Selective Coordination of Surge Protection Devices (SPDs)

White Paper September 2008

In 2005 changes in the National Electric Code (NFPA 70-2005) placed significantly more burden on the design
of electrical systems for various types of facilities. One of the most significant is to now require the
coordination of overcurrent protective devices in emergency power systems, legally required standby power
systems, and critical operating power systems. These requirements include systems for applications
including hospitals, pollution abatement systems, and certain financial operations. In 2008, the changes
implemented in the 2005 National Electric Code were reaffirmed.
Coordination (Selective) is defined by the Localization of an overcurrent condition to restrict outages to the
circuit or equipment affected, accomplished by the choice of overcurrent protective devices and their ratings
or settings [1]. The concept of coordinating overcurrent protective devices is to isolate faulted equipment
without bringing the complete power system down. Overcurrent protective device coordination is required
for all emergency, legally required, and critical operating applications within the power system except when
this concept could create other hazards, e.g. disconnecting fire pumps.
The requirement for coordination of the overcurrent protective devices can be complex and difficult to
implement as there are different components, technologies, manufacturers, and standards involved. To
determine coordination, the engineer needs to evaluate the time current curves of the overcurrent protective
device. Circuit breakers and fuses perform the same basic function which is to isolate fault currents and
prevent fire and shock hazards from damaging equipment and hurting people. How these devices isolate
fault currents varies significantly. Additionally, each component has other functional characteristics that can
be beneficial in specific applications, e.g. fault current reduction, switching, interchangeability, size, etc.
FUSES
Fuses are the oldest and simplest overcurrent protective device, while there is significant science and
engineering deployed to bring these products to market. The total clearing time of a fuse is composed of the
melting time plus the arcing time [2]. Fuses have an inverse time current characteristic. As current increases
through the fuse, the total time to clear the fault current decreases (Figure 1). While there are various types
of fuse, e.g. fast acting, slow blow, electronic, the overall time current characteristic curves are relatively
similar.
As shown in the schematic and the time current characteristic curve of (Figure 2), fuse FL2 (blue) is
coordinated with FL1 (red). Fuse FL2 opens with less current than FL1. When these two fuses are utilized in a
power system, fuse FL2 will open before fuse FL1 removing the load, isolating the component connected to
FL2 and leaving the bus operational.

SURGE RATED FUSES

Fuses designed to withstand the transient environment
associated with surge protective devices were developed
as early as 1990. Surge rated fuses are very similar to
standard fuses except that the time current
characteristic curve is designed specifically to withstand
transient currents associated with lightning test
environments (e.g. 8/20 s current waveform). These
components ensure that high amplitudes of current pass
through the fuse without clearing, resulting in high
2
transient current capabilities and high I t values. As with
all fuses, a surge rated fuse is current limiting once the
clearing time has been exceeded.

CIRCUIT BREAKERS
Circuit breakers are complex overcurrent protective
devices. Circuit breakers have various detection and
tripping characteristics utilizing thermal, magnetic,
thermal-magnetic, hydraulic detection mechanisms.
With the addition of electronic components, the time
current characteristics of a circuit breaker can be altered
to meet the majority of applications associated with
overcurrent protection.
While circuit breakers have the capability to meet the
majority of the overcurrent protection needs of an
installation, their complexity requires significant analysis
to provide proper selective coordination of two or more
circuit breakers. Understanding how to coordinate a
circuit breaker requires the understanding of various

100K

10K

CURRENT IN AMPERES
1K

100

10
1000

1000

FU 1

100

100
FU 2

10

10

UTILITY BUS

1
FU 1

FU 2

0.01

FIGURE 3

100K

0.01
10

10K

0.10

1K

0.10

TIME IN SECONDS

Surge rated fuses are utilized differently than

conventional fuses. The standard function of the surge
rated fuse is to allow surge components (e.g. MOVs,
SADs) to attenuate transient currents, but clear under
transient currents that exceed a designed magnitude.
Surge rated fuses also provide short circuit current
protection. When surge rated fuses are utilized to
2
provide complete protection of an SPD, the resulting I t
can be very high, making surge rated fuses difficult to
coordinate with upstream overcurrent protective
devices. Surge rated fuses utilized to protect individual
2
surge components have lower I t values resulting in
easier coordination with upstream overcurrent
protective devices.

FIGURE 2

100

Surge rated fuses operate and are specified differently

than conventional fuses. Operationally, surge rated fuses
are intended to clear primarily when a transient current
exceeds its rating, resulting in large amplitudes of
clearing current during fault conditions. Instead of
showing the manufacturer providing current data and a
time current characteristic curve (Figure 2), surge rated
fuse data consists of maximum 8/20 s current rating,
2
2
melting I t (A*s), clearing I t (A*s), and the peak current
the fuse can withstand without opening at 100,000
amperes [3].

