Headquarters Surge & Signal Protection 328 Water Street Binghamton, NY 13901 T: 607-724-2484 T: 800-288-6169 F: 607-722-8713 Surge & Signal Protection for Business-Critical Continuity Dirty Power... A Guide to Surge Suppression & Filtering 1805 N.E. 19th Avenue Ocala, FL 34470 T: 352-732-3029 T: 800-648-4076 F: 352-867-1237 23123 E. Mission Ave. Liberty Lake, WA 99019 T: 509-777-2300 T: 800-953-3701 F: 509-927-0435 Emerson Network Power. The global leader in enabling Business-Critical Continuity. AC Power Systems Connectivity DC Power Systems Embedded Power Integrated Cabinet Solutions Outside Plant Power Switching & Controls Precision Cooling Services Site Monitoring Surge & Signal Protection EmersonNetworkPower.com Emerson Network Power and the Emerson Network Power logo are trademarks and service marks of Emerson Electric Co. 2006 Emerson Electric Co. SL-950 Rev.5 3/06
Experience/Quality of Manufacturer As with surge suppression products, how long has the manufacturer been designing filter products? Are they ISO certified? Are they a market leader in the hardwired filter/surge suppression industry? Warranty Does the manufacturer back up their product with a strong warranty that offers factory support? Surge Suppression Products UL 1449 Listing and Ratings Any product should be tested and listed to the latest revision of UL 1449. The listing will include the product let-through voltages by protection mode. Surge Current Capacity What is the actual surge current capacity the unit can handle? Be wary though. Many manufacturer s claim very high single impulse levels based on a sum of components. Look for a repeatable surge current based on the capability of the entire unit. Advanced Monitoring What diagnostic capabilities does the unit have? Are all components continuously monitored in every mode of protection? Modes of Protection Depending on your specific needs, generally all modes of protection should be utilized. That would include, if applicable, line to neutral, line to line, line to ground and neutral to ground. Repeatability and Endurance of Design Look for multiple strike survivability data of entire unit. A good guideline is survival of minimum of 3,000 surges per mode of 20kV, 10kA, IEEE C62.41 Category C3 surge currents. Product Safety Testing In addition to UL 1449 testing, look for listing to UL 1283 and CSA. Also ensure suitability of design for installation regarding fault current rating. A good guideline is that the overcurrent protection device of the unit has a UL Listed 300kAIC fault current rating. Verification of Performance Claims What additional performance testing and third party verification does the product have available? Experience/Quality of Manufacturer Is the manufacturer ISO certified? How long have they been manufacturing and marketing surge suppression products? Are they a market leader in the hardwired surge suppression industry? Warranty Does the manufacturer back up their product with a strong warranty that offers factory support? With both types of products, look for a company that can provide a full range of Power Quality Solutions to solve any Power Quality problem. Only Emerson and its divisions can provide end-to-end solutions for protecting mission critical equipment that ensures perpetual service for today s business. Only Emerson Network Power has the global capability to meet your power needs anywhere in the world, at any time.
Choosing power conditioning products. The Importance of Power Protection... When you shop for surge suppressors and filters, you will find a bewildering array of choices. To add to the confusion, some manufacturers manipulate testing numbers in an effort to mislead the uneducated customer. We suggest that you rely on your electrical distributor and this list of suggested ideas for help in making intelligent decisions. Key Selection Criteria: What should you evaluate? Filter Products Clamping Performance Request performance data for IEEE C62.41 Category A and Category B Ringwaves for any product that claims to be a filter. Look for series connected devices to substantially outperform parallel connected configurations. EMI/RFI Noise Attenuation Levels Compare performance for both normal and common modes of protection. A good guideline to look for is a minimum 60db from 100Khz to 50Mhz for normal mode filtering. Be wary of parallel connected devices that claim these performance levels. Hybrid, Multi-stage Protection Utilization of both multistage filter and suppression technologies to combat both high and low energy transients. UL 1283 Listing Appropriate safety agency testing for filter devices. Repeatability and Endurance of Design What is considered to be the life of the product? Does it use non-degrading technology? Utilities have generated and distributed power the same way for decades. However, the equipment that runs on that power has changed dramatically. Today, as you well know, the operation of your facility relies on sensitive microcircuitry whether it s in a computer network, a process controller or a phone PBX. Problem is, those sensitive computer circuits are especially vulnerable to fluctuations in the power they consume. It doesn t take much. In fact, a surge lasting only a few microseconds can cause problems. As a result, cleaning up dirty power ensuring the delivery of steady, constant voltage with little variation has become an important issue for every company. Of course, you can t control how power is generated and distributed. But you can protect the equipment in your facility from power surges and transients by installing power quality equipment such as surge suppressors and filters. This booklet should help you understand the issues you face and help you make sound decisions that can help keep your facility and the people who work there operating at peak efficiency.
