Protection Of Data Through SPDs

Anyone that has experienced data loss understands the pain and annoyance that is involved.  The functionality level of systems is directly proportional to the amount of data that can be integrated into that system in order to more fully support the needs of the user.  Thinking about it from a personal level, you can compare the difficulties associated with data loss on a company level with losing your phone.  When you got your phone, the first thing you did might have been to experiment with the systems that were integrated into it and explore the functionality that it provided.  You began to take these systems and input your personal data into them to use their ability to make your life more convenient.  You input contacts in order to provide a quick and easy way to not only remember information about other people, but also to contact them without needing to look up their information and input it yourself.  You put your personal preferences into different settings and applications within the phone in order to provide yourself shortcuts to the way that you prefer to use that system.  If you had to adjust the volume on your phone every single time that you used it, not only would it be irritating, but also an exorbitant waste of time.  The systems are designed to store information about you as a user in order to allow for a more streamlined experience on your part.  Your phone actually becomes more functional over time as more information is input, eventually becoming so integrated into your life as the go-to source for information and connectivity that you almost can’t exist without it.  Now imagine suddenly being without that device or any of the convenience that it provides.  If your phone suddenly blew up, you can go and purchased a new phone exactly like your old one, but you’ll have to go through the entire process of restoring that functionality all over again.  Until this is completed, the phone will only provide the bare minimum of functionality it has been designed to do.

Now imagine if you are in control of a business system that thousands of people rely upon for information of some sort.  The system has been built over time to integrate the data of the customers and provide the convenience and functionality that they demand of you.  Suddenly all this information is gone, and you’re left with only the minimal functionality of a system without data.  Customers would be angry and leave, losses would be catastrophic, and the business might not even survive the incident.  Therefore, protection of data through surge protection systems is so critical.  Electrical surges are one of the leading causes of data loss to businesses, and there is no ability to predict when they will occur.  These types of losses are as a result of mistakes or errors within the system, and as a result are difficult to thwart.  The best that a company can do is provide redundant backups and the highest level of protection against surges that is available to them.

More Info Link: https://www.raycap.com/data-surge-protection/

Cellular Towers Need Surge Protection Devices

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When you pick up your cell phone and begin a call or a connection to the internet, your understanding of the process probably stops at the amount of bars that your cell phone has.  This graphical presentation of the strength or weakness of the signal essentially tells you how unobstructed your signal is with regards to the nearest tower that is involved in your network.  These towers must be the tallest structures within a general area in order to provide the most unobstructed signal to you on the ground.  This physical necessity also creates an issue within the system, ultimately making them the perfect target for lightning strikes during inclement weather.  Lightning strikes to cellular towers ultimately destroy or damage equipment necessary to the process, or take the cell tower offline which ultimately provides you with no connectivity.  This is why cellular communications companies utilize industrial surge protection as a defense against the expected damage that will occur to their equipment in the field every year.

The main components within a cellular tower are the antennas, the remote radio head and the base station unit which are housed within that tower itself.  The lightning strike to the top of the tower will ultimately damage equipment located within the strike point, but unfortunately the electrical surge that is produced as a result of that strike can damage active telephone equipment further away.  This is due to the fact that the base station unit must be connected via cables directly to the remote radio head in order to provide ongoing communication.  This connectivity is a pathway for electrical surges to travel upon, ultimately allowing far more electricity than can be handled by the equipment to come into contact with it.  In order to minimize the amount of damage that a single lightning strike can produce, cellular companies have begun integrating surge protection equipment in between these components, installed along these critical pathways.  By providing a barrier that has the ability to not only monitor the amount of electrical flow but also cut off that flow if it exceeds a specified amount, the telecom companies can reduce their expected amounts of maintenance and damage significantly.  In doing so, these predictable amounts of damage in the field can be reduced or eliminated completely, in some cases.  This not only reduces the amount of expenditure necessary to keep the system going, but also provides the better customer experience due to the fact that connectivity issues are reduced as well.  Keeping the systems online as much as possible keeps customers as happy as possible.  Keeping their bills as low as possible also keeps customers happy, ultimately creating a situation where the reduction of electrical surge related damage can have a dual effect on the profitability of the business.  In the hyper competitive world of telecommunications, those who have created the systems which can function with the longest up times and the smallest amount of ongoing maintenance and repair costs are the ones who will ultimately survive the test of time.

