Pluggable surge protection for C&I circuits
28 April 2010
Weidmuller
With Varitector SPC, Weidmuller can now offer a new surge protection family for control and instrumentation circuits. The compact devices offer key features of protection, indication and remote signalling, and the level of protection is easily changed by means of a pluggable arrester, without having to disconnect the wiring.
Internal monitoring controls error detection and indication. A green LED shows correct operation, while a red LED indicates an error, in which case an error message is automatically sent to an evaluation module, the VSPC-Control Unit. The evaluation module can sample up to ten surge protection modules.
All Varitector SPC modules can be disconnected or changed during operation without interrupting intrument operation. A testing device, V-Test, is used for operational tests and allows problem-free service interval inspections as required by the IEC 62305 standard.
The unit has a capacity of four digital or two analogue signals accommodated within just 17.8 mm width. Pulsed energy up to 20 kA (8/20 µs) and 2.5 kA (10/350 µs) is effectively discharged by the screw-less PE-conductor via the earthed mounting rail. Reliable contact is established by the latching of the modules. Therefore the surge protection can be used without restrictions according to the IEC 62305 standard.
All Varitector SPC modules feature a colour code system symbolizing the different voltage levels, which prevents plugging errors. The arresters are also colour coded for different voltage levels allowing quick identification in the control cabinet.
All products within the family have been tested according to current standards (IEC61643-21), fullfilling safe short circuit mode classes D1, C1 and C2. Future developments will include products for ATEX-tested applications in intrinsically safe electrical circuits.
Contact Details and Archive...