What is a Surge Arrester? Expert Guide to its Uses and Types

Protecting your appliances or equipment from power surges is key to keeping them working correctly. That is why you need the surge arrester.

As the name suggests, the surge arrester works by discharging the surge current or overvoltage so that it does not reach sensitive equipment. During the diversion process, the surge arrester limits the amount of voltage reaching the equipment, thus protecting it.

The surge arrest process allows the device to have multiple applications in the market. They will likely be used at a utility substation or as home circuit breakers.

Importance of a Surge Arrester

A surge arrester will have many applications that make them quite versatile today. You should get a surge arrester for fridge or home for the following reasons.

Lighting Protection

A house surge arrester is key in protecting your home by reducing destructive lighting forces. The work of the arrester is to divert the surges away from your home equipment and wiring systems.

Power Surges Protection

You can also consider an APC surge arrester to protect your appliances from power surges. The job of the arrester is to ensure that the power surges do not get to the sensitive electronics and devices.

Other than surge protection, there are still more benefits to using the surge arrester. One of them is that it is cost-efficient. As a result, there should not be any reason you have not installed it for your house.

Being versatile also makes the surge arrester for home a good buy. You can use it to protect your home equipment and appliances. Still, the same can be used in industrial setups. It all comes down to the type of surge arrester you buy.

How A Surge Arrester Works

Whether it is a surge arrester in transformer or your home, the process of how it works is relatively the same.

The surge arrester works by intercepting any cases of overvoltage in a circuit or system. In the case of a voltage spike, the arrester reroutes it away from the sensitive equipment and through the ground connection until the surge is over. This is a very fast process, which can sometimes determine whether your appliance survives the surge.

A surge arrester is likely to have two main components. They include a series of metal oxide varistors (MOV) and a spark gap.

Having a spark gap provides a path of low resistance for the current to go through. Once activated, the spark gap conducts electricity between two electrodes to help diverge excessive voltage, protecting the circuit.

MOVs are made of several layers containing zinc oxide particles. These particles act as resistors when high voltages pass through them, absorbing a lot of energy before it reaches sensitive equipment.

MOVs come into action when the surge exceeds the capability of the spark gap.

As you can see, choosing an ABB surge arrester or a substation surge arrester will help keep your equipment from potential damage from power supply surges.

Types of Surge Arresters

While looking for a power surge arrester, you will likely come across several market options. The surge arrester types are mostly classified based on voltage rating and the kind of protection they offer a system. Here are some of the common types to expect.

Secondary Arrester

This is a common surge arrester for home service transformers as they can protect against voltage under 1000V. This is a good add-on to your home’s transformer system to protect it against potential power surges. The failure rate of the transformer is expected to drop significantly with the use of a secondary arrester.

Station Arrester

A station arrester is characterized by being able to handle high faulty currents. Such arresters can handle high voltages ranging from 3KV to 684KV. Their design also makes them good at offering the best discharge voltages. The performance will vary depending on the application’s needs. So, choose wisely based on the voltage rating.

Intermediate Arrester

This surge arrester works well for small substations. They can still be good for cases where protection is necessary for underground cables. It is possible to find them also being used with dry-type transformers. Expect them to have a voltage rating from 3KV to 120KV.

Distribution Arrester

These arresters have a low protective capability compared to the others above. They are likely only found in medium-voltage networks, but they can also be found in elbow and cubicle-mounded transformers.

Applications of Surge Arresters

The best surge arrester will do its job quite well, leaving you with the right protection against surges. That is why the surge arresters have many applications in the market. Here are some notable applications where Bowthorpe surge arresters are necessary.

• They can be used to protect inverters, solar panels, and wind turbines from transient overvoltages and lightning.
• Use surge arresters to shield sensitive communication systems and equipment such as base stations, switches, and routers.
• The same can also protect railway signaling systems in metro networks. The last thing you need is costly delays due to overvoltage in the railway system.
• Industrial plants are the big users of surge arresters to protect their automation systems and keep downtime to a minimum.
• Expect to come across an APC surge arresterin safeguarding industrial and water pumps. This helps to keep them in good running condition as well.

Surge Arrester vs. Surge Protector: What is the Difference

When seeking a Bowthorpe surge arrester, you might come across the surge protectors as well. However, what is the difference? And when should you pick one over the other?

Both surge arresters and surge protectors prevent overvoltage from reaching the equipment. However, they differ in terms of where they are used and the capacity to handle voltage from a power supply.

Depending on the type, the arrester can handle a higher voltage from 3KV to even 500KV. On the other hand, protectors only handle low voltages, mostly mounted at electrical outlets.

The arrester is mostly installed on the primary electrical system while the protector can be installed on the secondary electrical system, such as a surge protector for your fridge or TV.

Don’t worry; these products are usually clearly indicated on the label, so you know what you are buying. This ensures you have the right tool for the job.

Considerations for Choosing a Surge Arrester

Your choice of a surge arrester can determine how well it helps you achieve your goal. Here are a few considerations to keep in mind while picking a surge arrester.

• The voltage rating should match the nominal voltage of the power system so that it can handle any abnormal surge.
• Check the current rating as well as it should be within a range it can handle during a surge and protect the sensitive equipment.
• The energy absorption capacity or the joule rating is key to consider as well. This is the amount of energy the arrester can absorb before it fails.
• The response time can also determine which arrester to buy. You need a surge arrester with faster response times.
• How well can the surge arrester handle changes in environmental conditions? Most of them should be able to handle conditions such as temperature shifts, humidity, and more.
• The application-specific requirement is still quite crucial. Look at the production description to see where the manufacturer recommends you use the surge arrester. This is a good guide to ensure the chosen arrester will do its job well.

Maintenance Tips for Surge Arresters

The good thing about surge arresters is that they need little to no maintenance during the product’s service life.

However, you can clean the heavily contaminated surge arresters with a clean cloth, and they should continue working well. Still, follow any other maintenance guide given by the manufacturer.

Conclusion

Surge arresters remain an important part of any electrical system. This is especially true where there is a chance of high overvoltage cases. For this reason, you should have them installed to protect your equipment from potential damage. Always work with professionals on this, as it helps pick the right surge arrester for the application.