The Impact of Cable Length on the Protection Level of Surge Protective Device
The Impact of Cable Length on the Protection Level of Surge Protective Device
The subject of SPD installation is rarely mentioned in our discussions. There are two reason:
- The installation of surge protective device should be conducted by an qualified electrician. We don’t want to mislead that this should be done by users. And if the SPD is incorrectly wired, it may cause hazzard.
- There are many videos on Youtube demonstrating how to install a surge protective device. It is much simple and straightforward than reading text instructions.
Yet still, we notice a very common mistake in SPD installation, even made by professional. So in this article, we are going to discuss an very important guideline in installing a surge protection device: to keep the cable as short as possible.
Why is the cable length important?
You may ask yourself this question. And we are sometimes asked by customers that why can’t you make the SPD’s cable length longer? If you make the cable length longer, then I can install the SPD a little far away from the circuit panel. Well, that’s the opposite of any SPD manufacturer want you to do.
Here we introduce a parameter: VPR (Voltage […]
SPD Application in High Altitude Areas
SPD Application in High Altitude Areas
As an international player in surge protection filed, Prosurge has a very extensive clientele around the world. For example, we have many customers in the South America where is very famous for its plateau. Sometimes, we have customers asked us: We need to install the surge protection device in a area with altitude above 2000m, will it affect the performance of the SPD?
Well, this is a very practical question. And in this article, we are going to talk about this topic. We are going to introduce some opinions from various professionals yet kindly note that this area is still need to be explored further and thus the information we present only serve as a reference.
What’s Special about High Altitude?
The issue of surge protection / lightning protection in high altitude areas has always been a practical topic. In the ILPS 2018 (International Lightning Protection Symposium), surge protection professionals also have a discussion on this topic. So what’s special about high altitude area?
First of all, let’s look at the major climatic environment characteristics of high altitude areas:
- low temperature and radical change;
- low air pressure or […]
Whole House Surge Protection – Why and How
Whole House Surge Protection / Whole Home Surge Protection
Today, the concept of whole house surge protection or whole home surge protection is becoming more and more popular. One of the important reasons is that today there are too many electronic devices that are very expensive yet very vulnerable to power surges. It is estimated that an average house contains more than USD 15000 electronic and electrical products that are unprotected from surges. A typical surge attack may leave all the electronic and electric devices paralyzed and that’s the case you never want to experience.
So in this article, we are going to talk about this subject: whole house surge protection.
Why we need whole house surge protection?
Surge is a very common danger to home appliances. If you live in a area with frequent lightning strikes, you may already suffer from the damages it brings. Here are the stories from two victims. Does it sound similar to you?
July 2016 We experienced a power surge one week ago. Our oven (electronic board burned out). Our surround sound burned out also, as well as our Dish receiver. The transformers on the telephones, […]
The Myth of Surge Capacity When Selecting a Surge Protection Device
We all know that it is not so easy to choose a proper surge protection device. The parameter of a surge protective device is not like the parameter of a smartphone which is obvious and easy to understand for most people. There are a lot a misunderstandings when selecting a SPD.
One of the common misunderstanding is that the bigger surge current capacity (measured in kA per phase ), the better the SPD. But first of all, let’s introduce what do we mean by surge current capacity. Surge current per phase is the maximum amount of surge current that can be shunted (through each phase of the device) without failure and is based on the IEEE standard 8×20 microsecond test waveform. For example, when we talk about a 100kA SPD or 200kA SPD. We are referring to its surge current capacity.
Surge current capacity is one of the most important parameters for a SPD. It offers a standard to comprar different surge protection device. And SPD manufacturers are required to list the surge current capacity of their SPDs. And for customer, they also understand that a SPD installed at service entrance should have a higher surge current capacity comparing the […]
Classification of Surge Protection Devices
Surge Protection Device Classifications
In a previous article, we introduced the one of the classification of surge protection device, that is, by type or class. Type 1/2/3 is the most common SPD classification either in UL standard or IEC standard. You can review this article via this link:
And in this article, we are going to talk more about other classifications which are not introduced at the above article.
