Surge Smart | The science behind SPDs | Part 3

In this episode, Nick Marshall is joined by Matt Waldram and Adam Davies from Omega Red Group to discuss the principles of surge protection and the standards that support it. Together, they explore the different types of Surge Protection Devices (SPDs), coordinated protection strategies, risk assessment considerations, maintenance requirements, and key takeaways for designers and contractors.

Topics covered include:

• The different types of Surge Protection Devices (SPDs)
• Coordinated surge protection
• Risk assessment and equipment protection
• SPD inspection and maintenance
• The importance of early project engagement
• Key takeaways for designers and contractors

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Thank you for listening to Omega Red's podcast. All information was accurate at the time of recording. 

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Transcript

What are the different types of Surge Protection Devices (SPDs)?

Nick Marshall 0:05

Adam, you mentioned SPD, surge protection devices, and we've got different types of of um levels of protection there. Could you just take us through the the the different types and why one is used over another and how that works on on site?

Adam Davies 0:18

Yeah, absolutely. Uh so it's probably worth mentioning the uh standards of which SPDs are built to.

Nick Marshall 0:26

Yeah.

Adam Davies 0:27

So this is B S E N IEC 61643.

Nick Marshall 0:30

Yeah.

Adam Davies 0:31

Uh and basically what this does is this is uh type testing to make sure that you get your type ones, your type twos, type threes, and what them capabilities are.

Nick Marshall 0:39

Yeah, and we're gonna talk about the different types that way. Yep, yeah.

Adam Davies 0:42

Yeah, so uh going into the types, you've got you've got your type one, which is uh designed to withstand lightning energy.

Nick Marshall 0:49

Okay.

Adam Davies 0:49

Uh, and that is designed to uh dissipate uh that lightning energy to a safe level for the equipment. You've got type two uh SPDs, yeah, uh, and these are designed to take the transient over voltages uh and to dissipate that energy and bring that voltage down to a safe level for equipment, uh, which is basically it's almost the same function of a type three. Now a type three is the same, it's there to withstand the overvoltage, yeah, but it's there where you would fit it at a terminal system, so at the at the end, load using equipment to protect that specific equipment.

Nick Marshall 1:27

Okay. And I think then mentioning about how that works on site, and there's the different things that are doing different responsibilities on site, then by the sounds of it, in it, they're all playing a different part of a of a bigger picture. So, Matt, could you just talk us through how that would work then when we've got something on site, how all those are kind of interdependent of each other? Why would we how how how would it work on site?

What is coordinated surge protection? 

Matt Waldram 1:49

Okay, so you would generally install a type one capable um SPD, which deals with lightning energy, as Adam has said.

Nick Marshall 1:56

Yeah.

Matt Waldram 1:56

And you would normally install those where cables enter or exit um the boundary of a building, which is normally defined and where um the whole, the structural lightning protection um is installed in the form of a Faraday cage.

Nick Marshall 2:10

Okay.

Matt Waldram 2:11

Um because as a cable passes from outside or to inside or inside to outside, it's changing what we refer to as lightning protection zones.

Nick Marshall 2:19

Yeah.

Matt Waldram 2:20

And there's a danger that that lightning energy during a lightning current flowing along the Faraday cage, um, that it will break into the cable, break down the insulation, and it can cause sparking.

Nick Marshall 2:30

Okay.

Matt Waldram 2:30

So the type one device is designed to dissipate that energy to Earth.

Nick Marshall 2:34

Yeah.

Matt Waldram 2:35

Um and then working in coordination with that, somebody might install a type 2 device, um, and that is designed, as Adam has said, to limit um over voltages to a safe level at that point that equipment can withstand. Um, and then we might look again, as Adam has said, at the type 3 devices, and they work together as a coordinated set, positioned depending upon the location of the electrical distribution and and subsequently the final equipment

Nick Marshall 3:04

Yeah.

Matt Waldram 3:05

Um, in order that that final equipment um isn't bothered by any over voltages. In other words, the energy has fizzled out and been absorbed and be diverted and can't do any further damage.

