The last decade or so has seen a huge financial investment in computers and sophisticated electronic control systems. It seems that everything we do or operate now is controlled by a microprocessor or computer. Our factories and workshop floors are more reliant on computer controlled technology, our modern telephone and data systems allow us to immediately communicate with anywhere else in the world.
Unfortunately this development comes with a hefty penalty. Surges and spikes from nearby lightning strikes, arc-welders, or high voltage cables can damage or destroy all our sophisticated electronic equipment in an instant. However, more than this there are other less obvious problems resulting from both natural and manmade surges including:
* Disruption and inconvenience caused by system downtime.
* Financial cost of loss of production.
* Corruption of files and loss of data.
* Repair/replacement cost of damaged equipment.
* Sporadic, unexplainable system faults.
Many companies have discovered, the hard way, the havoc such surges can wreak.
Surge protection devices (SPDs)
Advanced SPDs safeguard all types of electric and electronic equipment from the destructive high-voltage transients that are associated with lightning and other large magnitude surges. Protective devices are known by a variety of different names including 'lightning barriers', 'surge arresters', 'lightning protection units', etc. However, the most widely used term would appear to be 'surge protection devices' or 'SPDs'.
SPDs should ideally operate instantaneously to divert a surge current to ground. With advanced surge protection technology, unwanted voltages are not presented to protected equipment via power, telemetry, telephone or other cables. Once the surge current has subsided, the SPD should automatically restore normal operation and reset to a state ready to receive the next surge. MTL Surge Technologies offer a range of products whereby advanced SPD components are used, including gas discharge tubes (GDTs) voltage clamping diodes, and metal oxide varistors (MOVs) which feature rapid operation, accurate voltage control and automatic reset once the overvoltage has ceased.
Surge protection solutions can be custom-tailored to protect an extremely large range of applications including main power equipment, telephone systems, computers, local area networks, telemetry devices, field transmitters, and other process control instrumentation and sensors.
MTL Surge Technologies specialise in the design, manufacture and implementation of SPDs supplying a wide range of products including models for virtually all applications. Particular areas of expertise include:
* Process control.
* Telemetry systems.
* Control and instrumentation.
* Network applications.
* Wireless infrastructure.
For more information contact Andy Brown, Temperature Controls, 011 791 6000, [email protected]
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