SUPERBUTE dry-type instrument transformers are engineered and rigorously tested to provide a measurable difference in reliability and durability. Since the very first unit produced in 1955, SUPERBUTE instrument transformers have provided utilities with a number of benefits for enhanced safety and a lower total cost of ownership. SUPERBUTE is designed to meet IEEE C57.13 standards and ANSI standard mounting provisions, terminals, and construction.
GE’s SUPERBUTE family of products supports system voltages up to and including 69 kV. The unique design of the SUPERBUTE family addresses the challenges with traditional voltage and current instrument transformers.
Features
GE’s SUPERBUTE product range consists of Inductive Voltage Transformers and Current Transformers:
Indoor and outdoor designs
Rated voltages up to 69 kV
Rated basic insulation levels (BIL) up to 350 kV
Relay class ratings up to T800
Standard & Special High Accuracy metering classes
Applications
GE’s SUPERBUTE product range includes specifications suitable for a wide range of revenue metering, protection and control applications. Common uses include:
Substation metering and relaying
Primary metering cabinets
Pole-top primary metering assemblies
Control power for reclosers, capacitors, and other distribution equipment
Current of voltage sensing for switchgear, circuit breakers, and other control equipment
Key Benefits
Longer Product Life
Field studies and accelerated life testing has shown an average operating life of more than 40 years, with reliability measures 3 times better than published industry benchmarks
Distribution class SUPERBUTE offers compact designs for more efficient application to solid-state metering and other modern installations.
Station class SUPERBUTE offers higher burden, higher thermal rating, and extra creep distance for substations or installations where higher ratings are required.
Enhanced Safety
Internal insulation is made from epoxy resin which is encapsulated in tough, elastic butyl rubber, dampening and minimizing the impact of high energy events
Environmentally Friendly & Minimum Maintenance
Unique dry-type construction ends oil leakage problems, eliminates breakage and vandalism issues, and does not support combustion
Lower Total Cost of Ownership
The dry-type design eliminates the need for oil testing or filtering and allows for a compact design which facilitates mounting flexibility for more economical installations such as on existing steel structures, inside a cabinet, or on a pole
Fast Delivery
Extensive vertical integration within the factory allows for standard lead times of 4-6 weeks, nearly half the industry average
Tough & Resilient Insulation
HY-BUTE 60™ butyl rubber as the external insulation
The outer shell of SUPERBUTE transformers are made with GE’s proprietary formula of butyl rubber, which is called HY-BUTE 60. This material adds the following timeless advantages over epoxy resins or porcelains designs:
Encapsulating the unit with a tough, elastic rubber provides an inherent safety advantage as it dampens the severity of any potential failure
Unique chemistry provides for non-arc tracking surface, significantly reducing risk of failure from flashover
Legendary durability as this material does not easily chip, crack, or shear
Will not stress crack due to the external environment, even in extreme conditions such as -50°C
Maintains hydrophobicity over the life of the transformer
Does not support combustion
Does not oxidize or corrode
GE’s proprietary formula of non-arc tracking butyl rubber showed no carbonization after 4,000 hours in salt-fog testing, compared to standard butyl rubber which failed after 107 hours or standard porcelain which failed after 400 hours under the same conditions
Cross section of a JVS350 station-class voltage transformer showing Epoxy encapsulated with HY-BUTE 60 butyl rubber shell
Epoxy as the internal insulation
Epoxy takes the place of oil as the internal insulation and winding impregnation. The advantage of this design includes:
Reduced footprint with a compact design with up to 30% less height than the leading oil-filled designs
High tensile strength which allows for mounting in any position including vertical, horizontal, upside down, or at any angle
Environmentally friendly design eliminates hidden costs associated with traditional liquid-filled designs such as:
oil-leakage problems
oil filtering or testing
construction requirements for a large installation space or dedicated
support structure
Superior Design Features
SUPERBUTE Advantage: Superior primary winding design and extra creep distance ensure accurate, reliable performance in harsh conditions
SUPERBUTE instrument transformers are designed for quality and reliability with features engineered to withstand high voltage stresses and extreme environmental conditions, while delivering the highest accuracies possible, all within a compact design. The result is a reliable, long-lasting, easy to handle design that ultimately lowers total cost of ownership.