AC SPD & DC/PV SPD
Evidently, AC SPD is much more common than DC SPD as we all live in a society in which most electrical products are powered by AC current thanks to Thomas Edison. Maybe that’s why the IEC 61643-11 standard only applicable for AC surge protective device for quite a long time there is no applicable IEC standard for DC surge protective device. DC SPD become popular as the rise of the solar power industry and people notice that PV installation is a common victim of lightning as it is normally located in open area or on rooftop. So the need of surge protection devices for PV application is growing rapidly during the past 10 years. PV sector is the most common […]
Surge Protection Device: The Most Comprehensive Introduction
Surge Protection Device
Surge protection device (or abbreviated as SPD) is not a product that known to the public. The public do know that power quality is a big problem in our society in which more and more sensitive electronics or electrical products are been used. They know about UPS which can provide uninterrupted power supply. They know voltage stabilizer which, as its name suggest, stabilize or regulate the voltage. Yet most people, enjoying the safety that surge protection device brings, don’t even realize its existence.
We’ve been told since childhood that plug off all electrical appliance during thunderstorm otherwise the lightning current may travel inside the building and damage the electrical products.
Well, lightning is indeed very dangerous and harmful. Here is some pictures showing its destruction.
Index of this presentation
Well, this is about lightning. How does lightning related to the product surge protection device? In this article, we will give a thorough presentation on this topic. We are going to introduce:
Lightning Protection VS Surge Protection: Related yet Different
Surge
- What is surge
- What cause surge
- The effects of surge
Surge Protective Device (SPD)
- Definition
- Function
- Applications
- Components: GDT, MOV, […]
How to choose a surge protection device (SPD)?
Surge Protective Devices (SPD) are used to protect electrical equipment against surges (overvoltages) caused by lightning or switch of heavy duty machines (many people may ignore this). It may take some technical background when selecting a proper surge protective device as there are various technologies and regulations.
The IEC 61643 standard defines 3 types of surge protective devices for low voltage electrical system.
Type 1 or Class I: Type 1 SPD can discharge strong lightning current and are installed in the main electrical switchboard when the building is protected with lightning protection system (lightning rod, down conductor and grounding).
Type 2 or Class II: These surge protective device (SPD) is designed to discharge current generated by indirect lightning hit which caused induced overvoltage on the power distribution network. Typically, they are installed at the main distribution switchboard. Type 2 SPD are the most popular SPD on the market and Prosurge is offering them with different certificates.
Type 3 or Class III: Type 3 SPDs are designed to reduce the overvoltage at the terminals of sensitive equipment and therefore has a relative limited discharge current capacity.
Where should SPD be installed?
Type 2 surge protective device will be installed in the […]
Does a Type 1 SPD perform better than a Type 2 SPD?
Not necessarily. A Type 1 SPD offers versatility by being able to be connected to either side of service entrance, however UL does not compare the surge clamping performance of a Type 1 SPD versus that of a Type 2 SPD. UL investigates clamping performance of all SPDs equally, without regard for SPD type. UL also evaluates all SPDs for safe operation within their intended installation location. Beginning with UL 1449 3rd Edition, Type 1 approved SPDs will include devices that were formerly known as Secondary Surge Arresters and will also include many devices that were formerly known as TVSS. It is important to understand that many Secondary Arresters type devices were designed with a higher MCOV (Maximum Continuous Operating Voltage) than were TVSS type devices. And since the MCOV rating of an SPD can have a direct impact on surge clamping performance, the best practice for SPD selection should include careful consideration for ratings such as maximum surge current, IEEE clamping voltage, UL VPR, and surge life ratings.
Where Can I Place SPDs to Protect My Facility?
It is impossible to prevent voltage surges from either entering your facility or from occurring inside of your facility. When protecting a facility against transients, the best approach is a networked or cascaded approach. As shown in the graphic below, The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has developed three categories that every facility can be divided into, location Category A, B and C. See IEEE Standard C62.41.1 and C62.41.2 for further reference.
Category A: outlets/receptacles and long branch circuits (indoor) (least severe)
• All outlets at more that 10m (30 ft) from Category B
• All outlets at more than 20m (60 ft) from Category C
Category B: feeders, short branch circuits and service panels (indoor)
• Distribution panel devices
• Bus and feeder distribution
• Heavy appliance outlets with “short” connections to service entrance
• Lighting systems in large buildings
Category C: outside overhead lines and service entrance (outdoor)
• Service drops from pole to building
• Runs between meter and panel
• Overhead lines to detached building
• Underground lines to well pump
Location Category C devices can be used in […]
How do I select a proper Prosurge SPD for my application?
Though we try our best to offer an extensive, thorough product presentation on our website, catalogs and other documents, we believe the best way for model selecting is to consult with us with your requirement and then our professional will recommend a suitable model.