What are the significant advantages of lightning arrester in protecting electrical equipment from high transient overvoltage?
Publish Time: 2025-03-31
In power systems, high transient overvoltage is a common and extremely destructive phenomenon. It can be caused by a variety of reasons such as lightning, operating errors or equipment failures, posing a serious threat to the safe and stable operation of electrical equipment. However, with the key device of lightning arrester, the safety of electrical equipment is effectively guaranteed.
Lightning arrester, also known as surge protector or overvoltage protector, is an electrical device specially designed to limit lightning overvoltage and operating overvoltage. Its core function is that when the power system is subjected to high transient overvoltage shock, the lightning arrester can quickly and safely guide this energy to the ground, thereby ensuring the normal operation and safety of electrical equipment. This function is due to the nonlinear resistance elements inside the lightning arrester, which are in a high resistance state under normal voltage and have almost no impact on the operation of the power system; under overvoltage conditions, these elements will quickly conduct, limiting the overvoltage below a certain level, and then return to a high resistance state.
One of the significant advantages of lightning arrester is its comprehensive protection capabilities. Whether it is lightning overvoltage or operating overvoltage, the lightning arrester can provide effective protection. In thunderstorm weather, the lightning arrester can quickly introduce lightning energy into the earth to prevent the impact of lightning waves on electrical equipment; when the power system is switching or a short circuit occurs, the lightning arrester can also limit the amplitude of the operating overvoltage to protect electrical equipment from damage.
In addition, the lightning arrester also has the advantages of fast response speed, large current capacity, and low residual voltage. These characteristics enable the lightning arrester to respond to overvoltage in a very short time and withstand a large amount of overvoltage energy while maintaining a low residual voltage level. This not only helps to protect electrical equipment from direct damage from overvoltage, but also reduces equipment failures and downtime caused by overvoltage, and improves the reliability and stability of the power system.
It is worth noting that there are various types of lightning arresters, including metal oxide lightning arresters, line-type metal oxide lightning arresters, gapless line-type metal oxide lightning arresters, etc. These different types of lightning arresters have their own characteristics in structure, material and performance, but their common goal is to provide comprehensive and reliable protection for electrical equipment. For example, metal oxide lightning arresters are known for their excellent nonlinear volt-ampere characteristics and current carrying capacity, and are widely used in various parts of the power system; while line-type metal oxide lightning arresters are particularly suitable for the protection of transmission lines, and can effectively limit the damage to the lines caused by lightning waves and operating waves.
Lightning arresters play a vital role in protecting electrical equipment from high transient overvoltage hazards. Its comprehensive protection capabilities, fast response speed, large current carrying capacity, and low residual voltage level enable electrical equipment to operate safely and stably in various harsh electrical environments.
