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Benjamin Franklin flew his kite during a storm in an attempt to study the properties of lightning, and since this time lightning has been a major topic of study.  Franklin was seeking information on a way to potentially control lightning by conducting a strike to a specific place, and nearly all of the research and development since has followed the same idea.  Lightning is devastating, and has the ability to create huge amounts of damage in a completely unpredictable way.  There is nearly no way to prepare a specific area for a strike before one happens because we have no method of predicting where the strike will land.  We can assume that there will be lightning strikes, and we can make predictions based on research about lightning being attracted to specific properties like metals, height and isolation.  However we cannot predict exactly when the lightning strike will happen, if ever.  All we can do is put in place the best form of protection against the lightning strike, and hope that it never has to be tested.  Lightning is a force powerful enough to completely destroy nearly anything, and kill instantly.  We have no method of preventing it from happening, so all we can do is guard against it as best we can. (more…)

The Creation Of A Better Surge Protection Device

To understand the evolution over time of surge protection technology, lightning protection and surge protective devices, we must first understand the history from which they were derived.  The earliest forms of lightning protection were not necessarily concerned with electrical surges, and were more concerned with lightning strikes themselves and the damage that is caused at the strike point.  Previous to the harnessing of electricity in order to power devices, the dangers of lightning strikes came in the form of explosions and fires if lightning was to strike a home or building.  As structures grew in height, they became more natural attractants for lightning strikes, as lightning will generally take the path of least resistance to the ground.  This means that it will strike at the top portions of any structure that is both connected to the ground and closest to the origination point.  Lightning is attempting to go to earth and is thus attracted to connecting with the points that are higher in the sky than all surrounding points.  In modern times we think of huge towers and skyscrapers, but we must realize that the issue will remain consistent no matter how tall or short the buildings or structures of an area are.  Even if all of the structures within an area are only a few feet high, lightning will be attracted to the tallest of them.  Even in times before electricity powered our homes, lightning striking a dwelling posed a serious threat, and as a result the “lightning rod” was developed as the first type of device designed to prevent damage as a result of a strike.  The lightning rod simply became the highest point and was made from materials known to attract lightning. It was positioned in such a way that drew the strike away from structures to avoid having damage occur to the structure.  The lightning rod later became a useful tool for telegraph lines and electrical grids, once they evolved.  The telegraph system was the first to develop what was more of a surge protective device in the mid-1800s, when the term “arrestor” was applied to simple gaps in telegraph lines.  The gap could be operated remotely by a telegraph worker in order to protect telegraph lines during predictable weather that could produce lightning.  Because the surge produced by the lightning strike could travel along telegraph lines, operators realized the need for a method of stopping the flow, and the first crude “arrestors” were born from this need.  The idea was to simply interrupt the flow along a path, then potentially allow the surge to die at that point or to divert it elsewhere.  Interestingly enough, this idea still remains at the core of all surge protection technology. (more…)

Protection From Lightning Is The “X-Factor” Of Green Energy

The “green” energy production market is one that has been evolving on several important fronts for many years.  The basic premise behind it is not new, but as it is expanded and improved upon the potential for more widespread adoption for use in industries becomes more valid.  There are a few crucial elements that have been holding back wider spread rollouts of green technologies as a method of electricity generation for greater numbers of people connected to the existing electrical grid systems, but slowly and surely these factors have been overcome through technological advancement.  As the common conventional sources of power generation have little to no ability to technologically improve in order to solve existing issues, it must be assumed that once a critical level of technological advancement in the green energy market has been achieved, the new methods will replace conventional fossil fuel methods of production. So what are the issues and what is being done to solve them? (more…)

