Throughout its 115-year history, Dehn has been at the forefront of innovative surge protection technology. One of these innovations has been the Wave Breaker Function used in DEHNshield devices, but what does this mean to users?

Wave Breaker is the term used for the technology in the spark-gap based Type 1 and Type 1+2 Dehn DSH models. The function is a voltage switching technology that allows a reduction in the pulse duration of a lightning impulse to an acceptable level for downstream protective devices and equipment. The waveform of a lightning impulse is defined in the standards as having a rise time of 10μs from 10% to 90% of its peak value and then a decay to 50% of its peak value in 350µs. In datasheets this is referred to the maximum impulse rating, or 10/350 rating, of the surge protective device. When a 10/350 lightning impulse hits the network, a massive current impulse is imposed on the installation and the let-thru energy of this waveform can cause catastrophic damage.

The advanced triggered spark gap technology utilising the wave breaker function of the Dehn DSH models, operates in less than 100 nanoseconds and restricts the energy load value seen by the installation being protected. The resultant current flowing into the device or installation to be protected is extremely low compared to other technologies such as voltage clamping devices. By keeping the current of the 10/350 impulse flowing into the installation low we can reduce the stress on the installation components and avoid premature failure.

IPD has a full range of solutions from Dehn and application assistance to ensure the right choice of protection for a site.