Industrial Surge Protection Defined
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What is industrial surge protection?
Surge protection is the generalized phrase used to describe
a device system that keeps computerized equipment from being damaged by power
surges. Most people are aware of surge strips or breaker boxes filled with
circuit breakers, and both of these devices act as interrupters for power flow
if it moves outside of a safe range. All equipment is designed to operate
within a range of electrical power supplied to it, and if that range is
breached in either direction, consequences will be had. If the power flow goes
too low, the device will shut down and be unable to perform the tasks it was
designed to do. If the power level goes too high, the circuitry of the
components will be damaged, potentially resulting in data loss and a system
shutdown. In extreme cases, fires and explosions can also happen as a result of
power surges, potentially harming human life. Power surges must be handled
appropriately because it is nearly impossible to eliminate them from happening.
Instead, they must be expected and planned for to avoid as much damage as
possible and keep functional uptimes intact. This is the job of surge
protection devices or SPDs, which are systems installed along the pathways
electricity flows upon. They act as a barrier or gatekeeper, allowing
safe-range electricity to pass but immediately shut off power flows outside the
safe range. This instantaneous cut-off of the electrical flow prevents that
damaging excess electricity from ever making it to the next component. The
surge protection devices either reroute the electricity to a safe place or cut
the flow entirely by creating a gap that it cannot cross, either way preventing
that electricity from moving past the point of installation of that SPD. When
surge protection devices are functioning properly, there should be no notice of
them until a power surge presents itself, at which point they kick into action
to provide the one service they were designed for. More advanced surge
protection devices will be more robust and able to handle more significant surges
or potentially even maintain an “always on” status where they need no
restoration or reset, but all surge protection devices work in essentially the
same way.
Industrial surge protection is the installation of a system
of surge protection devices within an industrial setting. Industrial facilities
are not only more extensive and rely upon the supply of massive amounts of
power for functionality, but they are also many times positioned in a way that
makes the equipment vulnerable. This vulnerability comes mainly in the form of
lightning strikes, a phenomenon that happens because the facility or components
are the prime target for a lightning strike or are nearby a structure that is
hit by lightning. If it makes it inside the facility, the massive power surge
that occurs as a result of the strike will flow through a system of
interconnected cables and the components attached, exponentially increasing the
damage that occurs. By installing advanced industrial surge protection systems,
businesses at this level can avoid millions of dollars of predictable
maintenance and replacement costs yearly.
