A recent blog post from Pepperl+Fuchs describes how lightning and surge damage are among the most common causes of damage to electronics. The increasing use of electronic devices alone, whether in industry, office buildings, or smart home applications, means that such events cause major material and financial damage. In process plants such as refineries or the water and wastewater industry, surges can have even more devastating consequences if a surge event causes damage or unintended functionality of machines and systems.
Overvoltages can be the result of lightning strikes, but also switching operations, electrostatic discharge, faults in the supply, or the installation of power and signal cables in the same cable tray or conduit. All voltages that exceed a permissible limit value, even if only briefly, are overvoltage events. Current and voltage peaks are one of the most common causes of damage to electronics, as overvoltages usually hit sensitive system parts such as electronic circuits on printed circuit boards, motherboards, and network interface controllers first. In process plants such as those in the chemical, petrochemical, and wastewater industries, these can have serious consequences. If the electronics of machines and system components are destroyed, this can lead to fatal malfunctions or the failure of entire automation systems. Surges therefore not only pose a potential risk to plant areas, but also to people and the environment. For this reason, you should always protect process technology systems and vulnerable components from such events with appropriate surge protection devices.
Surge protectors limit induced transients on signal lines caused by lightning or switching operations. The devices reduce voltage peaks to a level that is safe for the end device, therefore preventing devastating damage and consequential costs caused by overvoltage events.
Modular Design of the M-LB-4000 Two-Part Surge Protection System
Pepperl+Fuchs offers a wide range of systems for safe surge protection in your installations. The M-LB-4000 surge protection system for signal lines up to SIL 3 in accordance with IEC/EN 61508 is a modular two-part surge protection device. A fault status monitoring module can be added to indicate when a surge module needs replaced. The 2-wire surge protection modules contain all the protective components, and do not need to be rewired when replacing them. The two components of the fault status module monitor the status of up to 50 surge protection barriers.
The M-LB-4400 fault status module consists of two parts: an optical transmitter/receiver and an optical deflection unit. If a fault occurs in a surge protection barrier, the signal is interrupted and the fault is identified. The fault status module has an LED status indicator and therefore enables visual inspection and meets the normative requirements for regular testing. The block of modules in which the fault has occurred can be identified via the status signal output. A relay contact transmits the status information to the control room, increasing plant availability. Defective modules can be replaced immediately.
With their small width of 6 mm, the devices also save space in the switch cabinet. When retrofitting, existing standard knife disconnect terminals can be replaced without taking up any space. The modules are simply plugged onto the DIN mounting rail without the use of tools.
Highlights of the M-LB-4000 Surge Protection System
- Compact 6 mm width for reduced installation space
- Continuous self-monitoring with status indication
- Protection function in pluggable protection module
- Plug-in modules for easiest installation
- Hot swap during operation—without any interruption of signal circuit
- Loop disconnect for easy maintenance
- Global certifications
Benefits of the M-LB-4000 Surge Protection System
The M-LB-4000 offers reliable self monitoring inside: The display shows status information which also can be forwarded to the control level with a fault status indication module. This allows easy maintenance and reduces operational costs.
With a width of just 6 mm, the M-LB-4000 surge protection modules provide the highest packing density and reduce installation space to a minimum. User-friendly mechanics allow operational staff to conveniently install the protection modules without any additional wiring effort.
The protection modules of the M-LB-4000 surge protection system from Pepperl+Fuchs can be replaced without tools during operation without interrupting signal transmission. When a protection module is removed, the affected signal circuit remains connected via the base module mounted on the DIN mounting rail without interrupting the signal or impairing system operation.
If the protection module is plugged into the base module rotated by 180 degrees, the signal circuit is interrupted by the integrated disconnect function (loop disconnect). This practical functionality enables maintenance work to be carried out in a de-energized state, simplifies loop checks, and enables insulation tests during commissioning or recurring tests.
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