{"id":2588,"date":"2026-01-06T08:29:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T08:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/honcon-electric.com\/?p=2588"},"modified":"2026-01-15T06:58:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T06:58:13","slug":"kyn28-switchgear-north-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/honcon-electric.com\/fr\/kyn28-switchgear-north-america\/","title":{"rendered":"Why KYN28 Switchgear Is Not directly Used in North America"},"content":{"rendered":"
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KYN28 metal-clad switchgear<\/strong><\/a> is the mainstream solution for 12 kV indoor distribution systems under IEC<\/a> and GB standards, accounting for a large share of installations in many regions. Despite its mature design and wide adoption, KYN28 switchgear cannot be directly used in the North American market.<\/p>\n

The reason lies not in product quality, but in fundamental differences between IEC\/GB and North American (IEEE) standards<\/strong>. These differences involve voltage class definitions, insulation platforms, enclosure strength, thermal limits, and component requirements. As a result, compliance requires systematic redesign rather than minor modification.<\/p>\n

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Voltage Class and Insulation Platform Differences<\/h2>\n

In North America, the 15 kV voltage class requires a lightning impulse withstand level (BIL) of 95 kV<\/strong>. Conventional KYN28 switchgear designs are based on a 12 kV insulation platform and cannot meet this requirement directly.<\/p>\n

To achieve compliance, the insulation system must be upgraded to a 24 kV platform<\/strong> and verified through full dielectric and impulse testing. Without this upgrade, the equipment does not meet basic IEEE requirements.<\/p>\n

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Compartment Design and Temperature Rise Limits<\/h2>\n

While KYN28 switchgear complies with IEC IP2X compartment separation, IEEE C37.20.2<\/strong> imposes stricter enclosure rules. Ventilation openings are generally not allowed in high-voltage compartments, except for cable entry, which limits heat dissipation.<\/p>\n

In addition, IEEE standards restrict the allowable temperature rise of copper conductors to 65 K<\/strong>, compared with 75 K under IEC\/GB<\/strong>. This places higher demands on conductor sizing, insulation materials, and thermal design.<\/p>\n

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Mechanical Strength Requirements for Enclosures<\/h2>\n

North American standards define clear minimum thickness requirements for enclosure materials. Steel partitions in the main circuit area must be at least 3.0 mm<\/strong>, while other structural components require 1.9 mm<\/strong> or more.<\/p>\n

If aluminum alloy enclosures are used, material thickness must increase significantly to achieve equivalent strength. This means IEC-based cabinet structures cannot be reused without redesign.<\/p>\n

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CTs, Auxiliary Contacts, and Surface Protection<\/h2>\n

IEEE standards require current transformers to withstand short-circuit current for 10 cycles<\/strong>, influencing CT type and layout. In addition, TOC and MOC auxiliary contacts must be installed in fixed enclosures and mechanically driven by the breaker or withdrawable truck.<\/p>\n

Corrosion protection is also strictly defined. Preferred materials include 304 stainless steel or aluminum<\/strong>, while carbon steel enclosures require qualified coating systems. Indoor surfaces must be coated or galvanized, with Light Gray No. 61<\/strong> as the standard color.<\/p>\n

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Designing for the North American Market<\/h2>\n

To enter the North American market successfully, KYN28 metal-clad switchgear must be redesigned based on IEEE standards<\/strong>, rather than adapted from an IEC platform. Only a purpose-built approach can ensure compliance, safety, and long-term reliability.<\/p>\n

KYN28 switchgear at Haocheng manufacturing workshop.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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To learn more about KYN28 switchgear, please check our Youtube Channel: Honcon.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This article explains why IEC-based KYN28 switchgear cannot be directly used in North America, highlighting key differences in voltage, structure, and IEEE standards.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4323,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/honcon-electric.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/honcon-electric.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/honcon-electric.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/honcon-electric.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/honcon-electric.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2588"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"https:\/\/honcon-electric.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2588\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4329,"href":"https:\/\/honcon-electric.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2588\/revisions\/4329"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/honcon-electric.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/honcon-electric.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/honcon-electric.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/honcon-electric.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}