What Is a Gas Discharge Arrestor Used for?

Arrestor Identification

• A gas discharge arrestor provides a physical gap for moving an electrical surge into ground. The arrestor electronic device has two to three conductor electrodes spaced away from one another within a housing. The spacing between the electrodes is filled with gas, such as air. During an electrical surge, the gap between the electrodes acts as a buffer, slowing the surging current. The arrestor moves the excess current through to a ground source, protecting the circuit from surged electrical heat damage.

Arrestor Uses

• Gas discharge arrestors are used in a variety of industries. Homeowners, in lightning prone areas, use them for protecting a home's electrical system from lightning strike surges. Rural properties with electrical fencing use the arrestors for avoiding surges along the fence line. Additionally, industrial manufacturers use the arrestors within an electrical switching machine, such as devices controlling a conveyor belt. Electrical switching can create harmful surges to the internal electronic components, warranting an arrestor for protection. In contrast, larger gas discharge arrestors are installed with high power electrical transformers on power poles. These arrestors prevent an electrical surge to a transformer supplying power to an immediate community area.

Alternative Uses

• Gas discharge arrestors can also be designed as an extremely small device, fitting snugly within an electronic component, such as an integrated circuit (IC) chip. This tiny surge protector safeguards the individual component from electrical surges that can cause harmful damage. This small arrestor is especially helpful for protecting main motherboard computer chips from damage, saving users from losing large amounts of computer data.

Considerations

• Gas discharge arrestors offer high voltage surge protection, compared to other protection devices. However, these arrestors have slower reactivity to incoming surges. Multiple high voltage surges across an arrestor may actually pass through the device, possibly harming the attached electronic component. Many surge protection designers match the gas discharge arrestor with a complementary metal oxide varistor. This varistor can handle the multiple incoming surges, while the arrestor manages the high voltage surge portion, creating a strong voltage suppression system.

Design

• Each gas discharge arrestor is designed for a specific voltage range and application. Verify the arrestor's intended use and specifications before purchasing or installing the device.