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Surge Protection Device Systems

Power Protection Products, Inc.

SPD White Paper

by Dan Maxcy l 2017 Update

Executive Summary

This is a comprehensive publication to help you understand:

What is a surge

What kind of damage is caused by these electrical occurrences

What you can do to prevent them from damaging your equipment

How you can get more information/help with surge protection decisions

The following topics can be found on the listed pages:

Surge Protection Device Systems ................................................................. Pages 2-4

Selecting the Correct Surge Protection Device ......................................... Pages 4-6

Outlet Strip Voltage Surge Protection Devices .......................................... Pages 7-9

Surge Protection System Recommendations ................................................. Page 10

Information about P3 & PQU ........................................................................ Back Cover

SURGE PROTECTION

DEVICE SYSTEMS By Dan Maxcy

2008 I� Revised 2017

©2017 Power Protection Products, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used, photocopied, transmitted, or stored in any retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright owner. www.p3-inc.com Rev 2017

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Surge Protection Device Systems

Spikes, surges, and transients are all terms used to describe temporary voltage power line disturbances. These voltage disturbances cause damage to facility equipment. Some of the most common problems associated with these spikes, surges, and transients are:

Unexplained circuit breaker tripping and blown fuses

Erratic electronic equipment resets or reboots

Scrambled and lost data

Erratic equipment behavior

Excessive repair and replacement costs

Replacing lights and ballasts at unusually high rates (especially new LED lighting devices)

Frequent downtime with loss of electronic equipment and servers, routers switches and drives.

Lightning damage to electronic and electrical equipment

If you have experienced any of these symptoms in your facility the cause could be directly related to spikes, surges, and transients. As with any recommendation, it is best to quote the industry standards when speaking about power quality issues. The most common source for power quality standards is the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). These two organizations gather information and publish standards with respect to power quality. Along with the two organizations mentioned above, Underwriters Laboratory (UL) and the National Electrical Code (NEC) have recently become very active in testing and requiring the use of Surge Protection Devices (SPD’s).

According to ANSI/IEEE, Voltage Spikes and Surges can commonly range from a few volts to well over 10,000 volts with currents in excess of 10,000 amps. These transients can, and do, occur as frequently as 40 to over 432,000 per hour.

Investing in a Surge Protection Device (SPD) System is not an option. It's a necessity! In a large number of applications it is a violation of the National Electrical Code (NEC) if Surge Protection Devices (SPD’s) are not installed in your facility.

Surge Protection Device Systems P3 Whitepaper

+170

0V

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120 Volt 60Hz AC Voltage Sine Wave with Transients


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The following graphic is an example of a transient surge:


Quite often we blame the utility company for these spikes, surges; and transients, however, many studies have shown it is the equipment within our facility that cause most of the transients. It is recognized in the power quality industry that 80% of spikes, surges, and transients are caused within our facility and only 20% are caused by transient surges coming in on your electrical service from the utility. To illustrate this let’s look at a test by using a standard 4 bulbs two by four-foot fluorescent light fixture common in many commercial, industrial, and home installations. By turning on and off this light only once, over 50 transient surges were created. The following chart shows the results of this test:


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The five category locations illustrated on page 10 determine what type of SPD should be used at which location. Many facilities have placed small Type 3, 4, or 5 SPD’s at critical equipment locations. (The most common is the outlet strips that have multiple plugs). Many of these outlet strips say they protect your equipment from transient surges; however, if they are not UL listed as a 1449 4th edition surge suppressor you might not have the appropriate protection needed. These outlet strips may be quality units; however, without the larger Type 1 or 2 SPD units at the main circuit breaker or fuse panel, 10,000 volt surges may pass through your facility and destroy not only the small Type 3, 4 or 5 SPD, but also any device connected to it.

If you are comparing SPD units, check the specifications. Many manufactures have large flashy statements that they can withstand huge transients. When comparing SPD units, it is wise to use the SAME standards. The best standards are ANSI/IEEE and UL.

ANSI/IEEE and UL have developed very precise standards measuring the PERFORMANCE of SPD units. These standard show how each SPD unit tested worked when actually exposed to various spikes, surges, and transients. The performance testing looks at how well the SPD limits the spikes, surges, and transients when exposed to large voltages and amperages. When comparing SPD units one should look closely at the data from these tests. Make sure you get this data from your SPD manufacture and compare before buying.

Many other factors come into play when selecting the correct SPD unit for a facility such as: size, type, location, and quantity. P3 can provide a Surge Protection Device Survey at no charge. This survey involves a complete on-site review of your facility to determine transient surge causes and solutions.


