Surge Protection The effects of transient voltages on business and the benefits of installing Surge Protection Devices
Contents Executive Summary... 2 The Effects of Electrical Devices Failures... 3 Power Surges... 3 Local Power Surges - Transients... 3 External Power Surges... 4 What do Power Surges Affect?... 5 Examples of equipment affected:... 5 Protect Profits with Surge Protection Devices... 7 What are Surge Protection Devices?... 7 Method of Approach... 9 Limit Failure Implementation... 9 Cost Estimates... 9 Return on Investment... 9 Appendix... 10 Case Studies of Power Surges... 10 Advice from Nationwide Insurance for Businesses... 10 Report on Common Causes of Data Loss... 11 Hughes Associates, Inc. Research... 11
Executive Summary Device degradation, disruption, and destruction and failure can have a substantial impact on business. Many of the causes for the above can be traced back to internal and external power surges which are vastly overlooked in business implementation plans. Electrical compliance is now becoming more aware of the risks of these surge events more detailed legislation is expected to be put in place in the near future alongside the existing BS 7671:2008 (2015 amendments). Installing a Surge Protection Device on the incoming distribution board is the best preventative measure a company can make to avoid hardware failures, fires and their associated risks to business. SURGE PROTECTION WWW.PROJECTANALYSIS.CO.UK SHAUN DENIZALTI SEPTEMBER 2015 2
The Effects of Electrical Devices Failures Increased reliance on electrical devices drive the requirement to minimise failure events that can have a substantial impact on profits. Some of the effects of high value device failures: Constant repair, maintenance and replacement of high value electrical goods capital expenditure and budget surprises Interruptions to Business as Usual - downtime and customer dissatisfaction Safety to individuals working in the facilities as well as productivity Increased insurance premiums More severe device failures can also lead to larger scale damage posing a fire risk. Please refer to the Appendix for more on fire risks. Power Surges One of the primary causes of device failure are power surges - these can broadly be classed as Local and External surges. Local Power Surges - Transients Also known as transient surges or spikes, current estimates are that there are over 1000 potentially damaging surges events per medium business a year in the UK, damaging equipment and affecting profits. 70% of power surges are caused locally by multiple voltage events such as turning items on/off and heavy usage. Internal switching (the regular programmed events) causes this number to grow exponentially. Friction in the work environment also causes electrostatic discharge which affects the voltage of devices and causes micro surges. SURGE PROTECTION WWW.PROJECTANALYSIS.CO.UK SHAUN DENIZALTI SEPTEMBER 2015 3
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. Generally, any switching operation, fault initiation or interruption in an electrical installation is followed by a transient phenomenon in which overvoltages can occur. Each time you turn on, turn off, load, or unload an inductive device, you produce a transient. Inductive devices are those devices that use "magnetic mass" to function. The sudden change in the system can initiate damped oscillations with high frequencies (determined by the resonant frequencies of the electrical network), until the system is stabilised to its new steady state. The magnitude of the switching overvoltage s depends on several parameters, such as the type of circuit, the kind of switching operation (closing, opening, restriking), the loads, and the protection device. In most cases, the maximum overvoltage is up to twice the amplitude of the system voltage but higher values can occur especially when switching inductive loads. External Power Surges District network operators are under more pressure with a massive increase in solar and MCHP feed in systems, leading to more substation issues and total failures. Moisture conduction from lightning strikes is another cause of external failure. There are around 50,000 power cuts by lightning strikes per year in the UK. SURGE PROTECTION WWW.PROJECTANALYSIS.CO.UK SHAUN DENIZALTI SEPTEMBER 2015 4
BS 7671:2008 (2015 amendments) Section 534 contains requirements for the installation of surge protective devices (SPDs) to limit transient overvoltages where required by Section 443 of BS 7671:2008 or where otherwise specified by the designer. A risk assessment to BS EN 62305, Protection against Lightning also determines the need for SPDs. Surge protective components incorporated into appliances are not taken into account in 534. Both lightning strikes and electrical switching can inject what are called transient overvoltages into installations. Transient voltages are usually only a few micro seconds in duration. However their peak value can reach 6 kv. Normal electronic equipment cannot withstand this level of voltage. Static electricity (also called "electrostatic discharge") can generate up to 40,000 volts. This type of hazard is very dependent upon environmental conditions and areas with lower humidity have the worst problems. Arcing can generate transients from a number of sources. Faulty contacts in breakers, switches, and contactors can produce an arc when voltage jumps the gap. When this gap is "jumped" the voltage rises suddenly and the most common effect is an oscillatory-ringtype transient. Faulty connections and grounds can produce arcing. What do Power Surges Affect? Small power surges degrade electrical equipment and large surges often require equipment replacement and/or maintenance. Examples of equipment affected: Ovens Air Conditioning Fridges and Freezers Washers/Other Motor Driven Appliances Boilers IT equipment (EPoS Tills, Servers, PC s) Dishwashers Lighting, regular and LED Consumer units such as smartphones and laptops charging (mains/usb) Any other device containing a microprocessor SURGE PROTECTION WWW.PROJECTANALYSIS.CO.UK SHAUN DENIZALTI SEPTEMBER 2015 5
