A Guide to

Lightning and
Surge Protection
to BS6651: 1999 Annex ‘C’

Bowthorpe Low Voltage Division Tel: +44(0) 1273 692 591 Fax: +44 (0) 1273 676 637 e-mail: lvsales@bowthorpe-emp.com
 Contents

Page

What are surges, transients and spikes? 3

• Who should read this guide?

Who are Bowthorpe? 3

• What can Bowthorpe offer you?

Surges 4
• What is a surge?
• Where do surges come from?
• Surges, transients, spikes - whose problem are they?

Lightning 6
• Direct Coupling
• Earth Voltage
• Inductive Coupling

Risk Assessment within BS6651 7

What the insurers say! 8

• Commercial considerations

BS6651: 1999 Annex C - Co-ordinated Protection 9

The Co-ordinated Protection Strategy 10

• It’s cheaper than you think
• How do surge protectors work?
• Design considerations

Product Selection Guide 11-14

• AC Power Systems
• Network and Telecom Systems
• Product selection diagram
• Telecommunication and wireless protection systems

Questions and Answers 15

Common Misconceptions 15

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 What are surges, transients and spikes?

oday’s business environment is a

Who should read
world dominated by computers.
this guide?
Every aspect of our working lives
depends on the efficient functioning of
This application guide is designed for
critical IT systems.
• consultants
For many companies, disruption of the IT
system impacts heavily on the day to day
• designers
health of the organisation. Should
• specifiers
damage occur, the cost can be severe, in • contractors
some cases, catastrophically so. • end users
Clearly, the responsibility to prevent such
• users of electronic systems
a disaster occurring can lie with several
• insurers
people within the company. In some • IT managers
cases, external bodies such as the • finance directors
company’s insurer may be the driving • facilities managers
force to implement an effective protection • telecom managers
strategy. • technical and non-technical
The objective of this guide is to people.
familiarise you with the basics of surge
It will enable you to select the
protection, allowing you to effectively
appropriate surge suppression
counter the threat posed by lightning and
equipment to fit any particular
surges to the life of your business.
application and will provide an insight
into the phenomena of surges, what
causes them and how to stop them.

Who are Bowthorpe?

owthorpe is an internationally
What can Bowthorpe
recognised, ISO9001 registered,
offer you?
specialist manufacturer of surge
protectors for Mains Power, Voice and
Data Systems. We have representatives
• Technical hotline
on various international committees • Site surveys
including the IEC SC37A sub committee, • Consultancy advice
which is responsible for developing the • Comprehensive product range
world’s first truly international surge • ‘State of the art’ technology
protection standard, IEC 61643 • Competitive prices
• Specification of individual
products and complete protection
systems
• Factory and laboratory visits,
witness tests
• Professional CPD accredited
presentations
• Training seminars