Surge Protection For Telecom

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Telecommunications systems rely upon critical equipment in order to not only provide coverage within specific areas to their customers, but also to provide communications capabilities through their interconnected network.  People rely upon cellular connectivity for their routine daily tasks as well as for critical communications during times of emergency.  Connectivity to emergency services is crucial at all times, and can be the difference between life and death in some instances.  The challenging aspect of this responsibility is the fact that the same kind of inclement weather conditions that can bring on the necessity for connectivity to emergency services, also has the capability to destroy the equipment that provides that connectivity.  One of the most common causes of damage to telecom systems as well as outages in connectivity is lightning strikes to the towers that provide the unobstructed signals to cell phones.  In order to provide the best and clearest signal possible, cellular towers must be the tallest structures within an area, ultimately making them a perfect target for lightning strikes.  Much of the equipment that is housed within these towers as well as the materials with which the towers themselves are constructed are also attractants of lightning.  When the strikes happen to the cell tower top, it has the ability to not only damage or destroy equipment located nearby but also equipment further away.  This is due to one of the inherent issues with the telecom business:  in order to provide an unobstructed signal you often must also position yourself as the best possible target for lightning.

In order to compensate for the obvious issues that come with these kinds of flaws  to a system, the telecommunications industry has utilized surge protection devices as a buffer between the lightning strikes and the equipment housed within the towers.  This is an attempt to minimize the amount of damage that is produced by inclement weather and the lightning strikes which must be expected.  There are various methods of attempting to lessen the risk exposure of a site to lightning strike, overhead shields and lightning rods being examples, but it must be expected and predicted that there will be a certain amount of lightning strikes to the towers themselves every time there is a thunder storm in the area.  The damage that will be produced by the lightning strike can be mitigated through surge protection equipment.  The damages that will generally be found outside of the strike point are usually based on the electrical surge that is produced by the strike itself.  This surge overwhelms the circuitry of the computerized equipment, and is able to travel along power lines that interconnect these devices.  These surges are stopped in their tracks by surge protection equipment installed along the lines that interconnect these devices.  Through a redundant and effective installation of surge protection devices, the amount of predictable damage to equipment as well as the outages that will be expected as a result of this damage can be brought to a minimum.  The integration of surge protection equipment therefore is critical to the ongoing functionality of telecom systems.

Lightning Protection For Wind Turbines Devices

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The push towards green energy, and wind technology in particular, continually causes additional wind farms to come online throughout the world. As well, current wind farms are also being expanded. The turbine manufacturers as well as the wind farm owners & operators have become increasingly aware of the ability to reduce costs associated with inclement weather conditions, and in particular lightning strikes. The damage that operations can sustain from a lightning strike comes in multiple forms. The most obvious damage that which is physically damaged by the lightning strike itself, including replacements of machinery used in the process, but this is not the major source of monetary loss.  Wind farms can operate continually as long as the wind is blowing, ultimately producing power upwards of 24 hours a day and seven days a week. The costs associated with systems being taken offline due to lightning strikes, and not able to produce power, are less tangible but far more costly.  The wind turbine electrical systems continually face challenges because wind turbines are fixed to wind towers which are almost always the tallest structure within a geographic region. When they are exposed to a harsh weather, it must be expected that the turbines and the blades that are affixed to them, will likely be at risk from lightning strikes. These strikes of both an indirect and direct association create intense electromagnetic fields as well as transient over voltages. These over voltages are passed directly through the electrical system and to the sensitive equipment within the turbine. The surges can propagate through the system and produce latent as well as immediate damage to all circuitry and computer equipment. Additional components like power converters and electronics, transformers and generators are also easily damaged by surges created by lightning. The latent damage that can occur as a result of multiple strikes to the structures as well as repeated exposure to surges occurs within key power components. Much of this damage is not covered by any warranty that is offered by the manufacturer, ultimately forcing repair costs upon the operator.