Selecting the Correct Surge Protection Device

What standard do you use when trying to decide the type, location, and quantity of Surge Protection Device (SPD) units for your facility? This question seldom has an immediate answer when asked to potential SPD customers. When an initial walkthrough in a facility that has potential problems with voltage transients (spikes and surges) is performed the above question should always be asked. The normal response is “Oh, I don’t know I’ve seen them advertised in magazines…and I have seen them at the office supply or department store…” It is good that many people realize SPD systems exist, but, how does one decide on a system that will give good protection from all normal sources of voltage transients? The answer to this question is to use recognized industry standards to determine the correct number, placement, and size of SPD units to adequately protect your facility, not the advertisement in a magazine or the advertising on a pretty package or “This guy I heard told me to do it this way”. So…. which standards do we use?

Standard #1

The IEEE is the most often quoted source for electrical standards when dealing with power quality. The IEEE stands for “The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers”. The IEEE is a society of electrical and electronic engineers from across the country. Members of this society meet on regular bases to discuss and develop standards that represent a consensus of the broad expertise on the subject of Power Quality along with many other subjects within the Institute. The recommendations of the IEEE come from people in the industry who actually manage and design facilities. Their expertise is widely recognized as “THE INDUSTRY STANDARD”.

That being said…What is the IEEE standard for SPD units? To find the IEEE requirements we must look in a publication from the IEEE called IEEE standard 1100 (also known as the Emerald Book). The IEEE Emerald book states the following:

Abstract:

The IEEE Emerald book is very specific in its recommendations for SPD Systems. The IEEE 1100 Emerald book is designed just like all other IEEE standards. The IEEE 1100 section 3.4.3 deals with the need and types of SPD units available. The rest of this white paper will refer to a few of these standards with respect to helping you make the proper decision on transient voltage protection for your facility. Standard 1100 3.4.3 states:


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Recommended design, installation, and maintenance practices for electrical power and grounding (including both power-related and signal-related noise control) of sensitive electronic processing equipment used in commercial and industrial applications are presented. The main objective is to provide a consensus of recommended practices in an area where conflicting information and confusion, stemming primarily from different viewpoints of the same problem, have dominated…. Fundamental concepts are reviewed. Instrumentation and procedures for conducting a survey of the power distribution system are described. Site surveys and site power analyses are considered. Case histories are given to illustrate typical problems.

Surges can have many effects on equipment, ranging from no detectable effect to complete destruction. In general, electromechanical devices withstand voltage surges until a dielectric breakdown occurs, while electronic devices can have their operation upset before hard failure occurs. At intermediate levels, progressively more intense upset occurs until breakdown takes place. While electromechanical devices can generally tolerate voltages of several times their rating for short durations, few solid- state devices can tolerate much more than twice their normal rating.

Recommended practice is that surge protective devices be applied to service entrance electrical switchboards and panelboards, and panelboards located on the secondary of separately derived systems that support information technology equipment, telephone, telecommunications, signaling, television, or other form of electronic load equipment.


This standard shows that transient surges cause damage by both long term and instantaneous failure. It also states that voltages more than 240 volts on a 120-volt system cause damage to most modern electronic equipment. This is mentioned because most of the cheap SPD units on the market cannot limit a 6000-volt transient surge to 240 volts. This 6000-volt transient surge level is the basic standard from IEEE when speaking about the amount of voltage that can enter our homes and facilities. SPD equipment installed must be able to withstand this 6000-volt transient surge and limit the voltage entering the facility to less than 240 volts on a 120-volt system. (If you currently own a SPD unit check and see what it is rated). The IEEE 1100 standard also tells us where to locate SPD units and how many to use. The standard for this information is:

8.4.2.5 Surge protective device considerations:

This tells us to locate SPD units in layers throughout our facility for complete protection. In case we are still confused IEEE also gives us a diagram for proper location:

IEEE 1100 8.6.4

These are only a few of the standards in the IEEE 1100 Emerald Book. Standard 8.6 discusses proper coordination of all devices to gain the desired effect of protection of your equipment from transient voltages. Sensitive “sine wave tracking" SPD units are needed for sensitive equipment and robust SPD units are needed for lightning exposed service entrances and high exposure panels such as parking lot lights, security gates etc.


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Standard #2

The National Electrical Code (NEC) aka. NFPA 70 now requires the use of SPD’s in various locations.

