Control Concepts manufactures power filters, surge protection, and lightning protection products for companies having power quality issues
such as spikes, transients, and surges. Our patented Islatrol
Active Tracking® Filters, as well as our surge
protection products, are ideal for many applications.
surge suppression
surge protectors
Whether it's called a surge, a sag, a spike, a transient, a fluctuation, an interruption, or noise, "dirty power" is some type of abnormality in the electricity that runs your facility.
Dirty power originates outside of and within your facility. For example, lightning, utility switching, capacitor switching, and faults on the utility's distribution system can all affect the quality of your power before it even reaches your facility.
And daily fluctuations from internal electrical equipment—like devices that run in cycles or get turned on and off frequently—can cause cumulative and equally damaging power hazards. Even a small appliance can cause problems in sensitive equipment that share the same line. And the more electrical equipment a company uses, the more transients accumulate.
Power Disturbances
Definitions
Causes
Possible Computer Symptoms
Normal Mode Noise (Amplitude 0.5V to 25V)
Low-level signals, superimposed on the power sine wave
Computers, switching power supplies, power line modulation equipment
Processing errors, incorrect data transfer, terminal or printer errors
Normal Mode Impulses and Ringing Transients (Amplitude 50V to 6kV)(Duration: 5 µsec to 2000 µsec)
A narrow, fast-rise voltage variation. Followed by a damped oscillation decaying to nominal in less than one cycle
Switching loads on or off, computers, utility switching, lightning
Incorrect data, processing errors, printer or terminal errors, hardware damage
Common Mode Disturbances (Amplitude: millivolts—hundreds of volts)
Impulses and EMI/RFI noise superimposed on the power conductors
Radios, computers, arcing contacts, lightning
Incorrect data transfer, terminal or printer errors, I/O hardware damage
Sags
(Duration: Greater than one cycle)
A low-voltage condition on one or more phases
Ground faults, starting large loads, low-power system capacity, lightning
System crashes, hardware damage
Harmonics
(Duration: Less than one cycle)
Quick voltage variations, harmonics occur at the natural multiple of the standard power wave
