NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – L-com, an Infinite Electronics brand in North Andover, Mass., is introducing a line of grounding accessories to prevent electric shock hazards and disruptions to facility power systems caused by lightning strikes.
The accessories are designed to protect indoor and outdoors commercial facilities, industrial complexes, and pipelines from lightning strikes, and consist of isolating spark gaps, equipotential bonding bars, and lightning rods. Retainer Nut
L-com's isolating spark gaps equalize the potential between the high-voltage and low-voltage sides of an AC service, providing a controlled path for equalization currents to flow safely.
Each power electronics device has two electrodes with a small air gap between them. The gap remains open during normal operating conditions. If a dangerous electrical system fault occurs and the voltage exceeds a certain threshold, the air gap ionizes and becomes conductive, short-circuiting the gap and preventing any harmful voltages from posing a risk to personnel.
Related: Mitigating electromagnetic and radio-frequency interference
The isolating spark gaps offer a high current-carrying capacity of 100 kiloamperes. Their resilient construction enables them to operate in temperatures from -40 to 80 degrees Celsius. They are available with or without a wiring kit.
L-com's equipotential bonding bars minimize the risk of dangerous voltage differences between interconnected conductive elements in a facility. They connect all metallic components within the protected area, such as structural steel, pipes, HVAC systems and electrical panels.
By connecting them with low-resistance conductors, the bonding bars ensure that they are all at the same electrical potential, thus preventing arcing or sparks that could damage equipment or create a safety hazard.
Cap Nut The panel-mount equipotential grounding bonding bars come in two models, with 6 or 16 attachment points. L-com's lightning rods safely pass the lightning energy into the grounding system via the overall building lightning protection system. For more information contact L-Com online at www.l-com.com.