Surge Protection

Modern electronics circuitry used in computing, communications and control/ alarm installations are highly susceptible to damage from lightning surges and other transient overvoltages. These impulses may arrive at a facility on the services such as the power, telecommunications or signal lines. The mechanism of energy transfer from a lightning strike to these services is via direct lightning strike, inductive coupling or capacitive coupling.

Mains Surge Protection can be split into two approaches:

1. Shunt protection (Surge Diverter- Basic) entails the installation of suitable voltage-limiting devices such as MOVs or Triggered Spark Gaps  across the supply feeding the facility and equipment to be protected. The purpose of these clamping devices is to ensure that the incident surge is reduced to an acceptably low residual level.

2. Series-Filtering (Surge Reduction FIlter- Premium) protection includes both the shunt voltage clamping devices as well as a low pass series filter. The purpose of the filter is to further reduce the peak residual let-through voltage as well as tailor the waveshape of the incident surge. The inherently fast rate of rise of the voltage and current (dV/dt and dI/dt) associated with a lightning or switching impulse is a major cause of damage to sensitive electronic equipment.

Technical note on Surge Technologies

Home and PC Surge Protection

Surge Diverters

Surge Reduction Filters