Surge protection for telecommunication connections - EE Publishers http://www.ee.co.za/article/surge-protection-telecommunication-connect...

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Fig. 3: Surge protection for telecommunication systems with ISDN primary multiplex connection.

We live and work in the communication era, where real-time information and response is today’s norm. The days are long gone when operational activities were
limited to hardwiring equipment, and you had to be on site to know the status of the equipment and processes. However, the more advanced our technology, the
more our solutions rely on information technology to keep our real-time reporting and iterations going, and this involves very sensitive equipment which is prone
to lightning and surge damage.

A great deal of emphasis is placed on protecting the incoming power lines against lightning and surge currents, yet data lines are also prone to the same effects,
which can damage sensitive and expensive equipment.

Risk assessment is essential

When we look at any information technology site, the evaluation must be site-specific, taking into consideration both natural and man-made risks. Natural risks
would include exposure to direct and indirect lightning. Man-made risks would be the be surges or transients within the system. Over and above the immediate
damage created by these anomalies, we also need to be aware of the degradation they cause to equipment over time.

When conducting your risk assessment, the geographical location of the site plays a crucial role as it determines the average number of lightning strikes to
ground per square kilometre within the area. Secondly, the area where the site is located will also determine the soil resistivity in the area, which influences the
resistance of the earthing of the lightning protection system.

Common earth

It is very important that everything on site be kept on the same earth potential. So often, we get called out to site after damage was experienced, and we find that
the instrumentation was on a separate earth. It is the potential difference between the separate earths that occurs when surge current is diverted to the ground
that damages the equipment. If equipment is susceptible to harmonics from the electrical installation, you must still bond the instrumentation earth to the main
earth through a spark gap. This will ensure that under fault conditions, all the equipment and infrastructure is at the same potential.

Selecting the correct protection

By using the Faraday cage principle, all incoming lines that are exposed to direct or indirect lightning must be protected by a lightning arrestor, also known as
type 1, or class 1. This will mitigate the lightning current and energy associated with it. The characteristics and wave form of lightning are completely different to
the characteristics and wave form of a switching surge. The acceptable wave form for a direct lightning strike is 10/350 and for transients and surges the
waveform is 8/20. A lightning arrestor needs to handle a lot more energy than a surge arrestor, so selecting the correct product for the correct area is essential.

The surge arrestors will be applied within the Faraday cage. Surge arresters are also known as type 2 or class 2 arresters. There are very effective combined
arrestors available that will take care of both wave forms. A combined arrestor must be considered especially when space is limited. Once the earthing has been
done, as well as the area classification, it is necessary to look at the communication protocol and the voltage of the equipment. Always ensure that the lightning,
surge or combined arrestors are compatible with the equipment’s unique voltage and communication protocol requirements.

Contact Hannes Ackermann, DEHN Africa, Tel 011 704-1487, hannes.ackermann@dehn-afica.com (mailto:hannes.ackermann@dehn-afica.com)

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