Custom High Voltage Suppressors
Applications
Electrical
- Capacitance Rating: Can be less than 25 pF per circuit.
- Clamping Voltage: Can be from 8 Volts to 700 Volts.
- Number of Circuits: Any reasonable number.
Mechanical
- Connections: Per customer requirements - i.e. Mil Circular 'D', Terminal Block, RJ, Terminal Lugs, etc.
- Mounting Means: Per customer requirements - i.e. Inserts, Locking Inserts, Lock Nuts, Flanges, etc.
- Dimensions: To customer specifications within required constraints.
Environmental
- Manufactured to meet typical military environmental requirements.
High Voltage Suppressors are designed to protect sensitive electronic equipment during hazardous transient conditions. They are employed to absorb a potentially destructive overshoot voltage. Under normal voltage conditions, the gas tube and semiconductor exhibit high off-state impedance, eliminating excessive leakage currents and appearing transparent to the circuits they protect. Upon the application of a voltage exceeding the switching voltage, the suppressor simulates a short circuit condition until the current flowing through the device is either interrupted or drops to a safe level. Once this occurs, the suppressor resets and returns to a high off-state impedance.
What are Hazardous Transient Threats?
A Hazardous Transient Threat is any unexpected or unanticipated change in voltage caused by an unpredictable and sometimes unprecedented occurrence. It is very often a random electrical phenomenon, such as a high voltage or current pulse for a brief duration of time.
Transient threats are categorized into four basic groups:
- Nuclear Electromagnetic Pulse (NEMP)
- Inductive Switching (EMI)
- Lightning Strike
- Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)
8x20 µS. High Voltage, High Current Test.
Test Lab results of an 8x20µS. pulse with a Voltage of 5.6 kV and a Current of 3 kA.
A return lightning strike can contain currents in excess of 200,000 Amps. It can be stated, that "Lightning is predictably unpredictable". It will not only take the easiest path to ground, but it can take all available paths to ground as well.
An example of an 8 Circuit High Suppressor