Nick Marshall 3:16

Yeah.

What do you consider in your risk assessment?

Nick Marshall 3:17

And that sounds very, very technical. So when you when you're on site and the clients asking for um suggestions around SPDs and what that would look like, is that part of your risk assessment essentially, when you're on site that you you're looking at all the different interdependencies of what's coming in, and then just trying to break that down to go, right, that's level one, that's level two, that's level three. And then, like you say, they're all working together.

Matt Waldram 3:43

So when we're on site and talking to clients, um, we are considering where the risks lie.

Nick Marshall 3:48

Yeah.

Matt Waldram 3:49

Um, we are looking at where equipment is located, and we're looking at where the various electrical systems, be it for low voltage power, be it for fire alarm systems and data and comms and things like that, even antenna on roof with coaxial cables. Yeah. We're looking at where those cables might enter or exit a building, and we are also looking at where they might connect to final equipment. And ultimately, the positioning of surge protection and the amount of surge protection may depend upon where those cable systems run in relation to each other and where they actually feed final equipment. And it's all about um firstly preventing dangerous sparking from the lightning effects at service entries and exits, and then subsequently um protecting equipment from failure inside a building.

What maintenance do surge protection devices need?

Nick Marshall 4:35

Lovely. And I'm guessing then that equipment from a maintenance point of view, what does what does that look like?

Matt Waldram 4:41

Okay, so surge protection devices don't really, they're sealed units, a lot of them. Um they are made, as Adam has said, to B S EN IEC 61643, which is a series of documents that cover different types of of cabled system and and uh and power systems, photovoltaic, um, telecommunications. Um there's a part to cover each each type of SPD that needs to be designed, built, and type tested.

Nick Marshall 5:07

Yeah.

Matt Waldram 5:07

Um and they don't really contain any serviceable parts.    

Nick Marshall 5:11

Yeah.

Matt Waldram 5:11

Um, so uh it's very important that routine inspections are carried out in accordance with um 62305 and the section somebody might need would be part three. Um, in one of the annexes at the back, that's where it describes the inspection process and all the requirements for that. And that includes visual checks um to confirm that the correct SPDs are installed, that they are correctly connected, um, that they're fit for purpose, and um to make sure that them and their associated fuses are not damaged as a routine thing. Um if there are SPDs, most of the power devices um have, because they are connected in parallel, yeah, they do have visual indication to indicate their status, uh, which is a requirement. Um and but for those in series, sometimes they don't have uh visual indication. Um, and the recommendation is that those might be tested according to the manufacturer's uh guidance and perhaps using their own test equipment.

Nick Marshall 6:12

Great. And that just gives a real detailed view of the things that people really need to think about. It's not straightforward, is it? And you must see that based on as you're going around those sites of where you've got different cables coming in about where they're connected to, what are they running, what service they're running, and trying to give that education, insight, and advice to clients, they must see us as a kind of bit of a safe haven because there's a hell of a lot to take into consideration where you're trying to keep your keep your

Key Takeaways

Nick Marshall 6:41

safe site.   Um so how would you give me a little golden nugget, Adam, then in just the one thing that sticks out of that conversation, you would turn around and go, just they're all important, but just get people to think and put that light bulb in people's minds.

Adam Davies 6:55

Yeah, I think it's uh I think it's worth getting that message out there, that it's worth remembering that you know surge protection is a layered system.

Nick Marshall 7:03

Yeah.

Matt Waldram 7:04

Um and you know, you you can't just put one device in and think that that's it and you're protected, because most of the time that's not the case.

Nick Marshall 7:12

I think you just listen to that conversation, that there's there's multiple things that people need to think about. And what would your golden nugget be and take away?

Matt Waldram 7:20

Uh I think it's the fact that maintenance and inspection of SPDs is important. Um, and the SPDs generally are one part of a much much larger system of protective measures, whether it be part of the whole electrical system or indeed part of a whole lightning protection system. And if they are not maintained, as for everything in life, um, they might not work when you want them to. Yeah. And so therefore, it's important to keep uh just to keep on top of it.