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Transient Voltage Surge Suppressors

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Transient Voltage Surge Suppressor (TVSS) is a device

that every data center or mission critical facility should
have.
Why should every data center have one and what
does it do you ask?
The purpose of a TVSS is to eliminate or reduce damage
to data processing equipment and other critical equipment
by limiting transient surge voltages and currents (surges)
on electrical circuits.
.
These transients or surges may come from inside a
facility or may be injected into a facility from outside.

Transient voltage surge suppressors - ABB (OVR series)

What is a transient?
A transient surge is a short blast or pulse of high energy that can either come in its natural form such as lightning or
produced by other equipment.
Transients caused by other equipment are usually caused by the discharge of stored energy in inductive
components. Some examples are electrical motors, such as those used in elevators heating, air conditioning,
refrigeration or other inductive loads. Two other sources are arc welders and furnace igniters. These transients are
capable of causing significant damage to equipment and electronics.
The transient causes damage to a device when the transient voltage exceeds the weakest exposed components
ability to withstand that voltage. Transients normally flow into equipment via electrical conductors, but other paths are
common. These paths include: telephone lines, data-com line, measurement and control lines, DC power buses and
neutral and ground lines.
To protect against these surges designers recommend the installation of a TVSS devices that connects to all points of
potential voltage threat and limit this voltage to a level below the equipment withstand voltage. The TVSS device
absorbs or diverts all the energy present in the surge and clamping or holding the let through over voltage down to a
level safe for exposed circuitry.
TVSS protection is typically applied at several points throughout of facility. These locations include the
service entrance point, distribution panels, branch panels and the individual circuit.
As you can see a TVSS device is important to mission critical electrical system and its benefits are great. A TVSS is a
low cost protection device that will help to reduce downtime or production losses. It helps to extend lighting lamp and
ballast life expectancy. The TVSS will help in reducing motor stress and overheating and is a constant protection of
data processing and digital equipment.
If you mission critical facility does not already have TVSS devices installed we highly recommend it. If you are not

sure if your system has them installed we suggest asking your engineer or electrician to verify. It is a small price for
additional peace of min.

Main causes of transient over voltages

1. Lightning Strike
a) A lightning Strike can have a destructive or disturbing effect on electrical installations situated up to several miles
away from the actual point of the strike.
b) During a storm, underground cables can transmit the effect of a lightning strike to electrical equipment installed
inside buildings.
c) A lightning protection device (such as a lightning rod or a Faraday cage) installed on a building to protect it against
the risk of a direct strike (fire) can increase the risk of damage to electrical equipment connected to the main supply
near or inside the building.

Left: Direct lightning strike on overhead line; Right: Indirect lightning strike on ground

Lightning strike on lightning rod

The lightning protection device diverts the high strike current to earth, considerably raising the potential of the ground
close to the building on which it is installed.
This causes overvoltages on the electrical equipment directly via the earth terminals and induced via the underground
supply cables.

2. Switching operation on the power distribution system

The switching of transformers, motors or inductances in general, sudden variation of load, disconnection of circuit
breaker or cut outs lead to over voltages that penetrate the users building.
Significantly, the closer the building is to a generating station or substation, the higher the over voltages may be.
It is also necessary to take into account
mutual induction effects between the high
voltage power line and aerial sections of
the low voltages lines as well as direct
contact between lines of different voltages
caused by accidental breaking of cables.
Top

3. Parasitic interferences
These are freak interferences with
indifferent amplitudes and frequencies
that are re-injected into the electrical
supply by the user himself or his
environment.

Medium voltage disturbance transmitted to low voltage side of transformer

Top

4. Disturbances generated by the user

These interferences have little energy but their
short duration, their steep wave front and their peak
value can have harmful effects on the proper
functioning of the sensitive equipment causing
either disruption or complete destruction.

References:
1. ABB (Transient Voltage Surge Suppressors
OVR Series
2. The Data Center Journal (where IT, Facilities
and Design Meet)

Disturbance generated by the user

About Author //
Edvard Csanyi
Edvard - Electrical engineer, programmer and founder of EEP. Highly specialized for
design of LV high power busbar trunking (<6300A) in power substations, buildings and
industry fascilities. Designing of LV/MV switchgears. Professional in AutoCAD programming
and web-design. Present on

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3 Comments
1.
mohammed
Dec 05, 2014
Please l want to know : is atransient (surge) voltage can damage adistributions transformes ,11/.4
kv
(reply)

2.
Surge Protection of Electronic Equipment | EEP
Sep 22, 2012
[...] temperatures quickly except during very large or long disturbances. This requires correspondingly large
surge energies. Also, the materials that constitute the insulation of these components can operate at
temperatures [...]
(reply)
3.
Power System Stability | EEP
Jun 02, 2012
[...] nature, such as a short-circuit on a transmission line or loss of a large generator.Following a transient
disturbance, if the power system is stable, it will reach a new equilibrium state with practically the entire [...]
(reply)
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