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Most surges occur on
the mains supply but
they also pose a real
threat to any system
utilising copper
communication cables
Far more damaging
to equipment and
systems are the
large spikes
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Surges
What is a surge?
surge, also referred to as a spike,
glitch or transient overvoltage, is
a very short timescale deviation
from the normal operating voltage of an
electrical system.
Typically lasting tens of micro-seconds,
surges can reach values of several
thousands of volts, thus making them
Voltage
0 Time 0
20ms
Surges
What is a surge? A surge is a short transient deviation of line voltage from the nominal
operating level.
Where do surges come from?
ost surges are caused by an
electrical load either within or
outside a building being switched
on or off. Particular causes of transients
include large machines, lift motors,
welding machines and large printers.
Fortunately, most internally generated
transients tend to be reasonably small
(typically only a few hundreds of volts)
and consequently their effects range from
the short-term: data corruption, system
crashes and ‘lock-up’, to the long-term:
insiduous component degradation which
is a major factor in system reliability
assessments.
Where do surges
come from?
Inside the Building
• Factory equipment
• Office equipment
• Air conditioning and lift motors
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particularly damaging for computer
related equipment.
Most surges occur on the mains supply,
but they also pose a real threat to any
system utilising copper communication
cables, such as a Local Area Network
(LAN) or telephone systems.
Voltage
Time
50µs
8/20µs surge (enlarged in time)
Internally generated surges occur on a
daily basis and can be easily
suppressed utilising surge protectors in
the form of plug adaptors, socket strips
or in-line units.
In some cases, Radio Frequency
Interference (RFI) filtering is incorporated
within these protectors. RFI, or ‘noise’, is
rarely damaging to equipment but can be
an annoyance if experienced regularly.
Far more damaging to equipment and
systems are the large spikes typically
generated externally to the building and
normally associated with lightning activity,
Small surges can cause...
• Spurious crashing of computer
equipment
• Corruption of data transfer over
networks
• Unexpected printer output
• Gradual component degradation leading
to equipment breakdown
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 electricity supply faults or switching of
large loads within the power distribution
network (National Grid/ Regional
Electricity Company’s [REC’s]).
Large transients, such as those caused
when there is a nearby lightning strike,
can reach values of 6000 Volts and
Where do surges
come from?
The Outside World
• Lightning
• Transformer tap switching, power
station, sub-station and distribution faults
• Power cross faults
• Low quality generators
Bowthorpe supply a wide range of surge protection products to suit all needs
Surges, Transients, Spikes - whose problem are they?
Everyone’s (including yours!)
Since all types of transient disturbances
can be transported via electrical wiring,
nearly all electronic equipment, from
telephones and fax machines to large and
expensive computer systems, are at risk.
The extent of damage sustained ranges
from corrupted data communication to
immediate physical destruction of hard-
ware and, in some cases fire risk or even
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3,000 Amps inside a building.
Surges of this magnitude can cause
extensive damage to computer circuitry,
literally blowing up sensitive components
such as micro-chips and in some cases,
causing fire within computer or
communication equipment.
Large spikes can
lead to...
• Failure of computer power circuits
• Failure of communication interfaces
• Irreversible damage to hardware
compromised human safety.
You may even have already suffered
equipment failure through surge damage
without even knowing it! The cause of a
computer breakdown often passes
unknown with the computer being simply
replaced or repaired. Component fatigue
due to repeated transient attack goes
unnoticed until it’s too late.
e-mail: info@keison.co.uk www.keison.com 55
 Lightning

assessment which establishes the

prominence of the building given its
geographical location.

The purpose of a structural protection

system is to prevent damage to the fabric
of the building, prevent risk of fire and
safeguard personnel from the dangers of
inadvertent electrical shocks.

From the perspective of structural

protection for the building, a lightning
strike to the surrounding area is of no
consequence. However, from the point of
view of surge protection of equipment
within the building, nearby lightning
strikes are as important as direct strikes.

The reason for this is that a structural

protection system is dealing with the
primary effects of the lightning strike,
whereas surge protection is dealing with
the secondary effects of lightning.

The following diagrams portray three

important mechanisms by which lightning
strikes can affect sensitive equipment.

Direct Coupling

y far the most prominent cause of The bulk of the discharge current from a
damaging transients is nearby or direct strike to a power conductor pylon,
even direct lightning strikes. for example, will be conducted to earth.
Lightning discharge currents can be as
high as 200,000 Amps in the UK, with Some proportion of the discharge current,
the average discharge current being however, will be conducted as a surge on
28,000 Amps. the cable. The magnitude of the surge
current varies due to the length and type
Obviously, such massive currents would of the cable as well as the magnitude of
vaporise any electronic equipment or the lightning strike.
cabling in the case of a direct strike to a
Sensitive equipment can therefore be
cable.
damaged even when the lightning strike
Fortunately, this situation is rare as most is some distance away.
equipment and cabling is located within a
building. Lightning will always tend to
strike the most prominent feature, which
is invariably the roof of the building! Direct Coupling
The British Standard for Lightning
Protection : BS6651:1999 goes into great
detail on the whys and wherefores of
designing and installing a structural
protection system (lightning conductors)
for the building. The decision as to
whether to install a structural protection
system is essentially based on a risk