FIGURE 1

100K

CURRENT IN AMPERES

10K

10
1000

FIGURE 4
1K

component attributes (i.e. long-time pickup, long-time

delay, short-time pickup, short-time delay, instantaneous
pickup) associated with the time current characteristic
curve (Figure 4) [4].

100

FIGURE 4

1000

10K

1K

100

10

100K

Long-Time Pickup
CURRENT IN AMPERES

1000

When circuit breakers are placed in an ac power system

(Figure 5), the selective coordination becomes more
difficult.

1000

Long-Time Pickup
Long-Time Delay100

100

100

Long-Time Delay100
10

10

Short-Time Pickup
10

10

Short-Time Pickup1

Short-Time Delay

0.10

TIME IN SECONDS
TIME IN SECONDS

To be in compliance for selective coordination, the

coordination of circuit breakers CB1, CB5 (CB5A), and
CB11 must be selected such that if a fault occurs after
CB11, CB11 is the first circuit breaker to open. Selective
coordination can occur when the time current
characteristic curves of CB11 is lower than CB5 (CB5A),
which is lower than CB1 (Figure 6).

0.10

Short-Time Delay
Instantaneous
Pickup
SURGE PROTECTIVE DEVICE (SPD) OVERCURRENT
PROTECTION
All devices connected to the electrical power system are
Instantaneous Pickup
required to have overcurrent protective devices. This
requirement can be clearly stated, or can be inferred by
requiring devices to have a short circuit current rating, a
withstand current rating, an interrupt current rating, or is
required by product safety standards (e.g. UL, NEMA, IEC).
Surge protective devices (SPDs) are no different. SPDs
shall be marked with a short circuit current rating and shall not be installed at a point on the system where the
available fault current is in excess of the rating [1].
0.10

0.10

100

1K

10K

Current Scale X 10^0

Reference Voltage: 480

100K

0.01

0.01

100K

0.01

10

1K

100

10

10K

0.01

SPDs can be complex devices incorporating disconnecting switches, surge components, overcurrent
protective devices, microprocessor indication systems, and advanced system communication circuitry. These
added features can make overcurrent protection more similar to UPS, VFDs, and HVAC systems.

There are methods for SPD manufacturers

to construct a time current characteristic
curve that engineers can use to apply an
SPD and meet the selective coordination
requirements. SPDs are tested at short
circuit currents of 100 A, 500 A, 1,000 A and
at the declared short circuit current [5].

FIGURE 5
Emergency
Source

Normal
Source
ATS/TD
SERVICE
DISCONNECT

CB8

CB1

Unlike fuses and circuit breakers, SPDs do

not have time current characteristic curves.
Most SPDs utilize commercially available
fuses or circuit breakers internally to
interrupt fault current. A small minority of
SPDs utilize custom fuses to provide
overcurrent protection. However, unlike
overcurrent protective devices, SPDs only
have a short circuit current rating. To
ensure proper coordination, the overcurrent
protective devices inside the SPD need to be
coordinated with upstream overcurrent
protective devices. Therefore, applying an
SPD can be difficult as there is insufficient
information available, or is there? So how
do engineers apply SPDs and meet the
requirements of selective coordination?

Non-essential Loads
CB2

CB3

CB4

CB5

CB6

CB7

ATS

CB9

CB5A

Example
(CB1, CB5A, CB11)

CB10

CB11

CB12

CB13

CB14

CB15

COPS Loads
(Essential)

Using this data, plus additional test data the SPD

manufacturer can develop a time current
characteristic curve (Figure 7) [6].

FIGURE 6

Example 1 SPDs with Surge Rated Fuses

The best method to show how to coordinate an
SPD in an AC power system is to use the power
system identified in Figure 5, the circuit breaker
time current characteristic curve of Figure 6,
and the surge fuse for a 20 kA VSP fuse of Figure
3. Also, the assumption that circuit breakers
CB2, CB3, CB4, CB5, CB5A, CB6 and CB7 will
have the same time current characteristic curve.
Similarly, circuit breakers CB10, CB11, CB12,
CB13, CB14, CB15 and CB16 have the same time
current characteristic curve. For this example,
the SPD will be placed on the panel of CB1 and
CB5A.

