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And more equipment at launch.
These tiles show a representative cross-section of what Refound carries. The full searchable catalog will list every spec variant, manufacturer, and form factor at launch.
Expanding mid-2026
Refound · Categories
Substation equipment, beyond transformers and switchgear.
Reactors, capacitor banks, surge arresters, protective relays, instrument transformers (PT/CT), station-service transformers, control buildings, e-houses. The ancillary substation gear that completes any substation rebuild. And that's just as supply-constrained as the primary equipment.
Sub-categories
What's covered when this category opens
The substation catch-all covers everything beyond the transformers and switchgear that have their own dedicated Refound category pages. Reactors, capacitor banks, instrument transformers, relays, control houses, station-service.
Shunt reactors
Air-core and oil-immersed reactors, 5 MVAR to 200 MVAR, voltage classes through 345 kV. Used for reactive compensation on long lines, cable systems, and HV solar/wind interconnects.
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Capacitor banks
Pole-mounted, pad-mounted, and substation-class capacitor banks. 600 kVAR to 100 MVAR ratings. With and without integrated switching + protection.
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Surge arresters
Metal-oxide arresters per IEEE C62.11. Station class, intermediate class, distribution class. 3 kV to 360 kV system voltage ratings.
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Protective relays
Microprocessor relays from SEL, GE Multilin, ABB (REL/REF/REM family), Schneider Easergy. Configured and unconfigured. Common functions: line distance (21), overcurrent (50/51), directional (67), differential (87), reclosing (79), breaker failure (50BF).
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Instrument transformers (PT/CT)
Voltage transformers (PTs) and current transformers (CTs) for metering and protection. 5 kV through 230 kV system voltage. Both single-phase and three-phase units.
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Station-service transformers
10 kVA to 500 kVA dry-type and oil-filled distribution transformers used for substation auxiliary loads (control power, lighting, HVAC).
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Control buildings & e-houses
Pre-fabricated outdoor-rated control houses and e-houses. Empty shells (for re-population) and complete populated control houses with relays, batteries, communication panels.
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Capacitor / reactor switching gear
Vacuum and SF₆ switches dedicated to capacitor / reactor switching duties. Higher transient inrush ratings than standard breakers. Often paired with current-limiting reactors and series-resistor inserts.
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The circular grid
The most overlooked secondary market in the substation.
Power transformers and main breakers get all the attention when lead times break. But the smaller substation gear (reactors, capacitor banks, instrument transformers, relay panels, control houses) hits the same supply walls and gets even less professional attention on the secondary market. A project waiting on its capacitor bank is no less stuck than a project waiting on its GSU.
Reactors and capacitor banks specifically have heavy embedded copper and steel content. Modern relays and instrument transformers carry sophisticated electronic and processed-mineral components that aren't trivially recyclable. When this equipment cycles out of fleet rotation or comes off a decommissioned substation, scrap value typically captures 5-15% of original cost. Refound's position is that verified-condition reuse should capture closer to 30-60%: splitting the difference between scrap and new with the seller.
For developers, utilities, and IPPs writing reuse-first procurement policies as part of their decade-out resource plans, the substation-equipment catch-all is where the sustainability commitments meet the practical work of getting projects built on schedule. Recycling, reusing, and repurposing aren't side-of-desk anymore. They're how the math works.
Free guide
Refound buying guides
How to evaluate used substation equipment beyond the transformer.
Reactors, capacitor banks, instrument transformers, surge arresters, protective relays, control houses, and station service. Test data, age-related risk profiles, and the silent failure modes that don't show up on a nameplate. A procurement engineer's checklist.
Free to read online or save as a PDF for offline reference.
FAQs
Substation FAQs
What test data should an instrument transformer (CT/PT) carry? +
Demand the original ratio test, polarity verification, excitation curve (especially for protection-class CTs), insulation resistance + power factor at last service, and turn-by-turn ratio test if available. IEEE C57.13 sets the framework. For revenue-class CT/PTs (0.3 or 0.6 accuracy class), the calibration certificate from the most recent NIST-traceable lab test is non-negotiable for utility deployment.
Are used surge arresters worth the risk? +
Generally no for transmission-class station arresters that have been in service: a single severe surge event can degrade MOV blocks invisibly. Used arresters can be appropriate when (1) they've been bench-tested to IEEE C62.11 reference voltage requirements within the last 12 months, (2) the original project's surge event log shows no high-energy events, and (3) the unit is from a project decommissioned for non-electrical reasons. Even then, distribution-class second-life is a much easier risk than station-class.
How do I evaluate a used reactor or capacitor bank? +
Reactors: insulation resistance, impedance test, partial discharge test if oil-filled, and a recent oil sample with DGA (similar to transformers). For dry-type reactors, demand a full visual inspection looking for hairline cracks in cast-coil epoxy. Capacitor banks: capacitance measurement on each can, internal-fuse continuity, and a discharge resistor verification. Older bank designs (pre-1980s mineral oil) can have PCB content — test before purchase.
Can I reuse a control house from a decommissioned substation? +
Often yes, with caveats. The structure itself is straightforward to relocate (typical 12x40 ft prefab control houses are designed for transport). The contents — relay panels, RTU, station-service transformer, batteries, HVAC — need individual evaluation. Modern numerical relays from SEL, GE Multilin, Siemens, and ABB typically retain value if firmware is current and configuration is documented. Older electromechanical relays are usually more valuable as parts than as a working system.
What's the disconnect-switch refurbishment standard? +
Contact resistance below 100 µΩ across each pole, mechanical timing within OEM specification, lubrication of all hinge points and operating linkages, and visual inspection of insulator surfaces for tracking or hairline cracks. Disconnects are mechanically simple and are one of the strongest reuse categories — properly refurbished, a 30-year-old vertical-break can outperform a brand-new substitute.
When are protective relays a better buy used vs. new? +
Modern multifunction numerical relays (SEL-700G, GE 489, Siemens 7SR series) are typically a strong used buy when the original utility cycled them out for protocol upgrades rather than failure. Demand current firmware version, settings file backup, and the original purchase invoice or asset transfer document. Old electromechanical relays (ABB CO-9, GE IAC) have niche reuse cases but are mostly purchased now for parts inventory by utilities maintaining legacy substations.
Round out your substation procurement.
When the substation catch-all opens (mid-2026), Refound will carry the gear that actually completes a substation build. Not just the headline transformers and switchgear.