Contributing author: Robert Simon, Bunell & Associates
Down machines cost you time, money, and resources to get back on line. With a minimal investment, you can protect your sensitive control equipment or your entire facility from surge events. Mersen’s Surge-Trap® product line offers a world-class suite of surge protection products designed to protect your facility from harmful and preventable surge damage.
Most surge spikes originate from within a customer’s own facility. In fact, nearly 80% of all surge problems are directly attributed to power disturbances from within the facility’s own equipment.
Any facility with motors stopping and starting, light load panels being turned on and off frequently, and other potential power disturbances is at risk for damage caused by a surge spike.
Of course, surges in electrical power can also originate outside of a facility, accounting for roughly 20% of facility transient problems. These surges may be caused by utility grid switching, lightning strikes, switching of capacitor banks, and electrical accidents.
Although many transients are not predictable, damage to a facility is preventable with a proven and tested surge protective device.
Metal Oxide Varistors (MOVs) are the most common and efficient technology used to protect equipment against damaging voltage spikes. However, while MOVs are efficient, they also degrade over time and possibly fail catastrophically when they reach end of life. In 2009, UL 1449 3rd Edition was published*, and it transformed the way SPD manufacturers designed and manufactured their devices.
This is when Mersen’s TPMOV became essential. This Mersen-patented invention was the first failsafe Thermally Protected MOV (TPMOV) able to pass all UL 1449 3rd Edition tests as well as even more tringent tests applied by their customers.
Mersen offers surge protection products ranging from point-of-use protection to complete facility protection. The Surge-Trap product line represents the broadest suite of products for all your application requirements.
Review this infographic of surge protection devices to see if you might be at risk.
To learn more about how Mersen can help you, review the full brochure of Surge Protection Solutions.
If you have additional questions, contact your Standard Electric Supply Co. account manager or call 1-800-776-8222. See our full line of Mersen products on our website.