Raycap is a leading producer of surge protection devices for Photovoltaic (PV) systems that are used in both industrial power production as well as residential or semi-commercial markets. Solar panels and their associated control systems are highly susceptible to damage from both direct and indirect lightning strikes. The reason for this susceptibility is due to the physical makeup of the panels themselves (being large and flat with fully exposed surface areas), as well as the geographic placement of the panels in remote and unobstructed areas. This damage as a result of lightning strikes or surges, coupled into power lines running to and from the sites, can cause catastrophic failure of systems and result in high replacement and repair expenditures, as well as significant downtimes. Raycap products use fast acting metal oxide varistors (MOV) and other technologies to limit overvoltage to the attached equipment, interrupting electrical flow in order to protect circuitry from transients that are out of the safe range. Since 1985, the UL 1449 standard for SPDs has been the primary safety standard for surge protection. In years previous, the devices covered by the standard were known as Transient Voltage Surge Suppressors (TVSS.)  TVSS could not operate on circuits exceeding 600 V. Modern devices are now known as surge protective devices (SPDs) and may operate on power circuits not exceeding 1000 V. (more…)

There is a large division in the United States over the adoption of expanded alternative energy initiatives. While areas like Nevada are constructing billion dollar solar farms and California are reaping the rewards of wind-generated electricity, other areas of the country are quite resistant to the expansion of these types of technology. The main reasoning behind this push back is purely economic, that reduction on the reliance on coal and oil would eliminate jobs in those particular industries. This is a difficult subject, as many people in some parts of the country do not have the opportunities that other areas have, relying on these jobs in order to get by. For many in coal country, there simply are no other jobs to be had, and entire towns are being supported by coal mining. As residents of these areas see the progress being made in the areas of alternative energy, they see the potentials of their jobs being eliminated. (more…)

The Vulnerabilities Of Inferior Surge Protection Devices

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Surge protection devices provide an invaluable level of protection against damage caused by power surges.  Every year, millions of dollars’ worth of equipment is damaged through electrical overages being allowed to overwhelm equipment, not to mention the losses involved with system outages as a result of those components being damaged.  Surge protection devices were developed for the specific purpose of providing a barrier of protection against this type of damage through their integration into the system that they are protecting.  The electrical flow enters the facility and must pass through the surge protection device before that piece of equipment will be impacted by the electricity.  Any fluctuations outside of the safe range are handled by the surge protective device through specific methods, either diverting the electricity to another place where it can be handled safely, cutting off electrical flow completely, or drawing it down in a way that will only allow the measured amount that  is considered safe to pass through.  As a result, as long as the surge protection device is operational, the flow of electricity is received by the device which is being protected will be within the safe range or none at all.  When a power surge is detected by the surge protection device, it will perform its function which ultimately results in the protected equipment not being impacted.  While this is considered by many to be an adequate level of protection, when the higher stakes of industrial systems are in play, any additional vulnerabilities must be dealt with in order to further protect the equipment and systems.  One of these vulnerabilities is the fact that most surge protection devices are switched off or are completely destroyed when they perform their duty.  In the case of a simple breaker system, once the breaker is tripped the flow of electricity is cut off until such time that the breaker is reset.  While this is a very simplistic example, the theory is the same when dealing with technologically advanced surge protection equipment.  Once the surge protection device has been rendered offline, the potential threat of a subsequent surge as a result of lightning strike or some other factor comes into play.  While the expression “lightning never strikes twice” might be well known, it is not accurate.  During inclement weather it is quite common for the surge that follows a lightning strike to have an impact on exposed systems within a region more than one time.  In addition to the potential losses as a result of damage once the systems are left unprotected, there is the additional issue of restoring the system to not only a protected status but also to functionality.  Once the system has gone off line it is no longer performing the function that it was designed to do, and in this case the losses mount.  The speed with which the system can be restored to the functionality it was designed for is critical for profitability, meaning that if the surge protection device can remain functional even after a surge, systems are improved and have longer up times.  Raycap strives to do its part to not only create surge protection devices that are the most reliable on the market, but also to improve our own products by continually addressing new challenges.

The Basics Of Industrial Surge Protection

Read More: https://www.raycap.com/industrial-surge-protection/

Surge protection devices are one of the most commonly misunderstood products..  This is because if they are doing their job appropriately, they are rarely interacted with, and ultimately get forgotten about.  A surge protection device sits out of sight and out of mind until the very time when it is called upon to do its job.  Because regulated flows of electricity into people’s homes or offices are relatively stable, the minor fluctuations that are received throughout the day are generally not enough to trip the surge protection devices that computer or other equipment is plugged into.  Every now and then there may be a surge that shuts off breakers or trips these surge protection devices, and most people will simply shrug it off and reset the SPD to go on about their daily life.  We take it for granted so much that we probably aren’t even thinking about what just happened, and ultimately how much impact on our lives was just avoided.  Think about it like this, in a power surge happened that was not headed off by a surge protection device, there is a good chance that the circuitry inside of your computer would be damaged.  This would mean a loss of any work or files that were not backed up somewhere else, as well as however much money it would take to either fix the computer or buy a new one.  The simple surge protection device, that you forget was even there, was able to stop this tremendous amount of inconvenience and loss from happening every time that it does its job.  For the remaining time it is sitting dormant, and because of the lengthy periods of time in between surges you may begin to think that you can go without it.  Unfortunately, this is a lesson that is often learned the hard way many times every day. (more…)

Surge protection devices (known as SPDs) are one of the only effective methods of reducing the damage that occurs inside electronic equipment when power transients occur.  All computer and data processing equipment has a threshold that cannot be breached, with regard to electrical current, before the circuitry is permanently damaged.  While industrial equipment may have higher thresholds than consumer or residential versions, it operates with the same principals of overload. Consumer versions of equipment can generally be adequately protected from electrical surge damage with residential grade SPDs that can be purchased at most home stores. Typical surge levels that are seen in residences are often not the same levels that are seen in industrial facilities. Power surges that are seen in residential areas are typically transformer failures that distribute a surge to the homes and businesses connected to that grid, and typically don’t require devices stronger than those which can be purchased over the counter. Industrial facilities are another story entirely. (more…)

SPDs which are also known as “surge protection devices” are components that provide the ability to stop an electrical surge from reaching a destination point, thus protecting everything on the other side of that point.  All devices which are plugged into a socket or connected to a power source are susceptible to damage as a result of power surges, and it is the single function of surge protection devices to prevent that damage by preventing the electricity that is reaching that component from being of a level too great for the circuitry to withstand before damage occurs.  Along with this functionality comes the “electrical surge monitoring” capacities in many SPDs, as it is crucial for the device to be able to allow for power flow up to a certain level while still preventing any flow beyond that level.  The new and modern industrial surge protection devices offer this capacity. (more…)