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 the power and data cables entering the This basic electrical phenomenon is
Earth Voltage
building may experience different earth responsible for the third mechanism of
voltages at each end. This causes a lightning associated surges. A cloud to
During a cloud to ground lightning strike, current to flow in the connected electrical cloud lightning strike, of which there are
the strike point is raised to a very high wiring which is perceived by the approximately up to 1 million a year in
voltage owing to the large current (up to equipment as an incoming surge. the UK, sets up a massive
200kA) being conducted through the electromagnetic field. Any cable which
ground (which has a finite resistance). lies within this field is subject to the
Typically this value could be in the Earth Voltage electromagnetic forces of it. Induced
hundreds of thousands of volts for a currents are created, especially prevalent
fraction of a second. The further away where there is a large network of cables
from the strike point, the lower the above ground. Lightning strikes to nearby
voltage value. Depending on local soil pylons, trees etc produce similar results.
conditions and climate, this voltage
disturbance can be significant up to about
2km away.
Inductive Coupling
As a consequence of this earth voltage
disturbance, any building within 2km of a
lightning strike will experience a
fluctuation of its mains earth voltage. Inductive Coupling
Because the equipment within the
building may be connected to other A current carrying cable, by virtue of its
electrical systems, such as equipment in electromagnetic field, will induce a
another building, the electricity sub- current flow in any nearby cable running
station etc., there exists a situation where parallel to it.

Risk Assessment within BS6651

ifferent areas of the country and protection is essentially determining how 1200
the world experience higher prominent the structure is and therefore
levels of lightning activity than how attractive it is to a lightning strike. 1000

others, and the climate largely

The risk assessment for surge protection
determines the overall trend. Many of the 800
is more complex. As well as determining
variable factors are built into the risk
National Grid Northing (km)

how vulnerable the building is to a direct

assessment procedures in BS6651.
strike, the risk assessment takes into 600

The risk assessment for structural account the quantity of external cables
400

90°
80° 200
70°
60° 5
20 1 0
50° 60 200 400 600
40 10 5
30 National Grid Easting (km)
40° 40 60
40 10
5 The lightning density map was compiled by
30° 60 0.1 0.4
80 40 Electricity Association Technology Limited
80 100 140 0.2 0.5 from data accumulated over four years from
20° 60 40 5 60
0.3 0.6 its Lightning Location System.
20 40
30 100 10 20 80
10° 5 20 20 140 80 20 40
10
40 60 60
140 180 Number of lightning flashes to the ground
0° 180
10 10 140 20 per km2 per year for the uk
10 100 100 80
5 5
10° 30 140 40 60 5
20
100 120 140
20°
60 80 100 10 entering the building and the nature of the
60 120 20 5
30°
10 40
20 10
40 5 40 equipment within the building as this
40° 80
10 20
5 determines the Consequential Loss factor
50° 5
1 1 should a system be affected.
60° 1

70° Although the risk assessment procedure

180° 150° 120° 90° 60° 30° 0° 30° 60° 90° 120° 150° 180°
can be a little complicated, with care it can
NOTE: This map is based on information from the World Meteorological Organisation records for 1955.
be a powerful tool to establish a realistic
Map showing thunderstorm days per year throughout the world
appraisal of the risk to a system.
Extracts from BS6651 are reproduced with the permission of BSI. Complete editions of the standards can be obtained by post from
BSI Customer Services, 389 Chiswick High Road, London W4 4AL.

