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Cell Site Surge Protection

Cell site surge protection is becoming increasingly important due to higher volumes of cellular traffic, 3G, 4G and LTE, and the expansion of the transmission capacities needed. Optimal equipment functionality is necessary in order to keep next generation network infrastructures up and running at all times, and must be protected from devastating natural events such as lightning.  As mobile network operators have improved levels of service to their clients through new and improved architectures, such as distributed base station architectures, featuring remote radio head (RRH) technology and the higher capacity base station units that accompany them the need to protect exposed electronics at the tops of the towers has become evident.  The ultimate goal of any mobile operator is improved network reliability and availability, and Raycap is the partner of choice for the world’s largest mobile operators.  Raycap’s superior cell site surge protection technology is powered by Strikesorb, a technology designed specifically to provide the most extensive protection to mission critical infrastructure. (more…)

Why We All Need Industrial Surge Protection

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

When most people think about surge protection devices the only thing that comes to mind is the surge strips that you can buy at your local hardware store, when in reality they are an important and integral aspect of modern life. Industrial surge protection not only keeps daily life for most of the world running smoothly, but also keeps some of the most evolved and high-tech products and services affordable to the masses. The place to start is probably with a definition of what a surge protection device is, and how they are employed on the industrial level. A surge protection device can take many forms, but it is essentially a piece of equipment that is installed somewhere in between a power source and a piece of equipment that is powered by that source. There are numerous methods that the surge protection device may use in order to provide the protection it is designed for. These different techniques involve diverting the flow away from the device, completely cutting off the flow or drawing the flow down. (more…)

The Risks Of Industrial Power Surges

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

The risks of loss due to damage from power surges at industrial plants are far higher than residential ones, even though the same power grid will generally supply electricity to an area servicing both industrial and residential customers. The single job of an electrical system is to supply electricity to equipment and appliances that use it, in order to provide the service that the equipment is designed to provide. The main differentiation between residential and industrial customers is the level of power flow that is delivered and needed at the location. Residential customers will be familiar with the two types of plug configurations that are seen throughout their house or business, these types nearly always providing 110 or 220 levels of power. The residential space is designed to allow power flow within this range to enter the premises, the first barrier of protection is found at the circuit box. Circuits are a crude form of power protection, essentially functioning in a capacity to cut off electrical flow if it exceeds a certain range that is deemed unsafe for the wiring inside of the location. People will usually take extra levels of precaution by installing surge strips or some other form of surge protection device before their computerized equipment. This is because it is understood that the computerized equipment is more sensitive and can be damaged by even small fluctuations in power, and additionally is usually more expensive than other types of equipment. This same thought process is used on the industrial level, the differences being that the equipment is more expensive, the necessity to stay online is more critical, and the power levels that are being monitored are far higher. In a nutshell, the stakes are far higher on the industrial level than on the residential level.

Industrial surge protection equipment is designed to be more robust as well as more accurate because it is tasked with protecting systems and equipment that are doing facilitating industrial tasks rather than residential tasks inside your house. There are multiple ways that surge protectors can perform the tasks that they were designed to do, which is ultimately to prevent electricity that is outside of a specific range from reaching equipment that would be damaged buy excess electricity. These methods can generally be put into 3 different types, starting with the complete cut off of electrical flow outside of the range, the diversion of excess electricity outside of that range, or the drawdown of excess electricity. All these methods will perform the task of protecting the equipment on the other side, but each method of doing so will be most appropriate for the specific application that they are installed within. For example, if the industrial installation that is being protected provides a service that would be a major disruption to the public if it went offline, then the complete cut off of power if a surge outside of a specific range was to happen would be less than optimal. In this circumstance a drawdown of access electricity or a diversion of that electricity while allowing for continued operation within the range that is specified would be more desirable. Today’s technologically advanced surge protection devices that are performing within industrial installations can perform tasks on levels previously unseen.

Cost Reductions Through Overvoltage Protection

All businesses are concerned about the bottom line and in exploring the potential advancements that can improve cost savings and increase profitability over time. The obvious desire to increase the top line sales may be the most visible business benefit, but there are significant improvements to be made to business operations by watching savings more carefully. This includes the extension of equipment lifespans and the reduction of equipment replacement costs.  Technological advancements which will improve equipment lifespan can be found everywhere in the advanced manufacturing technologies of today. But those that utilize circuit driven machinery within industrial applications and sites have an advantage they may be overlooking.  This advantage is the technology offered by Raycap products to provide capital (CapEx) and operational expenditure (OpEx) reductions through effective lightning surge and overvoltage protection.

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Overvoltage Protection Systems For Cost Reduction

Most processor-based equipment, or that involving circuitry which can be easily damaged by electrical transients, will either build in or suggest some basic level of overvoltage protection.  Electrical “transients” are brief fluctuations in the stable electrical current that flows to a device in order to keep it powered, and many are unaware that there are not only many transients which will happen throughout the course of a day, but also that there are numerous causes for electrical transients which will produce extremely wide ranges in the variation of current, from small and temporary increases to large-scale surges which can produce extreme levels of damage.  The basic premise is to keep a consistent level of power flow at all times, while expecting and preparing for the surges which could produce damaging effects.