What Causes Dirty Power? Location Categories as defined by IEEE C62.41 (1991) A B C Whether it s called a surge, a sag, a spike, a transient, a fluctuation, an interruption or noise, dirty power is some type of abnormality in the electricity that runs your facility. Dirty power originates outside of and within your facility. For example, lightning, utility switching, capacitor switching, and faults on the utility s distribution system can all affect the quality of your power before it even reaches your facility. And daily fluctuations from internal electrical equipment like devices that run in cycles or get turned on and off frequently can cause cumulative and equally damaging power hazards. Even a small appliance can cause problems in sensitive equipment that share the same line. And the more electrical equipment a company uses, the more transients accumulate. A B C Overhead Service Connection Outlets and Long Branch Circuits All outlets at more than 10 m (30 ft) from Category B with wires #4-10 All outlets at more than 20 m (60 ft) from Category C with wires #14-10 Major Feeders and Short Branch Circuits Distribution panel devices Bus and feeder systems in industrial plants Heavy appliance outlets with short connections to the service entrance Lighting systems in commercial buildings Outside and Service Entrance Service drop from pole to building entrance Run between meter and distribution panel Overhead line to detached buildings Underground lines to well pumps
The best approach is a network approach. Possible Computer Symptoms Processing errors, Incorrect data transfer, Terminal or printer errors Incorrect data, Processing errors, Printer or terminal errors, Hardware damage Incorrect data transfer, Terminal or printer errors, I/O hardware damage System crashes, Hardware damage Data corruption, Processing errors, Incorrect data transfers, Lock-ups, Hardware damage Hardware damage System crashes, Hardware damage Dangerous power disturbances can strike anywhere in your facility at any time. In fact, 65 percent of all transients are generated by equipment within your building. That s why it makes sense to have a coordinated network approach to power conditioning. Installing a system at the electrical service entrance is the obvious place to start. But, in most cases, that s not enough. Installing protection at panel boards and at specific sensitive loads or equipment throughout your building or plant is the best way to prevent damage to sensitive microelectronics and associated downtime. Your electrical distributor can help you decide what combination of power conditioning products best suits your needs. Causes Definitions Power Disturbances Computers, Switching power supplies, Power line modulation equipment Low level signals, superimposed on the power sine wave Switching loads on or off, Computers, Utility Switching, Lightning A narrow fast-rise voltage variation. Followed by a damped oscillation decaying to nominal in less than one cycle Radios, Computers, Arcing contacts, Lightning Impulses and EMI/RFI noise superimposed on the power conductors Ground faults, Starting large loads, Low power system capacity, Lightning A low-voltage condition on one or more phases Switching nearby loads off/on, Computer networks, Utilities Quick voltage variations, harmonics occur at the natural multiple of the standard power wave Rapid load reduction, Utility switching A high-voltage condition on one or more phases Normal Mode Noise (Amplitude 0.5V to 25V) Ground faults equipment failure, Accidents, Lightning, Acts of nature A zero-volt condition Normal Mode Impulses and Ringing Transients (Amplitude 50V to 6kV) (Duration: 5 µsec to 2000 µsec) Common Mode Disturbances (Amplitude: millivolts - hundreds of volts) Sags (Duration: Greater than one cycle) Harmonics: (Duration: Less than one cycle) Overvoltages (Duration: Greater than one cycle) Outage (Duration: Greater than half a cycle)
Using surge suppression to control high-voltage transients. Using Active Tracking Filters to control low- and high-voltage transients. High-voltage transients, such as those caused by lightning or grid switching, are relatively rare. However, they get more attention than low-voltage events because their ability to cause catastrophic damage is so dramatic. Surge suppressors provide protection from spikes by limiting let-through voltage that could destroy down-stream equipment. Applications: Ideally installed at service entrances and larger distribution panels. Surge Suppression High-voltage spikes appearing on 120V, 60Hz sine wave. Low-voltage noise is caused by everyday events such as turning on appliances or motors. Although less dramatic than high-voltage transients, the long-term effect of these frequent disturbances can be just as damaging. Filtering systems such as our Active Tracking Filters, provide clean AC power by eliminating lower-voltage noise. Applications: Ideally installed at specific sensitive loads or branch panels or on individual pieces of equipment. Filtering low-voltage transients Lower-voltage transients (high-frequency noise) appearing on 120V, 60Hz sine wave. Active Tracking Filtering eliminates potentially damaging noise, providing clean and reliable AC power. Surge suppression limits high-voltage spikes. It s your first line of defense for power quality. high-voltage transients High-voltage spikes appearing on 120V, 60Hz sine wave. Active Tracking Filtering virtually eliminates high-voltage transients.