Surge Protective Devices (Surge Protective Devices,SPDs) it has always been regarded as the most important protection in electronic equipment, which can prevent accumulated power and power fluctuations, so that the protected equipment will not be damaged by sudden power shocks. The surge protector can be a complete device of independent design, or it can be designed as a component and installed in the electrical equipment of the power system.
As mentioned above, although the use of surge protectors is different, it is always extremely critical in terms of safety functions. The UL1449 standard is a standard requirement that practitioners today are familiar with when applying for market access.
With the increasing complexity of electronic equipment and its application in more and more industries, such as LED street lights, railways, 5G, photovoltaics and automotive electronics, the use and development of surge protectors are increasing rapidly, and industry standards certainly need to keep pace with the times and keep up to date.
Definition of wet environment
whether it is NFPA70 of the National Fire Protection Association (National Fire Protection Association,NFPA) or the Art and Electrician Act (National Electrical Code®, NEC), have clearly defined "wet environment (Damp Location)" as follows: Locations protected from weather and not subject to saturation with water or other liquids but subject to moderate degrees of moisture. (not affected by weather, not soaked by water or other liquids, but affected by moderate humidity.)
When a surge protector (such as a varistor) is installed in an end product, it is most likely that the end product is installed or used in an environment with variable humidity, and consideration must be given to whether the surge protector can meet the safety standards in the general environment in such a humid environment.
The corresponding test requirements added by the standard
UL1449 standard recently, the test requirements for the application of products in humid environment (damp location) have been increased. Manufacturers can choose to add this new test in the test case while applying for UL certification.
As mentioned above, the application test in humid environment mainly uses constant temperature and humidity test. The following is an overview of the test procedure to verify that the varistor (MOV)/gas discharge tube (GDT) meets the wet environment application:
the test sample will first undergo an aging test under high temperature and high humidity conditions for 1000 hours, and then compare the pressure-sensitive voltage of the varistor or the breakdown voltage of the gas discharge tube to confirm whether the surge protection component can be in a long-term humid environment., Still maintain its original protection performance.
Once tested and UL certified, the SPD/component will be updated in the UL Product iQ product online certification catalog platform for end product manufacturers to find product models that meet wet environment applications (as shown in Figures 1 and 2), thus saving the overall certification process for finished products.
Above is introduction to UL 1449 Surge Protector by AnKeJie Testing and Certification, for reference only, some of the material comes from the Internet and does not represent the point of view of Ancor's detection technology and is responsible for its authenticity. If you are involved in the content of the work, copyright and other issues, please contact us within 30 days, we will delete the content in the first time!
