If you are an owner or decision maker for a company that utilizes industrial applications or installations as part of your business model, you are probably very keenly aware of the losses that come with exposure. If your equipment is placed in the field, it has the potential to be damaged, creating setbacks to growth and issues with remaining competitive. Equipment placed at ground level in any variety of location types almost always has to be enclosed in a protective shell known as a “street cabinet,” and any equipment that is housed within structures that are potentially effected by weather must also be protected. While you may view the structure as the protection itself, many industries that rely upon computer integration for operations find that losses are not necessarily tied directly to damage by weather, but that the damage comes as a result of the weather. What this is usually seen in is lightning strikes to industrial facilities, and the power surges that follow them.
When lightning strikes a structure, it will produce damage at the strike point itself in the form of fires and explosions. It is difficult to prevent the damage that is expected from a lightning strike at the strike point itself, but what is found is that the majority of the costs associated with repairs are actually downstream from that point. They happen when the lightning strikes the structure and the resulting surge of electricity couples onto either the structure itself or the wires/cables that are integrated into the system and connected to each piece of equipment. If a piece of equipment is in the path of the electrical surge and becomes impacted by it, then the power lines and data transfer lines that connect equipment to other pieces of equipment can become the path that the flowing electricity surge follows. Because these elements are ideal for electrical flow, they provide the perfect mechanism for the excess power to move from component to component, overwhelming everything it its path. Because of these connections between components, we find that damage can occur far away from the actual place where the lightning struck, and subsequent damage to components can be expensive.
The only way to prevent this chain reaction of damage is to install redundant surge protection devices and systems along potential electrical paths and at critical junction points. Through this preventative installation of devices that can stop excess electrical flow when it is detected, you have a greater chance of minimizing downstream damage. While you will still see damage at the strike point and probably within a vicinity around it, each instance of lightning strike can have the residual damage downstream minimized, thus dropping the amounts of your operational budget that are allocated to repairs and restoration of service. Over time, these reductions can significantly improve your cost of operations as well as improve your profit margins, essentially paying for themselves over and over again. When equipment loss and repair is part of your budget, consider the technologically advanced SPDs manufactured by Raycap as your best option.