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 What the Insurers Say!
Latest statistics on claims
for hardware and
consequential loss have
astonished insurers to such
a degree that they have had
to reassess premiums for
any company heavily reliant
on information technology.
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owadays, with the ever increasing
amount of information technology
being used for businesses, the
costs of equipment repair and replacement
have become a major concern for the
insurance companies.
In some cases, they have provided the
finances to replace computer systems
worth some £100,000s that have been
destroyed by lightning or other surge
phenomena. Downtime and other
consequential losses often cost far more
to replace. Many other cases occur in
domestic and small business applications
where equipment worth £100s or £1,000s
has been damaged.
The insurance companies now recognise
surge protection as being a solution to
this problem. They know that a total
protection system can be fitted for
a fraction of the equipment
replacement value.
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Commercial Considerations
An organisation that has taken BS6651
very much to heart is the Loss Prevention
Council, or LPC. The LPC is funded by
the Association of British Insurers and
Lloyd’s of London and is involved in all
aspects of loss prevention and risk
control on a world-wide basis. It is,
therefore, the body that the insurers refer
to for guidelines when drawing up their
insurance policies and assessing
potential relatively new risks.
BS6651: 1999 Annex C has been taken
very seriously by the LPC and, in turn,
the insurance companies, particularly in
light of recent avoidable claims for
computer hardware damage and
consequential loss as a result of surges,
spikes and transients.
LPC statistics on claims for hardware and
consequential loss have astonished
insurers to such a degree that they have
had to reassess premiums for any
company heavily reliant on information
technology. A single such claim for over
£0.5 million to one insurer has certainly
focused the insurance industry’s
attention to this subject. It is now
becoming the insurer’s policy to
either demand higher premiums or
even refuse cover if the
recommendations of BS6651 are
not acted upon!
The statistics reveal that 60-70%
of commercial claims could be
directly attributed to computer
hardware failure and
consequential loss due to
surge disruption or damage.
Clearly, no organisation
appreciates higher insurance
premiums, but, equally, no
successful company can
accept computer failure
resulting in poor customer
service.
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 BS6651: 1999 Annex C. - Co-ordinated Protection
he British Standard BS6651:
1999 is titled “Code of Practice
for Protection of Structures
Against Lightning” and outlines the
general principles of applying lightning
protection to buildings and structures.
It was in 1992 that Appendix C
(changed to Annex C in the 1999
revision) was originally incorporated
within BS6651 and provided “general
advice on protection of electronic
equipment within or on structures against
lightning”. BS6651: 1999 Annex C
gives details on the following aspects
of surge protection:
• How to assess the lightning exposure
risk to equipment
• Routes along which surges can enter
a building and where they go within
the building
• Deciding factors for installing protection
• Recommended levels of protection in
a co-ordinated protection system
AC Power Protection
For AC power, Annex C defines three
different categories of surge protection
that vary in surge handling ability,
each designed for installation at
particular locations within a building
supply network.
• Category C - The supply side of the
incoming distribution board
• Category B - The mains
distribution system
• Category A - The load side of
socket outlets
Although not confirmed in BS6651, these
three categories reflect with the location
categories used in the American standard
IEEE C62.41 (1991).
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Each BS6651 location category is divided
into three groups which suit different
exposure or lightning risk levels. These
are known as the low, medium and high
system exposure levels.
Bowthorpe products are suitable for the
high system exposure level of each
category and also address the lower
exposure levels. By designing our
products in this way, we greatly simplify
product selection.
The surge ratings for each location
category are the peak surge voltage and
peak surge current that will normally
occur at that location in the supply network.
Any protection device designed for
these categories must be able to
withstand the respective peak surge
current and voltage. The following
table indicates the protection levels
required for the high system exposure
group of each category.
Location category C B A
Peak surge voltage 20kV 6kV 6kV
Peak surge current 10kA 3kA 500 A
Network & Telecom
System Protection
Annex C also defines a location
category C for communication
systems which specifies a 10kA
protection level. However, communication
cable exhibits a higher electrical
impedance that helps to dissipate the
surge energy.
In communication systems, therefore, as
long as category C protection is fitted, it
is not normally necessary to protect
against incoming surges at location
categories B and A.
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 The Co-ordinated Protection Strategy
It’s cheaper than you think
By carefully selecting which parts
of the computer system are most
critical to your business operations,
implementing total protection need
not be very costly and will easily be
within the reach of small and large
businesses alike.
A risk assessment should be performed
to identify key equipment and to
weigh the costs of protecting this
equipment against the potential losses
to the business in system downtime,
maintenance and reduced performance.
10
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How do Surge Protectors
work?
Different kinds of protector use different
types of components or combinations
thereof to suppress surges, transients
and spikes.
As described earlier in this guide, a surge
is a rapid fluctuation in voltage occurring
on a signal or AC power cable which, in
many cases, will contain enough energy to
cause disruption to communications and
often physical damage to electronic circuitry.
The suppressor components used are
normally one of three basic technologies:
• gas discharge tube
• metal oxide varistor
• solid-state semi-conductor.
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To be effective, surge
protection must survive
the maximum transient
overvoltages and resultant
currents that occur at the
different locations and
only pass the residual
part of the surge that will
not cause damage.
Product Selection Guide
MDSP 150 and 300 Series
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All work by reacting to the excess voltage
caused by the surge and by changing
electrical state to conduct the surge
energy safely to earth. If correctly
specified, they will reduce the surge
voltage to below the withstand voltage of
the connected equipment. In normal
conditions, when the surge has passed, the
components return to their ‘standby’ state.
The type of technology used depends on
the application. Gas discharge tubes or
metal oxide varistors are ideal where a
high surge rating is required, for example,
category C. They do, however, suffer
from being slow to respond so are often
used in conjunction with other
components forming a hybrid circuit.
Semi-conductor suppression is suited to
the very sensitive devices used on
computers and communication lines.
Bowthorpe products are each
designed for specific applications
and BS6651 location categories.
The following steps outline the
product selection process.
AC Power Systems
Step 1: Location Category C
Identify where cables enter the building
or facility. These points are where large
lightning and switching surges may
appear and must be dealt with first.
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Design Considerations
To be effective, surge protection must
survive the maximum transient
overvoltages and resultant currents that
occur at the different locations and only
pass the residual part of the surge that
will not cause damage.
It is therefore necessary to know the
‘equipment transient design level’
(ETDL) for the equipment to be
protected. This is the maximum surge
voltage level that will not impair the
performance of the equipment and is also
known as the ‘immunity level’. The
residual part of a surge which passes
through the protector is known as the
‘let-through voltage’ or ‘transient control
level’ (TCL).
For protection to be effective, the TCL
must be less than the ETDL and include
a reasonable safety margin Vm:
TCL+Vm <ETDL
Equipment manufacturers can normally
supply the ETDL of their equipment,
however, our protectors are designed to
protect even the most sensitive
equipment, so the end user has no need
to find out what the ETDL is. The work is
already done.
As an example, the typical ETDL for a
computer’s mains input is around 1250V. A
protector capable of suppressing to a TCL
of 800V will leave a safety margin of 450V.
Category C Products
Modular Distribution Surge
Protector - MDSP 150 &
300 Series
Distribution panel protectors for three-phase
power systems featuring exceptionally high
surge handling capacites of 150kA and
300kA. They are intended for high lightning
exposure areas and critical systems where
long life and low maintenance are required
and far exceed the recommendations of
BS6651. Normally open and normally
closed relay contacts provide remote
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11

