Surge Protection Device Systems

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1 Power Protection Products, Inc. SPD White Paper by Dan Maxcy l 2013 Update I

2 SURGE PROTECTION DEVICE SYSTEMS By Dan Maxcy 2008 I Revised 2013 Executive Summary This is a comprehensive publication to help you understand: What is a surge What kind of damage is caused by these electrical occurrences What you can do to prevent them from damaging your equipment How you can get more information/help with surge protection decisions The following topics can be found on the listed pages: Surge Protection Device Systems... Pages 2-4 Selecting the Correct Surge Protection Device... Pages 4-6 Outlet Strip Voltage Surge Protection Devices... Pages 7-9 Surge Protection System Recommendations... Page 10 Information about P3 & PQU... Back Cover 1

3 Surge Protection Device Systems Spikes, surges, zaps and transients are all terms used to describe temporary over-voltage power line disturbances. These over-voltages can and do cause damage to our facility equipment. Some of the most common problems associated with over-voltages are: Unexplained circuit breaker tripping and blown fuses Erratic electronic equipment resets or reboots Scrambled and lost data Erratic equipment behavior Excessive repair and replacement costs Replacing lights and bulbs at unusually high rates Frequent downtime with loss of electronic circuit boards, modems, and Hard drives Lightning damage If you have experienced any of these symptoms in your facility the cause could be directly related to spikes, surges, zaps and transients. As with any recommendation we like to quote the industry standards when speaking about power quality issues. The most common source for power quality standards is the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). These two organizations gather information and publish standards with respect to power quality. According to ANSI/IEEE C62.41, Voltage Spikes and Surges can commonly range from a few volts to well over 10,000 volts with currents in excess of 10,000 amps. These transients can and do occur as frequently as 40 to over 432,000 per hour. Investing in a Surge Protection Device (SPD) System is not an option. It's a necessity! The following is an example of a transient surge: +170V 0V -170V 120 Volt 60Hz AC Voltage Sine Wave with Transients 2

Quite often we blame the utility on these transient surges, however, many studies have shown it is equipment within our facility that causes most of the transients.

utility. To illustrate this lets look at a test by using a standard 4 bulb two by four foot fluorescent light fixture common in many commercial, industrial, and home installations.

4 Quite often we blame the utility on these transient surges, however, many studies have shown it is equipment within our facility that causes most of the transients. It is recognized in the power quality industry that 80% of transient surges are caused within our facility and only 20% are caused by transient surges coming in on your electrical service from the utility. To illustrate this lets look at a test by using a standard 4 bulb two by four foot fluorescent light fixture common in many commercial, industrial, and home installations. By turning on and off this light only once over 50 transient surges were created. The following chart shows the results of this test: Correct selection of the appropriate Surge Protection Device (SPD) unit is critical. Once again the best source for information concerning which SPD unit to choose comes from the ANSI/IEEE standards. ANSI/IEEE has determined location categories for the correct selection of TVSS units. The standard is called, ANSI/IEEE C The following illustrates this standard: A 6,000 Volts 500 Amps Office & Sensitive Industrial Equipment B 6,000 Volts 3000 Amps Control & Manufacturing Equipment & Sub Distribution Panels C 10,000 Volts 10,000 Amps Main Service Entrance 3