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Remote Radio Head Surge Protection

Industrial surge protection for cell towers and cellular installations has special considerations due to the expenses involved with regards to the sensitive equipment necessary as well as the attraction for lightning strikes themselves which are posed by the towers.  Due to the necessary positioning of the towers in order to provide quality service as well as the materials that the towers and structures themselves are constructed from, cellular installations are direct targets for lightning strikes and must be appropriately protected as far as surges and electrical transients.  Raycap is one of the world’s leading manufacturer of surge protection equipment specialized for this purpose, and provides it’s Strikesorb technology as the best option for cellular providers. (more…)

RRH Surge Protection Systems From Raycap

Those familiar with the industrial surge protection industry understand the importance of the Strikesorb technology developed by Raycap for the protection of mission-critical distributed base station architectures. A cell tower is a prime target for lightning strikes simply due to the combination of height and metal in the construction, along with their often being positioned within areas that do not feature equally tall structures.  In essence, the necessary components needed to provide adequate cellular service signals also attract lightning, and the probability of a strike on or near a tower is quite good. Even if critical signaling components on top of towers or rooftops “already have built-in protection” smart operators know that it is crucial to install Raycap’s industrial strength DC surge protection systems to guard against the intense and often repetitive electrical surges that come with a lightning strike. Raycap connectivity and protection solutions for RRH networks protect the sensitive equipment within the cell site which would almost certainly be damaged by a lightning surge.  The Strikesorb technology developed by Raycap is deployed by many cellular network operators worldwide, and is recognized as the finest remote radio head (RRH) surge protection solution on the market. (more…)

RRH Surge Protection

Raycap is one of the world’s leading manufacturer of cable connectivity and lighting surge protection solutions for use in remote radio head (RRH) architectures. Raycap solutions are specifically designed to protect the sensitive radio equipment at the tower tops, as well as the equipment inside the ground shelters at a distributed base station (or RRH) architecture. The RRH architecture (also known as Fiber To The Antenna or FTTA solutions) is key to the development of next generation wireless networks and satisfies the industry’s need for increased capacity, advanced service offerings, and energy efficiency. This innovative architecture moves the active transmission equipment closer to the base station antennas, connecting them through fiber optic and DC power cables to the Base Band Units (BBU) which are typically located close to the DC power at the site.

Raycap offers a full complement of integrated Remote Radio Head (RRH) surge protection and connectivity solutions to enable and protect RRH architectures. These include field upgradable enclosures in a variety of sizes and capacities, cable solutions, mounting systems, connectivity solutions, as well as Strikesorb®, the ultimate lightning & surge protection for the exposed RRHs. Raycap’s connectivity and power protection solutions feature optional maintenance-free Strikesorb surge protection, engineered for use in RRH architectures to protect equipment from incoming lightning currents. Worldwide, Raycap’s solutions for RRH networks have been installed at more than 250,000 wireless sites.

The next generation 5G/LTE networks, as well as 2G, 3G & 4G networks, are dependent upon distributed telecommunications architectures, which are the focus of Raycap’s RRH surge protection and cable connectivity solutions. By providing the ultimate protection to mission-critical components at hard-to-reach locations, network assets are less vulnerable to damage from direct strikes and surge events produced by direct and coupled lightning strikes. Through mitigation of damages to the critical components, cellular carriers have the ability to lower their operational expenses through the reduction of the expected replacement rates for damaged equipment, as well as maintain a more consistent and continual uptime rate for customers.  Through ongoing and continual cell site surge protection on mobile networks, Raycap’s systems are able to assist carriers in building their businesses more efficiently and effectively, all the while maintaining better network uptime and reliability.

Raycap draws its expertise from RRH and FTTA/PTTA projects done with some of the largest mobile operators in the world. The company can leverage unprecedented expertise both at the design phase and throughout the life-cycle of the infrastructure and knows the key drivers of a successful FTTA/PTTA network roll-out. Raycap offers a combination of field-proven products to support any site scenario. Customization of existing products or fully custom new product development is available, depending upon an operator’s needs. Strikesorb systems are safer and far superior to conventional protection technologies for mission-critical architectures such as RRH and are the preferred protection device chosen by the largest mobile carriers and providers worldwide.

Surge Protection Special Devices

Surge Protection Special Devices

Industrial businesses rely upon the ability to function in a variety of harsh circumstances in order to maintain their ongoing ability to generate revenue.  Industrial business components are often manufactured with higher tolerances based on the need for a functionality that exceeds the typical requirements found in residential types of applications. All in all, industrial equipment must be more robust  because it is installed into harsher, more exposed environments that would typically damage less hardened  components.  Industrial equipment is required to function under conditions that are far more difficult than what is asked of most of the commercial equipment that we interact with on a daily basis.  Therefore the types of components found in industrial equipment and machinery, while being tougher than residential grade equipment, are also expected to be exposed to a variety of unforeseen circumstances that can also bring about damage.  We will often see these types of unforeseen things happening in a variety of ways, ranging from theft and vandalism due to the fact that industrial spaces are less populated than others, to damage as a result of weather because industrial equipment is often more exposed.  Either way, protection against the unforeseen is necessary in order to maintain the ongoing operations of the businesses as well as protect the bottom line as much as is possible. (more…)

Surge Suppressors

Protection of the sensitive equipment involved in the routine operations of industrial sites is paramount in order to avoid costly repairs, replacement delays and crucial data loss.  The fragile circuitry that functions within that equipment not only keeps the larger machinery online and functioning correctly, but also prevents even greater losses due to potential damage to less sensitive equipment through malfunction.  In essence, the computers, microprocessors and circuit-driven devices are the heart of the industrial site, and they must be protected against damage of any kind in order to ensure smooth operations.  Aside from the obvious potentials of theft and natural disasters, electrical overvoltage and power surges are the largest threat to the operations of most industrial sites, and unfortunately this fact is not understood by all owners and managers until it is too late and an accident has occurred.  Raycap is in the business of preventing accidents through surge suppression protection, and protection of your installation against these threats is our number one priority. (more…)