Surge arresters for petrol stations
October 2016
Electrical Power & Protection
Surgetek’s Copa surge arrester marked the beginning of a new chapter in the company’s product offering to South Africa’s petrol station and forecourt applications market. The Copa drastically reduces petroleum companies’ downtime resulting from power surges and lightning strikes, by up to 98%.
Surge protection must be installed in the petrol dispensers as well as the back office. “It is absolutely essential that both power and data sources are protected,” states Paul van As, Surgetek low voltage divisional manager.
Petrol station owners want to maximise their running hours and the correctly installed and maintained surge protectors reduces their downtime significantly. Power and data protection should be installed as close as possible to the forecourt controller. Surgetek also developed the HDO 280T, a compact protector for 220 V. These units are fitted in most petrol dispensers throughout the country as they are supplied directly to dispenser manufacturers who install them during production.
The Copa Data Multi Wire has been designed for surge currents up to 10 kA. Surgetek supplies surge protection products directly to petrol dispenser and forecourt technology manufacturer UCS Technology Services. “When UCS updated its forecourt control technology last year it made sense to redesign and modify our surge protection products,” explains van As. The arrester is available in three configurations: 4, 8 and 12-wire, all housed in a slimmer casing than its predecessor. Its dimensions of 22,5 mm wide and 92 mm high make it both easy to install and remove when necessary.
“The Copa Data Multi Wire is user friendly,” concludes van As. “It is a plug-and-play surge arrester and data transfer device that earths itself automatically to the DIN rail through an integrated earth clip.”
For more information contact Paul van As, Surgetek, +27 (0)11 792 1303, paul@surgetek.co.za, www.surgetek.co.za
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