Commercial Surge Protection

One of the leading causes of electrical equipment failure and system damage is a high-energy impulse of short duration caused by a sudden change of power transfer in an electrical circuit. These impulses can originate from several internal facility or external electrical power sources.

The source most commonly associated with a high-energy impulse is lightning. However, some of the most powerful and damaging electrical surges can originate from a failure of high power line connection causing an unintentional grounding when it falls to the ground during a storm or a pole collapse. High-energy impulses can also be initiated from internal electrical equipment shorts or failures. In all cases, the electrical system carries an excessive amount of energy being transferred quickly through the electrical grid that can adversely affect all equipment being powered in the system’s circuits.

Surge protection, if properly designed and installed will be highly successful in preventing catastrophic failure of sensitive electronic components used in a wide variety of commercial applications today.

Surge protection devices limit voltage in the electrical circuit by diverting these high-energy impulses to grounding systems (or earthing sytems, as identified in some countries) that are designed to bypass sensitive equipment. The most efficient system uses a low-resistance, single ground reference point so that all grounds in the structure are connected. These protection systems are also known as Surge Protective Devices (SPD) and Transient Voltage Surge Suppressors (TVSS). A surge protection system that is strategically placed and properly installed is the only way to ensure surge protection from damage caused by high-energy impulses from any source.

Depending on the size of your facility and the concentration of electrically sensitive equipment, surge protection devices should be strategically placed along the main electrical circuits. The design and placement of a surge protection system requires a thorough review of system-wide electrical out- and through-put. In most cases the zones of surge protection are identified and surge protection devices are then strategically placed in the most vulnerable locations throughout the system.

Installing surge protection at all service entrances does not always ensure that outside surges will be dissipated to a ground. Therefore, distribution panels also have to be equipped with surge protection. To complete the surge protection system, it is necessary for all downstream electrical equipment to be fitted with surge protection as well. Each element in the surge protection design will add to the overall reduction of voltage impulses to the entire electrical system.
With a properly installed surge protection system, the most sensitive of electrical equipment will be protected from internal voltage anomalies and from external sources like lightning and utility transients.