Abstract: A surge suppressor and method for its manufacture. The surge suppressor includes a housing, a plurality of terminal busses contained within the housing, and a plurality of substantially planar conductive plates, each plate having two electrodes for electrical connection to two of the plurality of terminal busses. In one embodiment, by using five terminal busses pentagonally arranged around the plates, the surge protector requires only two types of plate/electrode configurations, thereby simplifying manufacture.

Abstract: A lighting arrester in the form of a double-ended polymer enclosure contains one or more varistor discs in vertical alignment having terminals at the opposing ends for external electrical connection. The discs are formed from a zinc oxide composition with metal electrodes on opposing faces that are electrically connected with each other and with the end terminals by U-shaped metal straps.

Abstract: A lightning arrester module is double-enclosed to insure adequate environmental protection to the enclosed varistors as well as to contain the internal components of the arrester upon severe fault conditions. The internal components including the varistors are compressed within one half section of the inner enclosure and can be handled and tested without disengagement. The other half section of the inner enclosure is positioned over the internal components to complete the inner enclosure before the outer enclosure is arranged thereover to complete the lightning arrester module assembly.

Abstract: A surge arrester having a cylindrical housing with a throughbore, a metal terminal at each end of the housing, varistor elements located within the housing bore, and a vent within at least one terminal for venting arc-generated gases from the interior of the housing in the event of an arc being developed within the bore as a result of failure of a varistor element. The vent can be formed as a passage extending through one of the terminals from the bore to the exterior thereof via a substantially straight-line path that extends longitudinally of the bore. An electrode connected to the other terminal is spaced from the one terminal by a gap located externally of the insulating housing. The gap arcs over in response to receipt of arc-generated gases from the bore. The gap is located at the end of the housing of the one terminal.

Abstract: This series-capacitor compensation equipment comprises a series-capacitor bank in series with a power line and an overvoltage protection circuit for the capacitor bank comprising the series combination of a surge arrester and electric bus structure connected in series with the power line and in parallel with the capacitor bank. The surge arrester includes metal-oxide varistor elements which impart a relatively high resistance to the arrester when the voltage across the arrester is in a normal range and a relatively low resistance when the voltage across the arrester rises to a predetermined value that produces arrester operation. The capacitor bank will discharge through the overvoltage protective circuit should a varistor element fail during arrester operation.