ABSTRACT
Surge arresters are connected across an apparatus to provide a low-resistance path and to limit the various types of transient voltages below the corresponding insulation level of the apparatus. A surge arrester must have an extremely high resistance during normal system operation and a relatively low resistance during transient overvoltages; that is, its voltage-current characteristic must be nonlinear. There are two main types of surge arresters: the expulsion type and the valve type. There are two types of valve arresters: silicon carbide and metal oxide (MO). This chapter summarizes arrester requirements, as established in standards, and includes a description of MO surge arrester models for time-domain simulation. It also introduces models for thermal analysis, detailed procedures to select arresters for transmission and distribution levels, and application guidelines. The chapter further provides some examples that will illustrate how to select and develop models for various applications at different voltage levels.
