What is surge? What is transient voltage surge?
Surge and Transient Voltage Surge are temporary rise in voltage and current on an electrical circuit. Their voltage ranges are greater than 2000 volt and current ranges are greater than 100 amperes. Typical rise time is in the 1 to 10 microsecond range. Transient or surge is the most common power problems and its compacts are caused by significant damages such as electronic equipment failure, frequent downtime, lost data, lost time and lost business downtime.
Where do surges come from?
The major of electronics damage is from lightning strikes. The most damages are not caused by direct lightning strikes, but is the result of transient voltage and current surges induced on power, telecommunications or RF transmission lines by the strong electromagnetic fields created by during a lightning strike. More common causes of power surge are the operation of high power electrical devices, such as elevators, Air conditioners and refrigerators by switching on-off compressors and motor. Other sources of power surge include faulty wiring, utility power supply failure and electrical noise.
What is surge protector?
Surge Protector also known as Transient Voltage Surge Suppressor ( TVSS ), Surge Protection Devices ( SPD ) or Surge Supression Equipment ( SSE ) is the equipment designed to protect electrical and electronic equipment from power surges and voltage spikes. Surge Protector diverts the excess voltage and current from transient or surge into grounding wire.
How surge protector works
Surge Protector diverts the excess voltage and current from transient or surge into grounding wire and prevents it from flowing through the electrical and electronic equipment’s while at the same time allowing the normal voltage to continue along its path. This excess energy can cause damages in electrical and electronic equipment’s, process control instruments-equipment’s.
Two main functions of the surge protector are:
- Provides low impedance path for conducting a lot of current to eliminate the extra voltage.
- Absorbs and diverts the extra current to ground for protecting the effects of transient or surge.
Why do you need surge protection?
These days a lot of electronic components in modern electrical devices are much smaller, delicate and more sensitive to current increases. Microprocessor which is an integral part of all computers and many modern electrical equipment, are particularly sensitive to surge. Your electrical equipment can be exposed to damaging surges from AC power line or telephone lines.
Surge Protector is suitable to use in every application that connect to electricity ( the utility power supplies or the locally generated ), telephone lines ( modem, fax etc ), computer data lines and communication lines, etc as follows:
- Computers and peripherals such as a printer, monitor, speaker or fax machine
- PABX and communication equipment, ETC
- Entertainment Components
- Medical equipment, surgical equipment and scientific equipment, ETC
- Weighting bridges and measuring equipment, ETC
- Electrical equipment
- Security Systems