Lattice-type windings for voltage transformer
Originally patented by GE, lattice-type windings have precise controlled positioning and distribution of each turn to reduce maximum voltage stress within the winding. This unique design also minimizes the possibility of partial discharges within the winding. The coil configuration, and the outer electrostatic shields distribute steep voltage fronts across the coil to reduce concentration of stress.
Lattice-type winding in a JVS350 station-class VT
Multi-gap type primary in a JKW350 station-class CT
Built-in surge protection for current transformers
A unique multi-gap type primary by-pass on current transformers 600 amps and below protects windings during line disturbances or steep current wave fronts. The gaps are factory adjusted to fire at 5000-7500 crest volts, thereby by-passing surge currents up to 100 times rated, which could otherwise result in excessive voltages across the primary winding.
High accuracy, extended range ratings for current transformers
The use of high accuracy instrument transformers with solid-state metering allows for improved billing accuracy and/or the potential to reduce inventory requirements. GE offers high accuracy and extended range ratings which meet the accuracy needed for these applications. Since introducing the first dry-type high-accuracy transformer solution in 1991, GE’s high accuracy product line has grown to a portfolio that includes a wide variety of voltage classes up to and including 69 kV.
Compact size & mounting flexibility
SUPERBUTE transformers require up to 30% less height and up to 40% less floor space compared to the leading oil-filled designs, and can be mounted in any position. This allows substation design flexibility including mounting on a substation steel structure or a pole.
Extra creep & strike
Even with 30% less height, standard units can be used in environmentally severe conditions and in high altitude (10,000ft) applications. Station class units have creep distances that exceed the requirements for even the next-level voltage class.
SUPERBUTE station-class creepage distances versus IEEE C57.13-2008
required levels, by system voltage
SUPERBUTE transformers are more compact and lower profile compared to the lead liquid filled transformers
Voltage Transformers
SUPERBUTE Product Overview: Inductive Voltage Transformers
Outdoor Voltage Transformers: Outdoor voltage transformers are available at 5-69 kV and 60-350 kV BIL. These units are offered in two distinct sizes for efficient sizing:
Station class: Higher burden, higher thermal rating, and extra creep distance for metering and/or relaying applications in substations or installations where higher ratings are required such as high altitude or high contamination locations.
Distribution class: Compact designs, with lighter burden and thermal rating for more efficient application to solid-state metering and other modern relay and control power installations.
Indoor Voltage Transformers: Indoor Voltage Transformers are available at 5-25 kV system voltage and 60-200 kV BIL.
Current Transformers
SUPERBUTE Product Overview: Current Transformers
Outdoor Current Transformers: Outdoor current transformers are available in Bar-Type and Window-Type styles, 5-15 kV, 60 kV-110 kV BIL, up to 4000 A. Outdoor wound-type current transformers (CTs) are available 5-69 kV, 60-350 kV BIL, up to 1200 A. Wound-type units are available in two distinct sizes:
Station class: Station class CT’s have a versatile design that is suitable for metering and/or relaying applications. Units are larger in size, have additional creep distance, and are rated for heavier metering burdens.
Distribution class: Distribution class CT’s are more compact and are designed specifically for maximum efficiency in solid-state revenue metering applications. These CT’s generally do not have a relay rating.
Outdoor current transformers are also available in Bar-Type and Window-Type styles, 5-15 kV, 60 kV-110 kV BIL, up to 4000A.
Indoor Current Transformers: Indoor current transformers are available 5-15 kV system voltage and 60-150 kV BIL. Product types include wound type up to 1200 A, and window-type or bar-type up to 4000 A.
Combined CT/VT
SUPERBUTE Product Overview: Combined CT/VT
Outdoor CT/VT combo: Designed for outdoor service, a combination voltage transformer (VT) and current transformer (CT) is typically used for primary metering applications. GE’s RevenueSense™ CT design provides 0.15 accuracy from 1% of rated current through rating factor.
Why a combo unit
Safety – fewer HV connections
Savings – reduced field labor (1/2 the # of units)