Design and Behavior of Validating Surge Protective Devices in Extra-low Voltage DC Power Lines

In order to effectively protect electrical and electronic circuits which are extremely susceptible to lightning surges, multi-stage surge protection circuits are required. This paper presents the operational characteristics of the two-stage hybrid surge protection circuit in extra-low voltage DC power lines. The hybrid surge protective device consists of the gas discharge tube, transient voltage suppressor, and series inductor. The response characteristics of the proposed hybrid surge protective device to combination waves were investigated. As a result, the proposed two-stage surge protective device to combination wave provides the tight clamping level of less than 50V. The firing of the gas discharge tube to lightning surges depends on the de-coupling inductance and the rate-of-change of the current flowing through the transient voltage suppressor. The coordination between the upstream and downstream components of the hybrid surge protective device was satisfactorily achieved. The inductance of a de-coupler in surge protective circuits for low-voltage DC power lines, relative to a resistance, is sufficiently effective. The voltage drop and power loss due to the proposed surge protective device are ignored during normal operation of the systems.