The offline costs associated with power surges and lightning strikes affect the business in a different way. When a turbine is disabled, it must be repaired or have components replaced by a service team.  All of the costs associated with purchase of new equipment as well as salaries for the team itself must be absorbed from the profit pool. Combine this with the fact that profits are being reduced due to the fact that the turbine is offline during critical times where it could be producing power utilizing free fuel sources, and you have a recipe for dwindling profits that can be easily bankrupt even good businesses. The installation of the most advanced surge protection technology available for wind turbines is not only suggested but necessary in order to push green technology into the mix as a legitimate competitor with the fossil fuel industry.  Surge reduction or elimination technologies are being continually improved, thus assisting this emerging industry to gain a greater foothold.

Lightning Damage From Surges

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Green energy production technology is one of the most promising energy production methods with regards to the future of mankind.  This may seem like a bold statement, but improving the world by creating better energy systems that ultimately harm the earth to a lesser degree must be viewed as an improvement for everyone on the planet.  All over the world, civilized societies rely upon electricity that is delivered to their homes and businesses through electrical grid systems.  This electricity is manufactured and stored until it is delivered to consumers.  The systems that deliver electricity are not the issue, and instead we find that the damage is caused during the energy mining and manufacturing process.  Electricity is created through the use of turbine technology, the simplistic way of explaining this that as the turbines are turned they create electricity.  The way that these turbines are turned in order to produce enough electricity to satisfy large populations of consumers has traditionally been through the burning of fossil fuels or by capturing the water flowing through a dam. While these methods have proven to be able to be reliable enough to produce the volumes of electricity that are necessary for metropolitan areas, they also one of the leading causes of disruption in terms of pollution, causing climate change and damaging clean water systems. While the proponents of fossil fuels will argue that the climate change aspect is not significant enough to justify higher costs, there is no denying that pollution is created. No matter what, it is globally understood that polluted air is not conducive to a healthy environment for humans or animals. Because of this fact, it is universally accepted that a method of creating the same electricity product with non-polluting methods would be superior. The reason that wider spread rollouts of green energy production technologies such as wind and solar have not occurred really comes down to two critical aspects. First and foremost are the costs associated with these methods, and second is the reliability of these methods to produce enough electricity to satisfy large amounts of customers.  Both of these issues are being solved through the use of advanced technologies, including but not limited to the use of industrial surge protection equipment.

Surge protection for green energy systems reduces the amount of damage caused to these systems by natural events such as lightning strikes.  While the acute damage that happens at the strike point is nearly unavoidable, this is not the largest cost associated with damage of this sort. Instead, we find the majority of damage costs come from the associated power surge that damages the sensitive equipment utilized in the process, and of course the taking of the systems offline. As surge protection equipment improves, there will be less damage to the components of these systems which will ultimately drive down costs of production. In the same regard, we find that keeping these systems online for longer periods of time can produce larger volumes of electricity to satisfy the growing populations. This can actually be done without increasing prices because in part the fuel sources that turn the turbines has no cost associated (ie: sun and wind). By simply keeping the systems online and functioning for longer periods of time the amount of power that is generated will be increased, and the costs associated with the production will be decreased.

Surge Protection Devices

“Surge protection devices” are also referred to as SPDs, and are essentially equipment that is used for the specific purpose of limiting the amount of electricity that can pass through them and on to downstream components.  They can be easily compared to a dam, where they are installed along the flow routes of electricity instead of water.  They are designed to allow a specific amount of electricity to pass through them which is in line with the tolerances of the equipment placed after them along that flow route.  If the electrical flow surges past a specific point, the surge protection device performs its duty.  It cuts off any excess electricity that is over and above that specific tolerance.  The methods that can be employed to achieve this goal are varied, consisting of either drawing down the flow, completely cutting off the flow, or diverting the excess electricity to another place.  While each surge protection device functions differently, and are designed for different applications, they all perform the same task of protecting equipment that can be damaged by excess electric flow.