Although there are few people in the modern time who would argue against green energy production techniques like wind and solar systems being viable as a way to generate power, these industries still face opposition from an economic standpoint.  It is an unfortunate aspect of society that something must not only be more effective but also less expensive than an opposing thing in order to be considered “better”.  Even though there is no argument that wind and solar methods of energy production are cleaner and more economical from a fuel standpoint (wind and sun are free while fossil fuels have extraction costs associated) the total costs for production tip in favor of fossil fuels currently.  This is due to the infrastructure in place already to support the production of energy from fossil fuels, the incredible lobbying power of the fossil fuel industry, and the expense associated with the equipment involved in the higher tech collection processes’ related to solar and wind energy production. Additionally, the ongoing repair and replacement of wind and solar energy “manufacturing and collection” equipment in the field drives these energy production methods up.  Energy production using fossil fuels is crude and simplistic, using the burning of a fuel source like coal or oil to turn turbines and generate electricity. Aside from the costs of the fuel and the fixed costs of storage and transport of the power, there are few technical advances happening that would require new equipment. Energy production using these methods is understood by the public to be damaging to a certain level to the environment and people’s overall health, but because it is less costly than a cleaner alternative, it continues to be accepted.  Unfortunately, people are willing to put a price on their own health and well-being, and that of their descendants,  because of their desire to pay the lowest amount monthly for their power bills. As a result, the acceptance of new research funding that would further the technology involved in green processes and bring down the costs over time, gets cut from budgets.  Consumers want to pay the lowest amount right now, and will generally support the dirtier methods as a result. The argument of the superior methods being better fall on deaf ears as consumers recognize that “better”  most times costs more.  (more…)

FTTA PTTA Solutions For Telecom

Surge protection devices are not a luxury for today’s industry, but rather are a critical aspect of nearly any mission-critical industrial installation.  Equipment involved in most industries has grown in expense to the point of being inextricably tied to the survival of the business if it is damaged or destroyed before an expected life span. And, while modern business will take great steps to protect their bottom line through pricing that will compensate for unexpected damage to equipment in the field, the competitiveness of most business landscapes forces participants to protect their capital investments at all costs.  Damage related to electrical surge is a primary concern in industries that position equipment in the field. Many of these surges are caused by lightning strikes and others are caused grid-side, switching errors or transients.  The damage that is created in circuit-driven components can be immediate or prolonged, the immediate damage coming in the form of total overload and circuit destruction if not explosion and fire, and the prolonged damaged coming in the form of on-going degradation of circuits, causing performance errors and finally complete failure over time.  Either way, the damage that is produced as a result of surging electricity must be prevented or at least minimized if margins are to remain healthy, and profitability is to remain intact.  This not only includes but may very well be epitomized by the highly specialized telecommunications industry, where stiff competition for customers forces both the increased capacities of networks for better data transfer and lowered operational costs so as to offer lower monthly bills.  As the industry ages and consolidates, network operators look to find ways of both increasing network capacities and connectivity while also lowering customer plans prices, which is a difficult task.  Increases in costs as a result of unexpected damage to equipment can render damage to an operator within a short time frame, and customers will not accept increased charges without significant improvements to service, if at all.  This squeeze creates a situation where telco operators must figure out improved ways of getting the most out of their existing equipment in the field, and generally this will involve improving electrical protection and specifically surge protection devices. (more…)

Industrial grade surge protection is not a new concept.  Surge protection itself has been around in one form or another since we started utilizing computerized equipment to make our lives easier.  As soon as components that involved circuitry were connected to an electrical source and turned on, we realized that fluctuations in that power flow could have an adverse effect on both the operation  and the electronic components themselves.  Electrical transients have caused malfunctions, data loss and even damage to the circuitry involved.  Each moment that expensive equipment was connected to the power source was putting it in danger of damage from electrical surges.  The advent of surge protection came shortly after, with the development of methods to cut the power supply to equipment if power were to exceed a certain point that was deemed “safe.” Circuit breakers cut the flow if it exceeded a certain amount, and additional surge protection equipment was developed to provide a level of protection for components managing functions that couldn’t afford to be cut off from use for long periods of time. (more…)