Perspectives and conclusions
HV switchgear (part 3)

It's always risky to try and predict the future of a technical field, because we can never rule out the possibility that an invention will profoundly change the current situation.

• The whole switchgear was modified by the discovery of the arc-extinguishing properties of SF₆, with the design of new devices such as SF₆ circuit breakers and gas-insulated substations.

  The SF₆ cut-off technique still has many years ahead of it, as there is no other gas known today with better cut-off and isolation qualities.

  Other gases or gas mixtures with good dielectric properties could be substituted for SF₆, but most of these are fluorinated gases which also have drawbacks with regard to the environment; their use would come at the price of a drop in switching performance (relative to a switching element).

  Other possible...