The main differences between industrial surge protection devices and residential surge protection devices is the level to which they are constructed and the technology that drives their function.  Basically, industrial surge protection devices need to be built to more exact standards and from more robust materials due to the fact that they are utilized in harsher environments to protect more expensive equipment.  Within a residential space, the equipment that is being protected is probably limited to televisions, computers and various other devices that cost only a few thousand dollars.  Within an industrial environment, the components that are being utilized can easily cost tens of millions of dollars, and be providing services that people depend on daily.  If the business is simply manufacturing a product, offline time and equipment repair may only have a negative impact on the bottom line.  If the business is service oriented, and has customers that rely on that service, the impact of outages and equipment repair can significantly decrease the quality of life of those who utilize the services.  Thus, with regard to industrial businesses, the stakes when it comes to surge protection are far higher.

Technologically advanced surge protection equipment from companies like Raycap provides a level of protection that is unmatched.  These devices are relied upon to not only protect equipment owned by the world’s largest companies, but also to keep the services that we all use on a daily basis up and running.  Protecting everything from the ability to make a call on a  cell phone, to the ability to turn on the lights in your house, Raycap products keep these residential and industrial applications not only functioning, but profitable. Raycap is continually striving to create better products that will provide even higher level of accuracy and technological advancement.  Their products are already the gold standard in surge protection, and they will continue to provide the most cutting edge solutions available.

Lightning Protection For Wind Turbines

Climate change as well as challenging environments across the globe have created a growing interest in the exploration of green energy production.  As populations rise in established areas and expand into previously under populated spaces, the need for alternative methods of creating power grow increasingly important.  When combined with the understanding that even small amounts of pollution are not beneficial to our environment, we see that the debate between power production methodologies becomes one that is almost entirely economic.  The choices that are made by countries or localized governments that have to do with the methods of power production for their citizens, are influenced not only by the technology and ability to produce a stable stream of energy, but also by the expenses involved in the production itself and the ability of powerful lobbyists to influence governing officials.  Fossil fuels are able to be utilized to produce power effectively however they are always going to produce a certain amount of damage to the environment, and are going to also have certain costs associated with their mining, refinement, transport and purchase.  Green energy technologies use free sources of power to generate the same electrical product as fossil fuels.  The expenses involved in green energy technologies are seen in the care and maintenance of the systems as well as the equipment procurement, repair and storage systems involved in the process.  One of the most obvious examples of the challenges that increase these costs is wind power production.

The typical wind tower is usually the tallest structure within an area, so as to remain unobstructed.  That same tower is generally made of a large amount of metal.  This ultimately makes the tower itself a target for lightning strikes.  Lightning will usually hit the blades or nacelle, which are made of composite materials that do not have the ability to effectively withstand a direct lightning strike.  The additional damage that is seen after a lightning strike involves the power surge that travels through the associated tower and overwhelms computerized equipment that is held within it.  This surge also has the ability to travel throughout the entire wind farm, moving through electrical components interconnected by cabling.  Once the tower has been struck, surge protection devices that are mounted throughout it do their jobs and divert the surge to ground, rendering them inoperable to protect against another such surge until replaced. If lightning strikes again before these components are replaced the tower is at risk of surge damage and can even become inoperable.  The difficulties in replacing surge protection components within structures like this, combined with the losses associated with offline power production statuses during times when the free wind fuel source is available, creates a situation where power production using this method can be more expensive than using simple fossil fuels to accomplish the same goal.  Luckily, the integration of more technologically advanced surge protection devices can potentially solve these issues.  These new devices have the ability to remain functional even after a surge incident, ultimately resulting in fewer repair calls and more uptime.  As we see larger scale rollouts of wind farms using the more advanced surge protection systems, we are seeing that the prices of green energy can be brought until it is in line with fossil fuels.  This represents the ability to transition over to cleaner and less costly production methods, and also illustrates a brighter future.