The objective of surge protection is to protect electrical and electronic devices from power surges or transient voltage. A radical rise in voltage that is considerably higher than the specified level in a flow of electricity is called transient voltage or surge power. It is always advised to have surge protection since Surge arresters help to ward off loss or damage to sensitive equipment and are also important for safety reasons.

IPD offers voltage limiters and surge arresters from ABB, surge Protection Devices (SPDs) from DEHN and a broad range of application specific surge protectors from Novaris, the global leaders in providing lightning protection, surge protection and safety equipment. Surge Protection Devices (SPD) are normally installed in heavy-duty industrial systems including power distribution panels, communications systems, and process control systems. This device must be able to accomplish two tasks for protecting devices i.e., surge voltage in terms of amplitude needs to be limited and discharge of the surge voltage to the ground must be done without causing any damage to the devices. Thus, these devices are designed to protect against electrical surges and power spikes, including those caused by lightning. Surge diverters, divert current waves to the earth and the amplitude of this transient overvoltage is limited to a safe operating level that is not hazardous for the electrical installation, other switchgear, and control gears. Smaller, miniature versions of these industrial devices can also be installed in residential electrical panels.

Surge Protection Devices (SPD) are classified according to their standards generally in three types, namely Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3 Surge Protection Devices (SPD).

• Type 1 Surge Protection Devices (SPD) can discharge partial lightning current, with a typical waveform of up to 10/350μs and usually employ spark gap technology. It is usually installed at the origin, e.g., main distribution board.
• Type 2 Surge Protection Devices (SPD) can prevent the spread of overvoltage in electrical installations and protect connected equipment, characterized by an 8/20μs current wave, and usually employ metal oxide varistor (MOV) technology. It is usually installed at sub-distribution boards. Combined Type 1 and Type 2 SPDs are generally installed in consumer units.
• Type 3 Surge Protection Devices (SPD) must only be installed as a supplement to type 2 devices in the vicinity of sensitive loads. It is characterized by a combination of voltage waves (1.20/50μs) and current waves (8/20μs), with a low discharge capacity.

Isolating Spark Gap

Insulating flanges are protected by isolating spark gaps against damage caused by surge voltages. Enclosed spark gaps which are able to carry test currents of 10/350μs without being obliterated are known as isolating spark gaps. These spark gaps offer the electrical separation of two metal installations up to their sparkover voltage. An electrical bonding path for the lightning current is produced once the nominal spark-over point is attained. Following the decay of the lightning current, the spark gap surge protection coupling is reset. Isolating spark gaps are utilized at clearances in the middle of the lightning protection system and other earthed system parts in order to prevent unrestrained arcing or puncturing at these points. Spark gap surge protection are used to integrate metal installations, for example, into the lightning protection equipotential bonding system in cases where these installations cannot be interconnected due to corrosion effects. The isolating spark gap guarantees lightning protection equipotential bonding and securely discharges overvoltages. This in turn makes sure efficient operation of the system. A prolonged service life is crucial for the cost-effective process of pipelines. In order to protect against rust, active corrosion protection systems are employed. When used in regular operation, these involve the metal pipes to be insulated against ground potential.

IPD offers Isolating Spark Gaps by DEHN, pioneer in providing lightning protection, surge protection and safety equipment. It adheres to IEC 62305 standard in hazardous areas and has approval according to ATEX Directive 94/9/EC and IECEx.

Its key features include,

• Highest protection with the maximum possible lightning current carrying capacity class H
• Sturdy in severe conditions due to exceptional corrosion resistance
• Ideal protection, sparkover voltages intended for insulation kits
• Multipurpose use in the Ex area because of internationally recognized approvals

Accessories such as angled and flat connection brackets along with EXFS Coaxial Connection Box from DEHN are available at IPD.

Thus, lightning protection equipotential bonding is assured. The highest possible lightning current carrying capacity class H (in accordance with IEC 52561-3) facilitates discharge of even large lightning currents are to ground through a specified path. While extremely high currents are discharged via the material in the event of a lightning strike, the accessories must also be able to dependably cope with these loads. All accessories for connecting isolating spark gap from DEHN at IPD are therefore designed with the appropriate discharge capacity.

Browse IPD’s range Surge Protective Devices below. If you would like to find out more information about our SPD range, get in touch with us on 1300 556 601 today.