Verduin, Kirsten (2026) Supporting sustainable high-voltage substation design: A multi-criteria decision analysis framework for SF6-free gas insulated switchgear alternatives. Design Project, Industrial Engineering and Management.
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Abstract
The phase-out of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) in high-voltage gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) introduces complex trade-offs between environmental performance, economic feasibility, and organizational readiness. Although several SF6-free alternatives have reached technical maturity, no single technology can be considered universally optimal. To integrate heterogeneous types of information and make the tradeoffs explicit, this study develops and validates a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) framework to support engineering consultancies, such as Movares, in sustainability-oriented decision-making for SF6-free GIS. Following a design science research approach, the framework integrates life cycle assessment (LCA), economic analysis, and expert-based organizational assessment into a transparent decisionsupport tool. Environmental impacts are assessed through a cradle-to-grave LCA of a 145 kV GIS bay over a 40-year lifetime, complemented by economic analysis through comparative calculations of capital expenditures (CAPEX) and operational expenditures (OPEX), while the organizational readiness is assessed with expert interviews. The results show that fluorinated gas mixtures perform superior on climate-related indicators but raise concerns regarding PFAS-related regulatory uncertainty, while vacuum/clean-air GIS offers greater policy certainty at the cost of higher material intensity and spatial requirements.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Design Project) |
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| Supervisor name: | Jonker, G.H. and Szirbik, N.B. |
| Degree programme: | Industrial Engineering and Management |
| Thesis type: | Design Project |
| Language: | English |
| Date Deposited: | 27 Jan 2026 08:26 |
| Last Modified: | 27 Jan 2026 08:26 |
| URI: | https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/37217 |
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