1. What is a surge?

Answer: Surge refers to the momentary overvoltage that exceeds the normal operating voltage.

2. What is a surge protector?Answer: Surge protector is an electronic device that can conduct and divert current in a very short time when there is a sudden surge current or overvoltage in an electrical circuit or communication line due to external interference, thereby avoiding damage to other equipment in the circuit caused by surges.

3. What is the difference between switch type surge protectors and voltage limiting surge protectors?Answer: The switch type surge protector is a gap discharge device with a large ability to discharge lightning energy. Its main function in use on power lines is to discharge lightning energy; The voltage limiting surge protector is a zinc oxide varistor device with low lightning energy discharge capability, but good overvoltage suppression capability. Its main function in power lines is to limit overvoltage. Therefore, switch type surge protectors such as Asafe series are generally used at the entrance of buildings to discharge lightning energy, and then voltage limiting surge protectors such as AM series are used in the rear circuit to limit the high overvoltage generated in the rear circuit after the discharge of lightning energy from the front stage. Two types of surge protectors need to be used in conjunction to ensure the safety of equipment in distribution lines.

4. How to select miniature circuit breakers that are compatible with surge protectors?Answer: Asafe switch type modules do not require the installation of miniature circuit breakers due to their open circuit damage mode; The first level module, such as AMI-40, requires the use of a D-type miniature circuit breaker with a breaking current capacity of 10KA and a current capacity of 63A; The second level module, such as AM2-20, requires the use of C and D type miniature circuit breakers with a breaking current capacity of 6.5KA and a breaking current of 32A. Due to the different IN values of their working curves, it is recommended to use D type; The third level module, such as AM3-10, requires the use of 16A C and D type miniature circuit breakers with a breaking current capacity of 4.5KA. Due to the different IN values of their working curves, it is recommended to use D type.

5. Are all surge protectors equipped with fuse devices in front of them?Answer: No. Due to its open circuit damage, switch type modules do not require the installation of miniature circuit breakers or other fuse devices.

Surge protector access modeIn the TN system, surge protectors generally only need to be connected in common mode, that is, between the neutral line of the phase line and the protective ground line. But at the starting position of TN-S system, there is no need to connect surge protectors between the neutral wire and the protective ground wire. Only for the power ports of particularly important equipment in the third and fourth levels of A-level lightning protection and the third level of B-level lightning protection, differential mode connection is required, that is, adding surge protectors connected between the phase and neutral lines. In the TT standard, when the first level surge protector is located after the leakage protector, the common mode connection method mentioned above can be used. When the first level surge protector is located before the leakage protector and the high-voltage system is the center point grounding system, the surge protector should be connected in a "3+1" configuration, that is, one surge protector should be connected to each of the three phase lines to the neutral line, and another surge protector should be connected to the neutral line to the protective ground line. In IT standards, surge protectors are only used for common mode connection.

Surge protector, also known as lightning arrester, is an electronic device that provides safety protection for various electronic devices, instruments, and communication lines.

Standard surge protectors will deliver current from power sockets to multiple electrical and electronic devices plugged into the power board. If a surge or spike occurs, causing the voltage to exceed an acceptable level, the surge protector can conduct shunt in a very short time, thereby avoiding damage to other devices in the circuit caused by the surge.

The protection measures required for the power supply and equipment of the protection system are divided into three levels based on the selected surge protector and expected environmental impact.

B-class surge protector:The nominal discharge current In, impulse voltage 1.2/50 μ s impulse voltage, and maximum impulse current Iimp are tested. The waveform of Iimp is 10/350 μ s Up, with a maximum of 4kv (IEC61643-1; IEC 60664-1).

C-class surge protector:The nominal discharge current In, impulse voltage 1.2/50 μ s impulse voltage, and maximum impulse current Iimp were tested, and the waveform of Iimp was 8/25ms.

D-class surge protector:Conduct mixed wave synthesis (open circuit voltage 1.2/50 μ s impulse voltage, Deng circuit current 8/25 μ s) test.

The quality of surge protectors is directly related to the safety of equipment. Therefore, when selecting surge protectors, several points can be referred to:

Clamping voltage——This indicates the voltage value that will cause the MOV to connect to the ground wire. The lower the clamping voltage, the better the protection performance. This UL nominal value has three protection levels -330 volts, 400 volts, and 500 volts. Usually, a clamping voltage exceeding 400 volts is too high.

Energy absorption/dissipation capability——This nominal value represents how much energy the surge protector can absorb before burning out, in joules. The higher its value, the better the protection performance. The nominal value of the protector you purchased should be at least between 200 and 400 joules. To achieve better protection performance, products with a nominal value above 600 joules should be sought.

response time——The surge protector will not immediately disconnect; They will have a slight delay in responding to power surges. The longer the response time, the longer the duration of the surge that the computer (or other device) will experience. Please purchase a surge protector with a response time of less than one nanosecond.

In addition, you should also purchase a protector with an indicator light to determine if the protective component is working. After multiple power surges, all MOVs will burn out, but the protector will still function as a power board. Without a power indicator light, it is impossible to determine whether the protector is still working properly.