The requirements for system availability in buildings, industrial plants and power generation plants have increased significantly. High-performance lightning and surge protection systems protect increasingly sensitive infrastructures from costly failures – and are even mandatory in many areas. In order to meet the growing requirements of today and tomorrow, Weidmüller has once again expanded its proven VPU AC series. The products are now also available as combined type I + II arresters in a particularly compact design.

Lightning and surge protection measures

Lightning and surge protection measures are installed and maintained by qualified electricians to protect electrical systems, people and sensitive electronics from dangerous surges. Especially in regions with frequent thunderstorms, type I surge protective devices (SPDs) are of crucial importance because they are able to safely divert high lightning currents to the ground. Since 2016, the use of these devices has been required by law in new installations. Type I SPDs are installed in low-voltage consumer systems, particularly at the power inputs, and should be connected with the shortest possible connection lines parallel to the devices to be protected in order to ensure effective discharge.

The application areas of surge protection

Surges in low-voltage consumer systems, which can be caused by lightning strikes, switching operations in the power grid or short circuits, pose a significant risk to electrical and electronic devices and systems. Special lightning and surge protection components are used to protect them from dangerous voltage spikes.

Powerful and versatile solution

With the new lightning and surge protection modules VARITECTOR PU AC Type I+II LH, Weidmüller has developed a high-performance and versatile solution for protecting industrial plants as well as private and public buildings. These pluggable devices offer a lightning impulse current (limp) of 12.5 kiloamperes and can be used in lightning protection class III/IV. The products are tested according to the valid IEC/EN 61643-11 (VDE 0675-6-11), energetically coordinated as type I, type II and type III and have a particularly low protection level of 1.5 kilovolts or less. In addition, application-specific product configurations are available for different network types.

Comprehensive protection for the respective electrical installation

The combination of type I and type II arresters allows the use of lightning and surge protection, whereby the devices provide comprehensive protection for the respective electrical installation. The arresters enable operation without a backup fuse up to 160 amperes and have a maximum discharge current Imax of 50 kiloamperes. The integrated status display and remote signaling contact make maintenance easier, as the state of the protection system can be easily monitored. This product thus offers a comprehensive and technically mature solution for protection against lightning and surge damage in demanding applications.

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