Varistors suit intrinsically safe overvoltage protection

18th February 2016

Jordan Mulcare

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TDK Corporation presents the T series of EPCOS ThermoFuse varistors for intrinsically safe overvoltage protection. These components are based on disk varistors with diameters of 14mm (T14 series) and 20mm (T20 series) that are connected in series with a thermally coupled fuse.

The T14 series (B72214T*) covers the voltage range from 130 V_RMS through 420 V_RMS. Its surge current capability is 6000A for a pulse of 8/20µs in accordance with IEC-61000-4-5, while the permissible power dissipation is 0.6W. The dimensions are 17x21.6x13mm.

The T20 components are suitable for voltages between 130 V_RMS and 1000 V_RMS. Their surge current capability is up to 10,000 A (8/20µs) and their power dissipation is 1.0W. Depending on the voltage, the dimensions range from 22x26x12mm to 27.5x27.5x18.5 mm.

If the varistor of a ThermoFuse overheats, the fuse trips and isolates the varistor from the grid. This prevents fires on the PCB or damage to components located near the varistor. Fuse and varistor are housed together in a plastic enclosure that, like the coating of the varistor, is made from flame-retardant material. The components have three connections: Two for the power cable and one as a monitor output, which enables the display of the status of the component with an LED, for example.

The main applications for ThermoFuse varistors are home appliances, power supplies, photovoltaic inverters, frequency converters, ballasts for lighting systems, surge voltage protectors and electronic meters.