omldeen In modern communication, broadcasting, video surveillance and other systems, lightning triggered by the surge phenomenon on the equipment is extremely destructive, especially when the signal line through the outdoor antenna, tower or overhead lines, the system is more likely to suffer from the effects of lightning induction. As a professional coaxial lightning protector manufacturer, we are often asked by customers: “Can coaxial lightning protectors really prevent lightning strikes?” The answer is yes, but only if its function and application scenarios are properly understood.
Coaxial Lightning Protector Role Mechanism
Coaxial lightning protector is not a device that directly withstands or directs the main discharge of lightning, its role is to prevent lightning induction and surge current caused by lightning strikes from entering the communication equipment. When lightning occurs, the strong electric field in the air will induce transient high voltage on the antenna, coaxial feeder and other structures, and these over-voltages invade the system equipment through the signal lines, which can burn the front-end module or paralyze the whole system.
The core principle of coaxial lightning protection is through the internal transient suppression devices (such as gas discharge tubes, varistors, TVS tubes, etc.), in microseconds or even nanoseconds will be shorted to the ground over-voltage, so as to play a role in isolating the surge, the role of protecting equipment!
What types of lightning strikes does it “protect” against?
The important point is: coaxial lightning protection is induced lightning and lightning caused by electromagnetic pulse, not against direct lightning.
- Induction lightning: lightning in the surrounding space to release powerful electromagnetic energy, through the space coupled to the metal cable triggered by high voltage;
- power lightning surge: through the building grid system into the equipment of the shockwave;
- direct hit lightning: directly hit the building, antenna or equipment, destructive force is very strong, need to be resolved in conjunction with the lightning rod system.
Therefore, the lightning protector is the entire lightning protection system “internal protection” equipment, need to work with external protection (such as lightning rods, grounding network). As a professional lightning protection manufacturer, we emphasize the need to use the concept of “layered protection” to build a system of lightning protection structure, that is, “external lightning protection + internal lightning protection” of multiple barriers.
Key Factors Affecting the Effectiveness of Coaxial Surge Protectors
For coaxial surge protectors to be effective, the following factors are critical:
Whether the product quality and performance parameters are qualified or not
High-quality products should have performance parameters such as low insertion loss, low VSWR, high through-current capacity, and fast response time. Formal coaxial lightning protector manufacturers provide products usually through the CE, RoHS and other certifications, with stable and consistent quality standards.
Whether the selection matches the actual application
including operating frequency, interface type (such as N-type, BNC, SMA, etc.), system power, etc., all need to be accurately matched according to the characteristics of the equipment.
Whether the installation is correct or not
Surge protector should be installed near the interface of the equipment, and the grounding wire must be thick, short and straight, and the grounding resistance should be less than 10Ω to ensure that the surge can be quickly released.
Whether regular maintenance and testing
After years of use or after many lightning strikes, the lightning protector may be performance degradation, the need for regular replacement or electrical performance testing.
Correct lightning protection needs to rely on the overall system design
Lightning protection is not a problem that can be solved by a single piece of equipment, but needs to be combined with the building structure, power system, communication lines and other comprehensive considerations. Only in the professional lightning arrester manufacturers and lightning rod manufacturers based on the system design, the reasonable deployment of coaxial lightning arrester, power supply lightning arrester and grounding system, in order to achieve a comprehensive and effective lightning protection!