5 The three categories A, B, and C determine which SPD unit should be used at which location. Many facilities have placed small category A SPD units at critical equipment locations. (The most common is the outlet strips that have multiple plugs). Many of these outlet strips say they protect your equipment from transient surges, however, if they are not UL listed as a rd edition Update surge suppressor you might not have the appropriate protection needed. These outlet strips my be quality units, however, without the larger category C, SPD units at the main circuit breaker or fuse panel 10,000 volts surges may pass through your facility and destroy not only the category A SPD unit but also any device connected to it. If you are comparing SPD units, check the specifications. Many manufactures have large flashy statements that they can withstand huge transients. When comparing SPD units it is wise to use the SAME standards. Once again the best standard is?, you guessed it, ANSI/IEEE. ANSI/IEEE has developed very precise standards measuring the PERFORMANCE of SPD units. This standard is called ANSI/IEEE C This standard shows how each SPD unit tested worked when looking at the amount of voltage limited when a specific voltage and amperage was applied. When comparing SPD units one should look closely at the ANSI/IEEE C62.41 data. Make sure you get this data from your SPD manufacture and compare before buying. Many other factors come into play when selecting the correct SPD unit for a facility such as: Size, Type, Location, and quantity. P3 can provide a Surge Protection Device Survey at no charge. This survey involves a complete on-site review of your facility to determine transient surge causes and solutions. Selecting the Correct Surge Protection Device What standard do you use when trying to decide the type, location, and quantity of Surge Protection Device (SPD) units for your facility? This question seldom has an immediate answer when asked to potential SPD customers. When I perform an initial walkthrough in a facility that has potential problems with voltage transients (spikes and surges) I always ask the above question. The normal response is Oh, I don t know I ve seen them advertised in magazines and I have seen them at the office supply or department store It is good that many people realize SPD systems exist, but, how does one decide on a system that will give good protection from all normal sources of voltage transients? The answer to this question is to use recognized industry standards to determine the correct number, placement, and size of SPD units to adequately protect your facility, not the advertisement in a magazine or the advertising on a pretty package or (one of my favorite) This guy I heard told me to do it this way. So.what standard do we use? The IEEE is the most often quoted source for electrical standards when dealing with power quality. The IEEE stands for The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The IEEE is a society of electrical and electronic engineers from across the country. Members of this society meet on regular bases to discuss and develop standards that represent a consensus of the broad expertise on the subject of Power Quality along with many other subjects within the Institute. The recommendations of the IEEE come from people in the industry who actually manage and design facilities. Their expertise is widely recognized as THE INDUSTRY STANDARD. 4

6 With that being said What is the IEEE standard for SPD units? To find the IEEE requirements we must look in a publication from the IEEE called IEEE standard 1100 (also know as the Emerald Book). The IEEE Emerald book states the following: Abstract: Recommended design, installation, and maintenance practices for electrical power and grounding (including both power-related and signal-related noise control) of sensitive electronic processing equipment used in commercial and industrial applications are presented. The main objective is to provide a consensus of recommended practices in an area where conflicting information and confusion, stemming primarily from different viewpoints of the same problem, have dominated. Fundamental concepts are reviewed. Instrumentation and procedures for conducting a survey of the power distribution system are described. Site surveys and site power analyses are considered. Case histories are given to illustrate typical problems. The IEEE Emerald book is very specific in its recommendations for SPD Systems. The IEEE 1100 Emerald book is designed just like all other IEEE standards. The book is broken into sections and referred to in the following manor i.e... IEEE 1100 section deals with the need and types of SPD units available. With the rest of this article I will refer to a few of these standards with respect to helping you make the proper decision on transient voltage protection for your facility. As mentioned above, Standard states: Surges can have many effects on equipment, ranging from no detectable effect to complete destruction. In general, electromechanical devices withstand voltage surges until a dielectric breakdown occurs, while electronic devices can have their operation upset before hard failure occurs. At intermediate levels, progressively more intense upset occurs until breakdown takes place. While electromechanical devices can generally tolerate voltages of several times their rating for short durations, few solidstate devices can tolerate much more than twice their normal rating. This standard shows that transient surges cause damage by both long term and instantaneous failure. It also states that voltages more than 240 volts on a 120 volt system cause damage to most modern electronic equipment. I mention this because most of the cheap SPD units on the market cannot limit a 6000 volt transient surge to 240 volts. This 6000 volt transient surge level is the basic standard from IEEE when speaking about the amount of voltage that can enter or homes or facilities. SPD equipment installed must be able to withstand this 6000 volt transient surge and limit the voltage entering the facility to less than 240 volts on a 120 volt system. (If you currently own a SPD unit check and see what it is rated).the IEEE 1100 standard also tells us where to locate SPD units and how many to use. The standard for this information is: Surge protective device considerations Recommended practice is that surge protective devices be applied to service entrance electrical switchboards and panelboards, and panelboards located on the secondary of separately derived systems that support information technology equipment, telephone, telecommunications, signaling, television, or other form of electronic load equipment. 5

This tells us to locate SPD units in layers throughout our facility for complete protection. In case we are still confused IEEE also gives us a diagram for proper location: IEEE 1100 8.6.

6 discusses proper coordination of all devices to gain the desired effect of protection of your equipment from transient voltages.