Transient damage is electronic rust that gradually eats away at the circuit traces that allow electricity to flow between electronic components on a printed circuit board of a computer, printer, or other device. Hard drive crashes, data transmission errors, and circuit board failures are just some of the consequences of electronic rust. In many cases, as semiconductors have evolved, their ruggedness has diminished. The trend to produce smaller and faster devices, and the spread of MOSFET and gallium arsenide FET technologies has led to an increased vulnerability. High impedance inputs and small junction sizes limit the ability of these devices to absorb energy and to conduct large currents. It is necessary, therefore, to supplement vulnerable electronic components with devices specially designed to cope with these hazards. SURGE PROTECTION WWW.PROJECTANALYSIS.CO.UK SHAUN DENIZALTI SEPTEMBER 2015 6
Protect Profits with Surge Protection Devices What are Surge Protection Devices? A surge protection device protects electrical devices from voltage spikes, limiting the voltage supplied to an electric device by either blocking or by shorting to ground any unwanted voltages above a safe threshold. Installing one SPD (Surge Protection Device) at the main distribution panel can ensure that your equipment is protected with the safest and most reliable technology available. There is no break in the power supply when an SPD is in use and it will never cause a disruption in continuous power. For larger facilities there are options for further enhancements to SPD s including monitoring systems and surge counters. Effective transient voltage suppression equipment can double or triple the life of electrical and electronic equipment. SURGE PROTECTION WWW.PROJECTANALYSIS.CO.UK SHAUN DENIZALTI SEPTEMBER 2015 7
Surge protection in the distribution panel limits the inductive coupling to other conductors by minimising the size of the conducting loop (e.g. phase to earth) during an overvoltage event. Electrically noisy equipment is usually supplied by its own ring or spur, so a surge protection device in the panel is effectively between the noisy source and the equipment that requires protection. Maintenance and monitoring of the surge protection is centralised and simplified, as many panel products have options for offsite monitoring and integrity reports. As distribution panels are normally located at the entrance to an installation or area, the installation of surge protection at the panel fits well with the Lightning Protection Zone concept of BS EN 62305 if required. When dealing with transient overvoltages, there are many reasons why the main distribution panel is the best location for surge protection: Multiple circuits can be protected by one device, giving total protection. Limits the electromagnetic propagation of the overvoltage. Lead lengths can be controlled and kept to a minimum; loops can be eliminated. SURGE PROTECTION WWW.PROJECTANALYSIS.CO.UK SHAUN DENIZALTI SEPTEMBER 2015 8
Method of Approach Limit Failure Implementation Our process for installation SPD s in facilities is very straightforward and starts with a site survey. From there we will discuss requirements and produce a quote with multiple options for implementation. Cost Estimates The installation of an SPD device from Project Analysis Electrical will cost between 3,000 and 8,000 dependent on the premises size and distribution board type. Other factors that are taken into consideration for the cost are the types of SPD the client requires from standard protection to those with telemetry and spike reporting features. We provide a range of options including support in all quotes. In most instances the system can remain energized during the installation. Return on Investment SPD s are preventative devices so ROI can be based on your previous electrical failure and replacement statistics alongside spike measurement from the devices over time. We estimate with destruction prevention alongside degradation protection the devices pay for themselves in around a few months for an average sized business with a core dependence on electrical items. SURGE PROTECTION WWW.PROJECTANALYSIS.CO.UK SHAUN DENIZALTI SEPTEMBER 2015 9
Appendix Case Studies of Power Surges Statistics below are gathered from a Munich RE Risk Solutions study. All of these could have been avoided with installation of an SPD at the main distribution board. Office building Electrical arcing destroyed three main electrical panels and left an office building without power. Temporary measures were taken to restore power to tenants. Total loss 1,028,550 Police building A power surge damaged a generator and burned out police radio equipment, printed circuit boards for a fire alarm system, a small transformer and small electric motors. Total Loss 58,053 Machine shop A power surge from a utility line damaged two computer circuit boards, halting a metal shearing operation for nearly a week. Materials and workers were sent to another plant to meet production requirements. Repair cost 6,107 Extra expenses 27,391 Advice from Nationwide Insurance for Businesses The below extract is from the Nationwide Business Insurance terms. Most insurance companies will not cover for or honour claims for surge related damage. Install a main service panel suppressor. While they have their place, surge protectors are no replacement for a heavy-duty surge suppressor at your main service panel. Service panel surge suppressors are designed to deal with large transient voltages, lessening the impact on surge protectors and business equipment down the line. These suppressors must be installed by a licensed electrician and inspected periodically. SURGE PROTECTION WWW.PROJECTANALYSIS.CO.UK SHAUN DENIZALTI SEPTEMBER 2015 10
Report on Common Causes of Data Loss Data storage is a vital area in any business below are some statistics gathered from Contingency Planning on the most common causes of data loss. Power Failure/Surge accounts for nearly 50% of all data loss events. Hughes Associates, Inc. Research In 2014 Hughes Associates, Inc. undertook extensive research into Electrical Surge Protection Devices with particular emphasis on their protection from fire risks. The published results are available in the paper October 2014 Fire Protection Research Foundation, Data Assessment for Electrical Surge Protection Devices Below are some key findings from the paper. SURGE PROTECTION WWW.PROJECTANALYSIS.CO.UK SHAUN DENIZALTI SEPTEMBER 2015 11
Surges can disable key safety features circuit boards and processors. 16% of surge damages cost businesses more than 50,000. SURGE PROTECTION WWW.PROJECTANALYSIS.CO.UK SHAUN DENIZALTI SEPTEMBER 2015 12
10.7% of surges caused injury to one or more people. In 35% of cases, more than 6 hours business downtime was recorded. SURGE PROTECTION WWW.PROJECTANALYSIS.CO.UK SHAUN DENIZALTI SEPTEMBER 2015 13
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