MDSP DIN rail mount replaceable modules
DSP1 and DSP3
indication of protection status. Models
with Silicon Avalanche Diode Modules
(SAD) with extremely low clamping and
exceptionally fast response times are
particularly suited to mobile telecom
applications.
DSP1 and DSP3
General purpose, hard-wired, single and
three-phase distribution panel protectors
with 30kA of surge capacity. Optional
relay contacts provide remote indication
of protection status.
Step 2: Location Category B
Identify sub-distribution panels that
supply mission-critical hardware such as
mini-computers, PABX systems,
network file-servers and mainframes.
Install the location category B protection
described below.
Category A Products
Protector Plugs and
Adaptors
This range of single-outlet surge
suppressors and hardwired plugs are
available with surge only protection and
various ratings of RFI filtering. UK,
French and German formats are offered
and all units feature thermal protection
against surges exceeding their rating,
unlike most low cost products.
Socket Strips
These AC mains socket strips are
available in UK, French and German
formats with options for surge protection,
RFI filtering and a choice of from four to
ten socket outlets. All strips feature
thermal protection.

With the increasing use of distributed

Network and Telecom
networks, many users prefer to protect Systems
all sub-distribution panels with these
6651C Protector economically priced products.
Step 1: Location Category C
Locate all communication cables
Category B Products entering the building including PSTN
dial-up voice lines and leased lines,
6651C Protector
ISDN and network lines. All incoming
A compact, hard-wired, panel mounting
cables that carry signals on wire
protector for sub-distribution panels
conductors must be fitted with
available in single and three phase models.
appropriate category C protection from
Spur Protector Bowthorpe’s extensive range of
Spur Protector datacom, telecom and network barriers.
Ideal for the protection of equipment on
individual ring mains, this unit can be
either wired to equipment as an inline Category C Products
protector or can be hardwired into wall
mounted conduits.
Network Barrier & Telecom
TLP Series
10kA rated barriers are available in DIN rail
Step 3: Location Category A mounted format for datalines. For telephone
PABX systems, Krone mounted units are
Fileservers, mainframe computers,
Plug-in mains protection products available in 10-line and single-line variants.
PABX, and other such hardware are
important for providing critical services
to the company and should, therefore,
be fitted with category A protection.