7 This tells us to locate SPD units in layers throughout our facility for complete protection. In case we are still confused IEEE also gives us a diagram for proper location: IEEE These are only a few of the standards in the IEEE 1100 Emerald Book. Standard 8.6 discusses proper coordination of all devices to gain the desired effect of protection of your equipment from transient voltages. Sensitive sine wave tracking" SPD units are needed for sensitive equipment and robust SPD units are needed for lightning exposed service entrances and high exposure panels such as parking lot lights, security gates etc. As we have shown above, there ARE specific methods and equipment that can help protect your facility. Proper type, location, and quantity of SPD units using the IEEE standards is the most effective way to protect your equipment. SPD units are not all created for the same purpose and it will take a specialist to identify and recommend the most cost effective solution. Please make arrangements to have a Surge Protection Device Site Survey of your facility to bring it up to IEEE standards. 6

Using one type of protection is better than nothing; however, to fully protect your equipment, all three areas as specified by IEEE categories A, B, and C must be protected.

8 Outlet Strip Voltage Surge Protection Devices Proper selection of the correct Surge Protection Device (SPD) is critical. Many facilities rely on only one type of protection, either a SPD at the main circuit breaker (fuse) box only or individual outlet strip surge voltage protectors at specific equipment only. Using one type of protection is better than nothing; however, to fully protect your equipment, all three areas as specified by IEEE categories A, B, and C must be protected. These three categories include the main service entrance, sub distribution panels, and individual equipment. As always when we make recommendations we try and use third party standards. The concept of protectors in multiple areas within your facility is not a fancy idea of the SPD manufactures to sell more units. It is a REQUIRED method as spelled out by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). By not adhering to the above standard, proper protection of your facilities equipment cannot be met. With this in mind I would like to spend some time talking about Outlet Strip Voltage Surge Protection Devices. The following picture shows a common outlet strip voltage surge protection device: The most important features of an outlet strip voltage surge protection device include the following: Short Circuit Protection Correct Wiring Indicator Proper functioning Indicator Voltage Protection Phone Protection Cable Protection UL rd edition listing Large Maximum transient current rating Low Voltage let through rating Every one of the above mentioned features are important. If your outlet strip voltage surge protection device does not have or meet these requirements you may have diminished protection of your facilities equipment. 7

9 Let s look at each of the features: Short Circuit Protection, your unit should be equipped with a fuse or circuit breaker so that if a problem occurs in which the unit needs to be disconnected before it burns up it will do so before causing damage to your facility. A circuit breaker is preferable so that you do not have to keep extra fuses on hand. Correct Wiring Indicator, all transient voltage surge suppressors must be wired properly. Outlet strip units are no exception. Of course the unit itself should be wired properly or it shouldn t have passed factory inspection before shipping, but, the outlet in which unit plugs into must also be wired properly. Many people assume the outlets in their facility are wired correctly, however, it has been my experience that many are not wired properly. Your outlet strip voltage surge protector should have an indicator on it to show if the outlet you are plugging into is wired properly. Proper functioning Indicator, your unit should have an indicator showing that is working properly and supplying protection to the equipment plugged into it. All SPD units have a maximum surge capability they can withstand. Your unit should be able to protect the equipment plugged into it when hit by frequent surges, however, a large surge in excess of the units capability may occur. The unit MUST be able to give you an indication that is has received one of these large surges and is no longer functioning to its intended capability. Absence of this indicator leaves you in doubt whether the unit is still working properly or not. Voltage Protection, Cat 6 Protection, Cable Protection, voltage surges enter your facility from many sources. The three most common are; the voltage wiring in your walls, floors, and ceiling, the phone lines, and any cable TV or internet access cables. Many people concentrate on the voltage wiring for surge protection, however, surges can and do enter your facility on the phone lines and the cable lines. To fully protect your facility you must have SPD protection on all three of the above. Once again, this is not only the SPD manufactures recommendation it is a requirement of IEEE Your outlet strip voltage surge protection device should have connections for not only voltage but phone lines and cable. UL rd edition listing, for your unit to be considered an outlet strip voltage surge protector by UL (Underwriters Laboratory) it must be labeled with the UL number UL rd edition. Many outlet strips are on the market with a label on the package or box that says it is a Protector, but do not have the UL rd edition label. Any unit that does not have the UL rd edition label may not be a SPD unit at all. It may be just a short circuit protector only, not a Surge Protection Device. 8