As we have shown above, there ARE specific methods and equipment that can help protect your facility. Proper type, location, and quantity of SPD units using the IEEE and NEC standards is the most effective way to protect your equipment. SPD units are not all created for the same purpose and it will take a specialist to identify and recommend the most cost effective solution. Please make arrangements to have a Surge Protection Device Site Survey of your facility to bring it up to Nationally Recognized standards.


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620.51(E) - "Where any of the disconnecting means in 620.51 has been designated as supplying an emergency system load, surge protection shall be provided". This article was added to address emergency system loads such as elevators, escalators, moving sidewalks, chairlifts and associated equipment.

645.18 - "Surge protection shall be provided for Critical Operations Data Systems." Critical Operation Data Systems is defined by the NEC as "Information technology equipment systems that require continuous operation for reasons of public safety,

emergency management, national security, or business continuity."

695.15 - "A listed surge protection device shall be installed in or on the fire pump controller."

670.6 - "Industrial machinery with safety interlock circuits shall have surge protection installed". The concern is failure of safety interlocks on machinery causing safety risk to operators that may not be aware of disabled safety mechanisms.

708.20 - For Critical Operation Power Systems (COPS), "Surge protection devices shall be provided at all facility voltage distribution levels."

694.7 (D) - "A surge protection device shall be installed between a wind electric system and any loads served by the premises electrical system." The surge device can be on the circuit serving the wind

electric system or on the load side of the service disconnect.

700.8 - "A listed SPD shall be installed in or on all emergency systems s w i t c h b o a r d s a n d panelboards."

The National Electrical Code (NEC) defines e m e r g e n c y p o w e r systems as systems legally required to auto-matically supply power to designated loads upon loss of normal power.


Outlet Strip Voltage Surge Protection Devices

Proper selection of the correct Surge Protection Device (SPD) is critical. Many facilities rely on only one type of protection, either a SPD at the main circuit breaker (fuse) box only or individual outlet strip surge voltage protectors at only specific equipment. Using one type of protection is better than nothing; however, to fully protect your equipment, all five areas as specified by IEEE, UL and the NEC must be protected.

As always, when making recommendations, we try to use third party standards. The concept of protectors in multiple areas within your facility is not a fancy idea of the SPD manufactures to sell more units. It is a REQUIRED method as spelled out by the IEEE and the NEC. When not adhering to these standards, proper protection of your facilities equipment cannot be met.

With this in mind, some time will be spent discussing Outlet Strip Voltage Surge Protection Devices. The following picture shows a common outlet strip voltage surge protection device:

The most important features of an outlet strip voltage surge protection device include the following:

Short Circuit Protection

Correct Wiring Indicator

Proper functioning Indicator

Voltage Protection

Phone Protection

Cable Protection

UL 1449 4th edition listing

Large Maximum transient current rating

Low Voltage let through rating

Every one of the above-mentioned features are important. If your outlet strip voltage surge protection device does not have or meet these requirements you may have diminished protection of your facilities equipment.


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Let’s look at each of the features:

Short Circuit Protection, your unit should be equipped with a fuse or circuit breaker so that if a problem occurs in which the unit needs to be disconnected before it “burns up” it will do so before causing damage to your facility. A circuit breaker is preferable so that you do not have to keep extra fuses on hand.

Correct Wiring Indicator, all transient voltage surge suppressors must be wired properly. Outlet strip units are no exception. Of course, the unit itself should be wired properly or it shouldn’t have passed factory inspection before shipping, but the outlet in which unit plugs into must also be wired properly. Many people assume the outlets in their facility are wired correctly; however, many are not wired properly. Your outlet strip voltage surge protector should have an indicator on it to show if the outlet you are plugging into is wired properly.

Proper functioning Indicator, your unit should have an indicator showing that is working properly and supplying protection to the equipment plugged into it. All SPD units have a maximum surge capability they can withstand. Your unit should be able to protect the equipment plugged into it when hit by frequent surges, however, a large surge in excess of the unit’s capability may occur. The unit MUST be able to give you an indication that is has received one of these large surges and is no longer functioning to its intended capability. Absence of this indicator leaves you in doubt whether the unit is still working properly or not.

Voltage Protection for Cables, voltage surges enter your facility from many sources. The three most common are; the voltage wiring in your walls, floors, and ceiling, the phone lines, and any cable TV or internet access cables. Many people concentrate on the voltage wiring for surge protection, however, surges can and do enter your facility on the phone lines and the cable lines. To fully protect your facility, you must have SPD protection on all three of the above. Once again, this is not only the SPD manufactures recommendation it is a requirement of IEEE 1100 8.6.6. Your outlet strip voltage surge protection device should have connections for not only voltage but phone lines and cable.

