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) construction, operation, and SF6 gas handling for medium-voltage distribution equipment governed by IEC 62271-203 and IEEE C37 series standards. Students learn GIS compartment design, closed pressure-system gas monitoring, leak-rate regulatory limits, and the safe-handling procedures required when SF6 is present in a switchgear compartment. All hands-on work uses a de-energized training GIS cabinet with a live SF6 training detector; no student handles energized GIS or performs a live gas-compartment opening in this course. The course addresses the accelerating SF6 phase-down driven by state and federal greenhouse-gas rules and the resulting shift toward SF6-free and reduced-GWP gas mixtures, so that graduates understand both the legacy fleet they will service for decades and the alternative-gas equipment entering the market. Every SF6-adjacent competency in this course is treated as safety-critical and is evaluated by a licensed qualified person, consistent with the arc-flash and shock-hazard framework established in Medium-Voltage Fundamentals.
What you'll be able to do
- Identify the compartment structure of a metal-enclosed GIS assembly and locate its gas-tight barriers.
- Interpret a GIS gas-pressure/density monitoring gauge and determine whether the reading is within the manufacturer's normal operating band. Safety-critical
- Calculate an SF6 compartment's annual leak rate from sequential pressure/density readings and determine whether it exceeds the regulatory threshold. Safety-critical
- Don SF6-handling PPE and use a portable SF6 gas detector to check for leaks at compartment seams and valves before any authorized opening. Safety-critical
- Execute a lockout/tagout and zero-energy verification on a training GIS cabinet before any simulated maintenance access. Safety-critical
- Operate a GIS disconnect and earthing switch sequence using manufacturer-specified interlocks. Safety-critical
- Document an SF6 gas inventory and handling record for a GIS compartment per closed pressure-system recordkeeping practice.
- Compare SF6 switchgear to SF6-free and reduced-GWP alternative-gas switchgear technologies entering the market under regulatory phase-down pressure.
- Escalate a suspected SF6 compartment failure (rapid pressure loss or detector alarm) to the responsible qualified person and site emergency procedure. Safety-critical
Train the team that runs the factory.
The Institute travels with every SAVRN campus.