Surge Protection for 4-20mA Current Loop (Thermocouple) Surge Protection for Thermocouple OVERVIEW Today’s increased reliance on very sensitive electronics makes surge protection an important topic for most industries. The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety study found that $26 billion dollars was lost due to non-lightning power surges. In addition, there are about 25 million lightning strikes in the US each year that cause between $650M to $1B in losses according to the Insurance Information Institute, State Farm©. 4-20mA Current Loops are critical circuits in many key components of a UL 508A control panel (also known as an Industrial Control Panel or ICP). However, they are usually overlooked due to their limited cost in the overall system yet are integral parts that can lead to costly and disruptive downtime. The 4-20mA current loop is used to measure analog signals in applications found in food processing, refineries, chemical plants, power plants as well as commercial, industrial, residential and manufacturing process applications. They are the critical components in the process loop and are sensitive to transient over voltages. This section will identify the UL 497B Surge Protective Device (SPD) to efficiently protection your thermocouple and increase its reliability. Protection Point for Thermocouple Temperature Sensors Based on the built-in withstand of the equipment, most of the temperature probes can be protected using the SPD shown below : LocationEquipmentSystemSurge Protector Model #Link Thermocouple Input4-20mA (1-pair wire)DLA-24D3 Transmitter Analog Input4-20mA Current LoopDLA-24D3 Transmitter Analog Output4-20mA Current LoopDLA-24D3 Transmitter DC Power Input24V DCDS220S-24DC PLC Analog Input Card4-20mA Current LoopDLA-24D3 ManufacturerLocationTypeElements Thermo Sensors CorporationGarland TXEChromel-Constantan JIron-Constantan KChromel-Alumel NNicrosil-Nisil RPlatinum-Platinum 13% Rhodium SPlatinum-Platinum 10% Rhodium BPlatinum 6% Rhodium-Platinum 30% Rhodium TCopper-Constantan Thermocouple Technology LLCQuakertown PAEChromel-Constantan JIron-Constantan KChromel-Alumel TCopper-Constantan 10108 USA Today Way Miramar, FL 33025 USAContact us to develop a surge mitigation solution for your application www.citel.usWhere to purchase Citel SPD's