Eaton - Marine Grade Transient Voltage Surge Suppression

Eaton manufactures surge suppression systems for the offshore industry. Because electrical and electronic equipment play such an important role in offshore applications, surge suppression equipment is of vital importance. Power disturbances can be caused by loads turning on and off, generator systems, and even electronic and electrical loads themselves. Unmanaged power quality results in equipment failure, process disruption, and reduced equipment life.

TRANSIENT VOLTAGE SURGE SUPPRESSION

Transient Voltage Surge Suppressors (TVSS) protect vital pieces of equipment and minimizes downtime. TVSS provides the highest return on investment of any piece of power quality equipment.

Not every TVSS will stand up in a marine environment. High vibration, mechanical shock, and corrosive materials are very damaging for equipment not designed for marine applications.

The MarineGrade (MG) Series of TVSS has been specifically designed and tested for an offshore environment. Eaton’s MG Series of TVSS is ABS Type Approved.

The benefits of utilizing TVSS in an offshore environment are numerous:

• Increased equipment life
• Reduced maintenance labor hours
• Reduced repair and parts costs
• Improved operation and process reliability
• Reduced downtime

OFFSHORE TVSS

Eaton's MG TVSS equipment has been designed to withstand harsh offshore conditions. Eaton's equipment has the following features:

• ANSI / IEEE C62.41 location categories B and C
• Warranty: 20 year free replacement
• Unit listings: UL1449 second edition, cUL and UL
• 1,283 filter
• ABS Type Approval
• Manufacturer qualifications: ISO 9001:1994 quality
• System certification BSI FM 30833
• Mechanical and electrical features
• Enclosure: powder coated steel, weatherproof; NEMA Type 4 (IP66), exceeds NEMA 12, 13 and 3R ratings
• Mounting: internally threaded conduit fitting and multi-point mounting feet
• Connection: All connections: box terminal, #14-1 / 0 wire size
• Operating temperature: 40°F (-40°C) to 185°F (+85°C)

US NAVY

The US navy has undertaken various tests that have shown return on investment in a time period ranging from four to six months. Similar return on investment has been documented for other marine applications.

The US Navy documented maintenance costs on electrical systems before and after TVSS installation. Both parts cost and labor hours were recorded.

This study only took into account reduced parts and maintenance costs and did not assign a value to the other benefits, from increased uptime and equipment availability.

• Replacement parts costs, which averaged over $10,000 per year before TVSS installation, dropped to zero after TVSS installation
• Man-hours of maintenance dropped 84% to 96% after the installation of TVSS

The MG Series of TVSS has been specifically designed and tested for a marine environment. Similar replacement parts and maintenance man-hour reduction has been obtained in other installations and a variety of applications.