Why Is Industrial Surge Protection So Crucial?

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Why is industrial surge protection so crucial?

 

To understand the necessity of industrial surge protection and why it is so crucial for operations and profit margins, we must first grasp the idea of why surge protection in general, is necessary. Surge protection is a series of devices within a system installed in order to provide an opportunity to interrupt a flow of electricity if that electricity surge is too high for the equipment it is powering. Surge protective devices (SPDs) are installed along pathways and in front of equipment that electricity flows into, acting as a gatekeeper. The ongoing flow of electricity that is the lifeblood of processes is allowed to flow through them, remaining uninterrupted as long as it remains stable, consistent, and within a specific range. If it becomes inconsistent and moves outside of a safe range, then the surge protection devices will activate to provide the single task they were designed for, to cut off or divert that flow of electricity. This is because the circuitry of the systems they protect can be destroyed if the electricity flowing to them goes above the range they are designed to handle. The resulting damage to the circuitry can also be compounded by explosions and fires if the power surge is too great. In addition to the lost data and functionality, losses will also be found in the costs to repair and replace the equipment to restore it to functional status. In most consumer situations, this might mean a home computer or a few other components designed to make our lives easier in our houses. On an industrial level, the risks are far more significant.

 

Industrial operators see everything in an exaggerated state. The machinery is larger and more expensive. The data housed is more valuable. The services produced are more crucial to the lives of consumers. While it all might still be components operating using electricity to function, the amount of investment into that system is far larger on the industrial level. Because the operating equipment is larger, the power consumption is far greater. The power necessary to provide functionality on an industrial scale is many times more than on a home consumer scale. For these reasons, the industrial versions of surge protection devices need to be far more robust and capable of handling power overages far greater than a home situation. Additional issues are found in the fact that industrial facilities are nearly always more exposed to the elements than are consumer devices, needing to operate within the field and thereby exposing them to the potential for lightning strikes. A lighting strike may do damage at the point where it hits, but one of the most costly aspects of a lightning strike is that the power surge that follows enters the system and flows along the pathways designed for normal operations. This excess electricity moves from component to component interconnected within that system, causing damage to all of them and not limiting it to the strike point itself. Installing an industrial surge protection system can minimize damage, increasing the bottom line and making businesses more profitable.