A transient surge is a short blast or pulse of high energy that can either come in its natural form such as lightning or produced by other equipment. Transients caused by other equipment are usually caused by the discharge of stored energy in inductive and capacitive components. Some examples are Electric motors, such as those used in elevators, heating, air conditioning, refrigeration or other inductive loads. Two other sources are arc welders and furnace igniters. These transients are capable of causing significant damage to equipment and electronics.
The transient causes damage to a device when the transient voltage exceeds the weakest exposed component's ability to withstand that voltage. Transients normally flow into equipment via electrical conductors, but other paths are common.
A surge protector is an electrical device commonly used to protect computers and related computer components from power surges. To fully understand what a surge protector does, you must first understand what a surge is. The typical electrical wiring found in homes (in INDIA) and offices, carries a standard voltage of 230 volts. If a spike or surge in the voltage occurs, causing the voltage to surpass the norm, damage can occur to the computer equipment. Electrical surges can occur from a number of sources, namely: lightning and the basic surges that occur while turning on the motors and compressors for refrigerators and air conditioners to name a few.
A spike is a brief increase in the voltage intensity and a surge is an increase that endures a bit longer than a spike. In either case, the voltage increases generally endures for less than a second. Surge protectors can prevent many of the problems resulting from spikes and surges. A surge protector, often set up in strip or box form, contains a number of receptacles to plug equipment into. The surge protector itself is then plugged into a standard outlet. While it serves the basic purpose of giving homeowners and business owners additional receptacles to put to use, the greater impact of surge protectors is measured in terms of the protection they offer if a surge occurs.
Though surge protectors come in all shapes, sizes, and price ranges, the typical model will route the increased voltage present during a surge to a grounding wire housed within the surge protector, thus allowing the normal 120 volts to continue on to the components plugged into the protector. Some models also have a fuse within the surge protector. These models work much the same way as a fuse or circuit breaker within a standard home or office electrical panel. When a surge occurs, the protector will route the increased voltage to the grounding wire, but if the voltage is too great, it will blow the fuse and the power to the computer components, for example, will be terminated. Though the computer lost power, at least it is protected and able to function once the surge protector fuse is replaced.
Liebert has a range of Transient Voltage Surge Suppression (TVSS) devices for both Transients and noise produced through out the line. Different models can be easily installed in parallel to power lines in Main distribution panel, Sub Distribution panel or at equipment level providing complete protection from the entire Transient produced both externally and internally. The standard TVSS are tested against IEC 1024-1-1 and UL 1449.
| Sr. No | Application Load | Protection Mode | Surge Current Capacity(kA) | Final Current Rating(kA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2000 & Above (INTERCEPTOR) |
All Mode/ Two Mode |
400 kA / 500 kA – 1000 kA |
200 kA |
| 2 | 1000 & Above (LM / INTERCEPTOR) |
L-L/L-N/L-G/N-G (All Mode) |
250 kA / 300 kA / 400 kA |
200 kA |
| 3 | 500 – 1000 Amp. (ACCUVAR / LM) |
L-L/L-N/L-G/N-G (All Mode) |
160 kA / 200 kA | 200 kA |
| 4 | 200 – 500 Amp. (ACCUVAR) |
L-L/L-N/L-G/N-G (All Mode) |
130 kA / 160 kA | 200 kA |
| 5 | 100 – 200 Amp. (POWERSURE) |
L-L/L-N/L-G/N-G (All Mode) |
100 kA / 160 kA | 14 kA / 65 kA |
| 6 | 50 – 100 Amp (POWERSURE) |
L-L/L-N/L-G/N-G (All Mode) |
50 kA / 100 kA | 14 kA |
| 7 | 25 – 50 Amp (POWERSURE) |
L-L/L-N/L-G/N-G (All Mode) |
25 kA / 50 kA | 14 kA |
| 8 | 10 – 25 Amp (POWERSURE) |
L-N / N-G (Two Mode) |
25 kA | 14 kA |
The occurrences of damages in the hardware as well as software are increasing due to over voltage surges passed on to the equipment through electrical or data lines. Normally surge works like slow poison by internally weakening the IC or transistors, eventually resulting in breakdown of the instrument. Large surges of the magnitude to 25KA or above can destroy the equipment completely.
Surges pass through any and all copper lines within the premises including
Liebert TVSS are the product unbeatable in that class of technology.
If your mission critical facility does not already have TVSS devices installed we highly recommend it. If you are not sure if your system has them installed we suggest asking your engineer or electrician to verify. It is a small price for additional peace of mind.