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The cost of Downtime – The $26 Billion Per Year Problem
Your power distribution system and attached load equipment is under constant attack from various types of power line disturbances. Transient voltage surges comprise the most severe, common and immediate danger to sensitive electrical and electronic equipment. The cumulative effect of transients causes semiconductor degradation, equipment destruction, control process disruption and circuit board damage. Transients frequently cause premature equipment failure, resulting in costly downtime and lost productivity. The cost, according to Business Week, is an estimated $26 billion per year in lost time, equipment repair and equipment replacement. All mission-critical electronic systems should be shielded to prevent disruption, damage and destruction.


Sources of Transient Power Surges (External and Internal)
Although external transient surges including lightning strikes, utility grid switching and equipment action at adjacent buildings are easily recognized highenergy surge events, they only account for 20% of all surges faced by a facility. 80% of surges are the results of internal switching transients (turning on/off motors, transformers, photocopiers, etc.). Wiring, grounding errors and surges (also known as transient voltages) are among the most common power quality issues facing facilities today – resulting in safety concerns, equipment damage and costly downtime.



Transient Voltage Surge Suppression (TVSS)
G&G Technology uses Innovative Technology® products and since 1980 they have solved the most difficult electrical transient problems for business, industry, government and defense sectors. Now as a part of Eaton Corporation’s electrical business, we are even better positioned to deliver state-of-the-art customer solutions.

The use of surge protection devices (surge suppressors) is growing at over 20% per year. Suppressors are now routinely installed at the service entrance and key down-stream panel board or MCC locations to provide clean power to solid-state loads. Currently, there is some confusion between the application of surge arrestors and surge suppressors — especially in industrial facilities, water treatment plants and other areas where arrestors were predominately used. This section explains the differences in performance and application between the two technologies.

The Evolution of Surge/Lightning Arrestors
In the past, when non-linear or solid-state devices such as computers, PLCs and drives were not yet in use, relays, coils, step switches, motors, resistors and other linear loads were the standard. Utility companies and end users were concerned with how to protect electrical distribution systems from lightning surges. Their objective was to ensure that voltage surges did not exceed the basic insulation level (BIL) of the conductor wires, transformers and other equipment. Consequently, arrestors were developed for use in low, medium and high voltage applications at various points in the transmission and distribution system. The fact that these devices created a “crowbar” between the phase conductor and ground did not matter to these loads if it cleared within a few cycles.

The Evolution of Surge Protection Devices
In today’s computer age, the use of solid state (nonlinear) loads is increasing dramatically. Research by Utilities and other groups estimated that 70% of utility loads are consumed by electronic equipment such as drives, PLCs, computers, electronic ballasts, telecommunication equipment, etc. Modern day electronic equipment is getting faster, smaller, more efficient and very complex. These improvements have been made in all microprocessor-based equipment over the years, and this progress will continue. The trade-off in faster speed and lower cost is that the microprocessor loads are becoming increasingly more susceptible to the effects of transients and surges.