Wolfram Boeck

Biography

A pioneer in exploring the potential of SF6 (sulfur hexafluoride) as a dielectric insulator, Wolfram Boeck provided the power industry with technology that enables reliable and efficient high-capacity electricity transmission. Prof. Boeck’s research on SF6 began in the 1960s, resulting in the first gas-insulated, hermetically encapsulated high-voltage switchgear. He addressed key aspects of SF6 as an insulting gas, including development of the “volume time law” that describes time lag as a function of stressed gas. Prof. Boeck also investigated insulation coordination and methods for avoiding external effects and for monitoring insulation quality using UHF signals. He championed the implementation of SF6 in practical devices and standards, resulting in space-efficient gas-insulated substations and reliable gas-insulated transmission lines, which have been implemented worldwide as safe methods for supplying power.

An IEEE Fellow, Dr. Boeck is a Professor Emeritus with the Technische Universität München, and lives in Meersburg, Germany.