UL 1449 4th edition listing, for your unit to be considered an outlet strip voltage surge protector by UL (Underwriters Laboratory) it must be labeled with the UL number UL 1449 4th edition. Many outlet strips are on the market with a label on the package or box that says it is a “Protector”, but do not have the UL 1449 4th edition label. Any unit that does not have the UL 1449 4th edition label may not be a SPD unit at all. It may be just a short circuit protector only, not a Surge Protection Device.


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Large Maximum transient current rating, Low Voltage let through rating, these two ratings are the meat of the SPD unit ratings. Most SPD manufactures have to show some type of visual indication of how well their unit performs. The most popular visual indicator you will see on outlet strip voltage surge protection device is something called a Joule. A Joule is the measurement of watts per second. The Watt a measurement of electrical power and of course the Second is a measurement of time. So, if we use the Joule as a measurement of performance with a SPD unit we are looking at Power (Watts) over Time (Seconds). The relationship between Joules, Watts, and Seconds is as follows:

1 Joule = 1 Watt of power in 1 Second

Or,

1 Watt x 1 Second = 1 Joule

So let’s say we have a SPD unit that is labeled that it can withstand 2000 Joules. This COULD mean it can withstand:

2000 Watts x 1 Second = 2000 Joules - meaning it can take 2000 Watts of surges for 1 second.

This may sound good however IEEE tells us transient surges can last only fractions of a second and can exceed 18,000,000 watts.

However buy just using Joules for measurement of performance it could also mean the following:

1 Watt x 2000 Seconds = 2000 Joules - meaning it can only withstand 1 Watt of surges for 2000 Seconds (33 minutes).

Is this good? NO. Can it survive 2 watts for any amount of time? How much voltage will it let through to damage your equipment? Once again we don’t know. There is no IEEE or UL standard for Joules, therefore, we must use a common standard when comparing SPD units. What is the standard? Once again, IEEE and UL. IEEE and UL have standards for current ratings and voltage let through ratings. The current ratings let us know how many amps the unit can withstand during a surge and keep on working. The voltage let through ratings show us how much voltage is passed through to our equipment when a certain amount of current is applied. These current and voltage numbers are determined by IEEE and UL and are the most used standards for comparisons between SPD units


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Conclusion

When making a decision to protect your facilities equipment from the damaging effects of transient voltage surges you should take the recommendations of IEEE, UL and the NEC. You should install multiple levels of protection so that all your equipment is covered. Also when making buying decisions you should compare the IEEE and UL standards of each SPD unit, not some flashy marketing ploy. P3 will help you compare the specification sheets of different SPD manufactures and help you make the right SPD decision.

P3 Recommends the facility wide power protection System Shield:

Applications for SPD

Correct selection of the appropriate Surge Protection Device (SPD) is critical. Once again, the best source for information concerning which SPD to choose, comes from Nationally Recognized Standards. ANSI/IEEE and UL recommend and in many cases the NEC requires the installation of SPD’s. The following diagram illustrates different locations and types of SPD’s needed to fully protect a facility:


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Type 1

Before service disconnect

Type 2 (Type 1 permitted)

After service disconnect

Type 2 or Type 3 (Type 1 permitted)

30 feet of conductor between service disconnect and SPD

Type 3, 4 & 5

Component Level

An Introduction to P3 & PQU

For more information about our products, service plans and support services contact us at:

877-393-1223

Or visit our website:

www.p3-inc.com

Power Protection Products, Inc. (P3)

P3 is the industry’s trusted and respected advisor for critical power, cooling and energy solutions.

P3 represents some of the leading industry brands and strives to provide the top performing products. We stay on top of industry advances and have designed and built a variety of data center infrastructures, IT expansion projects, and industrial power upgrades.

We believe in providing a stable and secure electrical environment to meet customers’ needs. For more information about our power, cooling, and data center related products & services give us a call or visit our website.

Power Quality University

Providing an educational environment for hands-on training, testing, & evaluation of today’s power quality solutions & equipment.

P3 is "showing you how" with our Power Quality University (PQU) free seminar series. PQU brings real world knowledge into the classrooms. The instructors who teach at PQU are highly qualified

professionals and are all experts in the field. Upon completion of a PQU program, students can obtain

Continuing Education Credits (CEU's). PQU is just one more way that Power Protection Products, Inc. is supporting the electrical and data center communities in a positive way.

Learn more at PQU! www.powerqualityuniversity.com

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