CB1
CB5

CB11

Unfortunately, the time current characteristic

curve for the surge rated fuse does not provide
sufficient information to perform a coordination
study, but a short circuit current study can be
accomplished. Looking at the manufacturers
data for the 20 kA VSP fuse, the clearing time is
2
14,400 A s. For a time of 0.1 seconds, the corresponding current is 379.5 A.
Using a 20 kA VSP surge rated fuse opens at a current of 379.5 A at a time of 0.1 seconds. CB1 opens at a time
of 0.2 seconds at any current greater than 100 A. CB2 opens at a time of 0.1 seconds at any current greater
than 50 A. Based on the time current characteristic curves, the SPD with the 20 kA VSP surge rated fuse can
only be applied at the CB1 panel. Connecting the SPD at the CB5A panel will cause the entire load on that
circuit to be disconnected in the event of a fault on the SPD circuit (Figure 8).
If the SPD is applied to the CB1 panel in a
direct connect configuration and the SPD,
repair or replacement of the SPD could be
difficult as all loads in CB1 panel would be
required to be de-energized. The critical loads
powered from the CB5A panel through
transfer switch ATS and the non-essential
loads from the transfer switch ATS/TD could
be energized utilizing the emergency power
generator. The other loads connected to the
CB1 panel would remain de-energized. This
condition may require that the SPD remain offline for an extended period of time until repair
or replacement of the damaged SPD can
occur.
Connecting the SPD is to the CB1 panel
through CB2 is the best approach for an SPD in
this example. When the SPD is connected to
CB1 panel through CB2, a fault within the SPD
will cause CB2 to trip, taking only the SPD offline (Figure 9). This allows for all loads to
function properly without exercising the
emergency power source.
Additionally,
maintenance can be performed on the SPD
without utilizing the emergency power source.

FIGURE 7

Example 2 Individually Fused SPDs

This example will be similar to the previous example except that instead of surge rated fuses, the SPD
fuselinks will have the time current characteristic curve as shown in Figure 7. Also, the assumption that circuit
breakers CB2, CB3, CB4, CB5, CB5A, CB6 and CB7 will have the same time current characteristic curve.
Similarly, circuit breakers CB10, CB11, CB12, CB13, CB14, CB15 and CB16 have the same time current
characteristic curve. For this example, the SPD will be placed on the panel of CB1 and CB5A.
The SPD opens at a current of 1 A at a time of 10
milliseconds. CB1 opens at a time of 0.2 seconds at
any current greater than 100 A. CB2 opens at a time of
0.1 seconds at any current greater than 50 A. CB10
opens at a current of 25 A at a time of 0.01 seconds.
CB2 opens slower than the SPD at all current levels.
CB1 opens slower than the SPD at all current levels.
This data shows that the SPD can be placed in either
location as the SPD will open at a lower current than
CB10, and faster than CB2, thus resulting in a
coordinated system.
As with Example 1, an SPD located internal to
distribution equipment CB1 or CB5A will result in
difficulty in repairing the SPD. The best method of
application is to have the SPD externally mounted to
the distribution equipment, even when a coordination
study shows that it will not take the circuit panel off
line.

FIGURE 8

Main Circuit (CB5A)

Breaker Trips

Fuses MAY
Not Open
Short circuit from
Failed MOVs

CONCLUSION
Selective coordination is a requirement for specific applications as a result of the 2005 National Electric Code,
and is a best engineering practice for all other applications to ensure systems remain functional. This
requirement for the coordination of overcurrent protective devices can make designing the AC power system
and the application of various equipment (e.g. SPDs) difficult. To ensure equipment is properly applied,
engineers need to ensure that the equipment does not cause the upstream overcurrent protective devices to
activate, thus removing power from the complete panel.
SPDs utilize different overcurrent protective methods (e.g. standard commercial fuses, surge rated fuses,
circuit breakers, fuselinks). When performing the coordination analysis, data on all overcurrent protective
devices are required. As the two examples show, some overcurrent protective devices will limit the
application where the SPD can be applied.
FIGURE 9
Before approving an SPD for a particular location,
the following items should be considered:
Short circuit from
Failed MOVs
Obtain time current characteristic curves of
all overcurrent protective devices
Analyze the time current characteristic
curves for the application of the SPD
Ensure that the overcurrent protective
device of the SPD does not interfere with
the overcurrent protective coordination of
Circuit Breaker (CB2)
Fuses MAY
Trips Before the Main
the entire AC power system
Not Open
Circuit Breaker (CB1)
Ensure that the overcurrent protective
device of the SPD does not interfere with
the transient current capability of the SPD
Connect the TVSS thru a dedicated breaker,
Panel Load Stays ON
dont directly connect to the bus

REFERENCES
1. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), National Electric Code, NFPA 70-2008, Quincy, MA USA
2. Copper Industries. Selective Coordination. St. Louis, MO USA
3. Ferraz Shawmut, VSP MOV Protector, Retrieved 2008 June 06, Available [online]
http://us.ferrazshawmut.com/catalog/surge-related-devices/mov-protection-fuses.
4. Fuhr, R.E. Meeting the NEC Selective Coordination Requirements. Retrieved 2006 June 01, Available
[online] http://www.powerstudies.com/articles/Meeting_NEC_for_Selective_Coordination.pdf
5. Underwriters Laboratories. Standard for Safety, Surge Protective Devices. UL 1449 third edition,
Northbrook, IL USA
6. Harrison, J.H. How and Why Surge Protective Devices (SPDs) Fail. IEEE. Retrieved 2008 June 06,
Available [online] http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/iel2/3537/10626/00498137.pdf

100 Emerson Parkway

Binghamton, NY 13905
P (607) 721 8840
P (800) 288 6169
F (607) 722 8713
E contactsurge@emerson.com
WP-30015 08-015 Rev. 2 1/13