Our range of plug-in devices and

Network Barrier & Telecom TLP Series
socket strips provide fine-tuned,
backup protection for the most
important equipment and will suppress
surges and interference from inside
the building.

12
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 2 3
1 Sub-distribution DIN-rail mountable
Supply Panel Protector dataline surge
Distribution protection
Surge
Bowthorpe Low Voltage Division Tel: +44(0) 1273 692 591 Fax: +44 (0) 1273 676 637 e-mail: lvsales@bowthorpe-emp.com

Protector

SURGES ARE GENERATED

OUTSIDE BUILDINGS BY LIGHTNING,
POWER FAULTS, SWITCHING AND
CONTACT BETWEEN POWER AND
COMMUNICATIONS LINES, ETC.

SURGES ARE GENERATED INSIDE

BUILDINGS BY AIR CONDITIONERS,
WALL CONDUIT FOR MAINS LIFTS, PHOTOCOPIERS, DRINKS
AND DATALINE CABLING MACHINES, FACTORY MACHINERY,
REFRIGERATORS ETC.

EXTERNAL DATA CABLING

•
•9
FACTORY UNIT

3
2
9 4 3
• • SECURITY OFFICE
Spur and Inline • Surge
Surge Protector 9 4 6 4
Protected
1 5 Adaptors with
TRANSFORMER BACKUP Fax/Modem
GENERATOR
8 • 6 1 Protection
•

1 7 5

7 7
POWER, SECURITY AND
P.A.B.X. AND OTHER COMMUNICATIONS LINES
415V POWER COMMUNICATIONS UNDERGROUND
(3-PHASE) EQUIPMENT CONDUITS P.S.T.N. AND I.S.D.N.
11KV POWER
(3-PHASE) COMMUNICATIONS LINES

COLOUR KEY:
8 POWER LINES
SIGNAL LINES
Service Entry
Surge Protector
Surge
Protected
6
7 Socket Strips
Telecom surge 5
protection Surge Protected
Socket Strips
15

c/w Telecom Option

 Telecommunications and Wireless Protection Systems

Aircraft
warning light
Typical steel
cabin/equipment
room
FM broadcast or Microwave dish 4 Transmission
mobile telephone
antenna TV antenna equipment Digital switching
equipment

2 DC power equipment
(batteries, rectifiers,
inverters, converters)

Equipotential
Tower footing earth bonding Mains power
ring earth supply

Common earth
bar connected to
all electronic
3
equipment and Induced surge
bonded to the into buried
earth ring telecom cable

Telecommunications line
Surge protector installed
MDSP AC power protector installed in Co-axial surge protector
1 protection 2 on AC power supply to
aircraft warning light
3 MDF to protect sensitive 4 barriers
telecoms equipment

Modular Distribution Distribution Surge Telecom Line Network & Signal Line
Surge Protector Protectors Protectors Barrier Protectors
FEATURES: FEATURES: FEATURES: FEATURES:
• Exceptionally high surge handling • High surge handling capability • Surges reduced to below normal signal • Din rail or panel mounting
• Two stage (redundant) protection • Two stage (redundant) protection voltage • Low ‘let-through’ voltages
• Replaceable DIN rail mount modules • Full protection status indicators • High surge handling capability • Fast response times
• Dual thermal/current overload fusing • Remote signalling version available • Negligible effect on normal line • High surge handling capability
• Status indicators with remote signalling • Fast response time and low ‘let- operation • Negligible effect on normal line
• Silicon Avalanche Diode models through’ voltage • Models available for connection to operation
available for extremely low clamping LSA-Plus™ termination strips
APPLICATIONS: APPLICATIONS:
and exceptionally fast response time • Optimum performance with lightning
• Front end of building protection • LAN’s
• Site wiring fault indicator related surges
• Sub distribution panel protection • EPOS
APPLICATIONS: • Individual protection of critical & APPLICATIONS: • CCTV
• Front end of building protection for costly equipment such as computer • PABX • PSTN • Ethernet
mission critical sites and applications systems • Telephone and facsimile • Plant & Process Control
• SAD models particularly suited to • Computer communications using • Signalling and telemetry
mobile telecom applications. voice line modems

