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The Basics
The ground line essentially serves two functions: (1) To
provide a grounding point for electrical equipment to
prevent electrocution and fires and (2) To transfer
unwanted electrical noise, which is created during
standard operation of electronic equipment, out of the
device and to the common safety ground of the building.
The Unresolved Problem
Excess energy on the ground line, sometimes called
ground transients, can originate from many different
sources such as Ground Injection Noise, Ground Faults,
Ground Currents, Lightning, Utility Switching and
Electrostatic Discharge. All of the these occurrences
result in energy flowing towards the earth ground,
whether it be via the ground line of equipment or the
common ground system of the building itself.
What many people do not realize is that all of this
excess energy is not always absorbed by the earth
ground. It can and will flow back up the ground line and
disrupt the operation of electronic equipment. In
addition, since all facilities share a common ground
system, if an electrical disturbance is introduced into
this system it can be distributed anywhere throughout
the facility before, if ever, reaching the earth ground
and even then it may not be completely absorbed.
Traditional surge
suppression, TVSS, line conditioners and UPS's
(uninterruptible power supply) offer no ground line
protection and ground transients can therefore travel up
through a surge protector and into an electrically
powered device. These devices commonly have a DC logic
bus, which is referenced to the AC ground line. So
transients can travel up through the AC ground line and
seep in to a DC logic bus and cause a malfunction. A DC
logic bus is a critical component to many common
devices, including fire alarm panels, computers,
servers, medical equipment, etc.
The Solution - GTT
Protection
9 Corporation's internationally patented
technology is a UL recognized* device
intended for installation in series with the ground line
of isolated electronic circuitry to attenuate harmful
ground transient voltages. When installed correctly, the
GTT will not allow harmful transient voltages to pass
through the ground line and interfere with the DC logic
bus of electronic equipment. Our flagship product, the
Ground Transient Terminator (INL06000), though not
intended to provide alternate means of chassis/equipment
safety grounding maintains full continuity with the
ground line and attenuates transients from 50 MHz - 2
GHz. Along with UL and CE recognition, the GTT has been
tested to and exceeds IEC1000-4-5 and IEEE-ANSI C62.41
standards.
Summary
Various
independent field tests conducted since 1994 have
identified that the ground line poses a significant
threat to the reliability and productivity of electronic
equipment. Prior to the GTT technology, there was no
safe way to protect electronics systems from
interference originating from ground. With GTT Surge
Protection correctly implemented into applications, the
ground line will no longer present the threat of surge
interference, meaning that many malfunctions resulting
in lost productivity can be avoided. This new level of
power quality truly redefines reliability for a diverse
range of products.
(* in the United States) |
