Surge arrester characteristics that provide reliable overvoltage protection in distribution and low-voltage systems

In today's competitive market and restructuring in all areas of power industry, it is important to apply products that meet technical requirements and operate with high reliability. Over-designing cannot be justified if they add to the product cost. This paper suggests that existing overvoltage protection practices and surge arrester characteristics are sufficient for reliable overvoltage protection in distribution and low-voltage systems. Protected equipment failures that occur are not due to insufficient arrester energy capabilities but mostly due to improper application, most often related to excessively long lead lengths.