14
14 Distributed Internationally by Keison Products Tel: +44 1245 600560 Fax: +44 1245 600030 e-mail: info@keison.co.uk www.keison.com
 Questions and Answers
“I didn’t hear anything about
Q surges and transients ten
years ago. Why are they causing
problems NOW?”
A Today’s computers use smaller and
more sophisticated electronic
components than ever before which are far
more sensitive to transient voltages than
earlier technologies.
Furthermore, we can now put computers
and communication equipment anywhere
we want so must be aware of variations in
the quality of different operating
environments. Perhaps more importantly,
the electricity supply companies are not
required to provide ‘computer-grade’ power,
so it is our responsibility to ensure the
power used for our computers is clean.
“We get very little lightning in
Q my area. Do we still need
transient suppression equipment?”
A Lightning is only one source of
transients. Repetitive, low level
spikes on power and communication lines
cause circuit degradation and eventual
Common Misconceptions
“I don’t need surge protection because my
building already has structural protection.”
WRONG!
• Structural lightning protection and lightning
conductors do not protect the sensitive
equipment within the building.
“I don’t need surge protection because my
system is connected to a UPS.”
WRONG!
• Most UPSs are not designed with BS6651 in mind
and consequently any surge protection fitted is
likely to be limited in its surge handling capability.
• Any protection fitted inside the UPS is specifically
designed to protect its own electronics, not the
equipment connected to it.
• UPS bypass switches, when in operation, reduce
any protection afforded by the UPS.
“Lightning never strikes twice.”
WRONG!
• A site that has been struck once is clearly
susceptible and will often suffer problems on a
regular basis.
Distributed Internationally by Keison Products Tel: +44 1245 600560
failure. These spikes are frequently caused example, different types of computer network
by utility power switching and heavy
industrial power users.
use a variety of connector formats, signal
levels and operating frequencies. Some
applications are contained within one
“Is it possible for transients to
Q affect my equipment
unnoticed?”
building, however, others include data and
power connections between several buildings
which have different protection needs.
Absolutely. Small transients can be
A an ‘invisible’ problem, they don’t
necessarily cause immediate equipment Q “How do surge protectors
work?”
failure, but WILL cause ‘micro bullet holes’ Surge protectors continuously
inside semi-conductor electronics leading to
degradation.
A monitor the power or signal line for
overvoltages. When the voltage rises
After some period of time, the hardware will above a certain level components inside
fail and be replaced under the assumption the protector divert the excess energy to
that it “died a natural death” of age. earth and limit the voltage to a safe level.
However, its life expectancy is actually
“What is thermal overload
shortened by the degrading process. In
other words, the useful life of computer
Q protection and why do I
need it?”
equipment can be extended by installing
surge protection.
“Is there one complete
A Bowthorpe products have thermal
overload protection fitted as
Q solution that provides total
protection?”
standard. Surge protection products where
protection elements are not fitted with this
safety feature can overheat under fault
Every system and application is conditions and give rise to the risk of
A different in one way or another. For electric shock or fire.
“My site is surrounded by tall buildings,
so is safe from lightning damage.”
WRONG!
• Tall buildings may attract lightning away from
your site, but, your systems will be at risk from
the secondary effects caused by the
electromagnetic pulse generated when lightning
strikes nearby.
• Your site is also at risk from surges and
transients present on incoming power and
communication cabling.
“The cabling between my two buildings is
underground, so doesn’t need protection.”
WRONG!
• When lightning strikes the ground, even 1 or 2
km away, the current discharged raises the
ground potential in the surrounding area by
100,000s of volts depending on proximity to the
strike. While the current dissipates through the
ground, a difference between the building earth
points stresses the cable and any connected
equipment.
Fax: +44 1245 600030 e-mail: info@keison.co.uk www.keison.com 15
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