Polymer Arrester Improves Power Distribution Reliability

April 17, 2012
The new Cooper Power Systems UltraSIL polymer arrester improves energy handling capability, increases creep distance, and provides superior – up to 15 percent Margin of Protection over common industry offerings – equipment protection in a lightweight polymer arrester.

The new Cooper Power Systems UltraSIL polymer arrester improves energy handling capability, increases creep distance, and provides superior – up to 15 percent Margin of Protection (MOP) over common industry offerings – equipment protection in a lightweight polymer arrester. The three levels of energy handling capability standard, high, and extra-high are ideal for utilities for protection against repeated high energy switching surges, and provide reliable protection for substation equipment, capacitor banks, multiple lines, and cable circuits.

Cooper Power Systems also offers customizable options for special applications to meet discharge and protection characteristics to optimize overvoltage protection in specific transformers, and to adhere to specific height requirements.

“Our customers know that lost data, equipment damage, and company stand-still costs are usually more detrimental than the effects of the overvoltage event itself,” said Mark Thurman, president, Cooper Power Systems. “To help avoid costly outages, improve system reliability, and protect against overvoltage events, our new lightweight polymer arresters are tested for use in the harshest environments, and are constructed with silicone rubber for its resistance to temperature extremes, UV degradation, and contaminants. Plus, with more than 250,000 units in service, no failures due to moisture ingress have been reported.”

Cooper has tested UltraSIL arrester to conform with the 1000 Hr salt fog test per IEEE std. C62.11 - 2005 standard with zero degradation to the arrester housing. The increased standard creep distance of 31 mm/kV (line-to-line voltage) meets the requirements of Category IV (very heavy) pollution level per IEC 60099-4.

The UltraSIL design also offers SKU reduction benefits; the base unit can easily convert from standard base-mount to suspension or cubicle-mount so only one product is needed for three applications, and without impacting the seal integrity.

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