Surge Protection for 4-20mA Current Loop (Thermocouple)

Surge Protection for Thermocouple

Alt text

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
Alt textThermocouple
Input
4-20mA
(1-pair wire)
DLA-24D3 DLA-24D3
Alt textTransmitter
Analog Input
4-20mA
Current Loop
DLA-24D3 DLA-24D3
Transmitter
Analog Output
4-20mA
Current Loop
DLA-24D3 DLA-24D3
Transmitter
DC Power Input
24V DCDS220S-24DC DS220S-24DC
Alt textPLC
Analog Input Card
4-20mA
Current Loop
DLA-24D3 DLA-24D3

ManufacturerLocationTypeElements
Thermo Sensors
Corporation
Garland
TX
EChromel-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 LLC
Quakertown
PA
EChromel-Constantan
JIron-Constantan
KChromel-Alumel
TCopper-Constantan

Citel Logo
10108 USA Today Way
Miramar, FL 33025 USA
Contact us to develop a surge mitigation solution for your application

www.citel.us

Where to purchase Citel SPD's