Are you looking for rf surge arrestor for your electrical equipment? If so, I believe that you have heard the term "Gas discharge tube". This is a common component seen in many rf surge arresters, but do you know this may not be your best choice?

The Advantage Of Gas Discharge Tube Surge Arrester

Surge comes in many forms. Low-frequency lightning strike is one of the most well-known surge. However, there are also other kinds of medium/high-frequency surges, such as spike voltage caused by high-power appliances' start or stop. According to a US study, only 12% of destructive surges are generated by lightning, 88% of all electrical surges are generated within our power systems. If you want to choose surge arresters for home use, the desired surge arrester must be applicable for the civil power grid.

Gas discharge tube surge arrester is suitable for home use for two advantages:

1. Wide applicable frequency

The gas discharge tube is suitable for frequency 0-2.4 GHz, almost all surge, whether high or low frequency, can be intercepted by a gas discharge tube surge arrester.

2. Feed detection available

With the gas discharge tube grounded, we can detect the integrity of such arrester by adding sensor to the grounding cable.

The Disadvantage Of Gas Discharge Tube Surge Arrester

Gas tube surge protector has good performance in some way, but it is not perfect. Its principle limited its use in lightning protection, especially against direct lightning strike. Compared with λ/4 surge arrester, it has following disadvantages:

1. Higher response time

λ/4 surge arrestor can respond to lightning surge within a few nanoseconds. However, the response time of a gas tube surge protector can be up to a hundred microseconds (1 microsecond= 1,000 nanosecond).

2. Lower discharge capacity

λ/4 surge arrester can easily pass 30KA current. Most of the gas tube surge protector cannot withstand current more than 10KA.

3. Lower lifespan

Gas tube surge protector has a limited clamping current. If you test such protectors with IEC 61000-4-5 standard 8/20 µs wave, most of which will fail after ten times of test. λ/4 surge arrester does not have such issue.

Don’t Know What To Buy? Consult Our Professionals!

Sanyuan is an industry-leading company in China. We mainly deal with surge protector and other communication accessories. The company has a professional team awaiting your order. If you have question on surge arrester or any kind of lightning protection devices, please send email to [email protected], we will give you free advice within 48 hours!