10 Large Maximum transient current rating, Low Voltage let through rating, these two ratings are the meat of the SPD unit ratings. Most SPD manufactures have to show some type of visual indication of how well their unit performs. The most popular visual indicator you will see on outlet strip voltage surge protection device is something called a Joule. A Joule is the measurement of watts per second. The Watt a measurement of electrical power and of course the Second is a measurement of time. So, if we use the Joule as a measurement of performance with a SPD unit we are looking at Power (Watts) over Time (Seconds). The relationship between Joules, Watts, and Seconds is as follows: 1 Joule = 1 Watt of power in 1 Second Or, 1 Watt x 1 Second = 1 Joule So let s say we have a SPD unit that is labeled that it can withstand 2000 Joules. This COULD mean it can withstand: 2000 Watts x 1 Second = 2000 Joules - meaning it can take 2000 Watts of surges for 1 second. This may sound good however IEEE tells us transient surges can last only fractions of a second and can exceed 18,000,000 watts. However buy just using Joules for measurement of performance it could also mean the following: 1 Watt x 2000 Seconds = 2000 Joules - meaning it can only withstand 1 Watt of surges for 2000 Seconds (33 minutes). Is this good? NO. Can it survive 2 watts for any amount of time? How much voltage will it let through to damage your equipment? Once again we don t know. There is no IEEE standard for Joules, therefore, we must use a common standard when comparing SPD units. What is the standard? Once again, IEEE. IEEE does have standards for current ratings and voltage let through ratings. The current ratings let us know how many amps the unit can withstand during a surge and keep on working. The voltage let through ratings show us how much voltage is passed through to our equipment when a certain amount of current is applied. These current and voltage numbers are determined by IEEE and the only recognized standard for comparison by the IEEE. 9

Surge Protection Device Systems Conclusion When making a decision to protect your facilities equipment from the damaging effects of transient voltage surges you should take the

Also when making buying decisions you should compare the IEEE standards of each SPD unit not some flashy marketing ploy.

P3 Recommends the facility wide power protection System Shield: Applications for SPD The System Shield provides you with field proven solutions to surge protection problems.

11 Surge Protection Device Systems Conclusion When making a decision to protect your facilities equipment from the damaging effects of transient voltage surges you should take the recommendations of the IEEE and install multiple levels of protection so that all your equipment is covered. Also when making buying decisions you should compare the IEEE standards of each SPD unit not some flashy marketing ploy. P3 can help you compare the specification sheets of different SPD manufactures and help you make the right SPD decision. P3 Recommends the facility wide power protection System Shield: Applications for SPD The System Shield provides you with field proven solutions to surge protection problems. It protects all electrical and electronic equipment, from heavy duty motors, sensitive computer-based controllers, load equipment, office equipment and commercial & industrial manufacturing systems. Type 1 Before service disconnect Type 2 After service disconnect Type 2 or Type 3 Sub panels Sensitive Large Load Sensitive Small Load Rev

P3 & PQU Power Protection Products, Inc. (P3) P3 specializes in representing only the best products and services that enhance power quality.

P3 works closely with your local market suppliers and vendors in order to provide you with convenient purchasing options, sales channels and follow-up service.

In today's world of sensitive electronic equipment, power protection is no longer an option; it's a necessity. Power Protection Products, Inc.

maintenance costs. Learn more at PQU! www.powerqualityuniversity.com Power Protection Products, Inc. is "showing you how" with Power Quality University (PQU).

Students are taught the importance of power quality and the many factors which go into ensuring and providing good power quality.

12 P3 & PQU Power Protection Products, Inc. (P3) P3 specializes in representing only the best products and services that enhance power quality. By specializing the power quality, we can provide our customers with in-depth analysis, service and solutions that will meet the needs of our customers and end users. P3 works closely with your local market suppliers and vendors in order to provide you with convenient purchasing options, sales channels and follow-up service. We act as an extension of your current vendor base and work closely with your local market leaders in the power quality and electrical equipment area. In today's world of sensitive electronic equipment, power protection is no longer an option; it's a necessity. Power Protection Products, Inc. provides the highest quality products and services available today that will protect and maintain your power supply as well as reduce your downtime, equipment failure and maintenance costs. Learn more at PQU! Power Protection Products, Inc. is "showing you how" with Power Quality University (PQU). Power Quality University brings real world electrical knowledge into the classrooms. Students are taught the importance of power quality and the many factors which go into ensuring and providing good power quality. The instructors who teach at PQU are highly qualified professionals and are all experts in the field. Upon completion of a PQU program, students can obtain Continuing Education Credits (CEU's). PQU is just one more way that Power Protection Products, Inc. is affecting the electrical community in a positive way. For more information about our service plans and support services contact us at: S. 75th Street, Omaha, NE

Surge Protection Device Systems

Surge Protection Device Systems Power Protection Products, Inc. SPD White Paper by Dan Maxcy l 2019 Update P3 is the industry s trusted and respected critical power, cooling and energy solutions provider. 877-393-1223 I www.p3-inc.com