CAD project of a class D surge arrester module for domestic and residential low voltage applications

This paper describes the design of a new electronic product, integrally designed by the authors, part of a research study and of a technological transfer, from our university to the industrial market. It is a low voltage class D surge-arrester, based only on metal-oxide varistors (ZnO varistors), made specifically for low voltage residential equipment, domestic ore home appliances. Located inside a classic multiplug socket, it could protect the whole LV installation inside that building against any type of occurring overvoltage (pulsed and long ones). The results of the applicative research were transferred, to be mass produced, to a local electronic products manufacturer, Protenergo S.A. This home module has some original solutions which are making this product cheaper, easy to use and adapted to any existing low voltage installation even in ancient (refurbished or not) old buildings. We will present also a simple and original analytical method applied to choose the exact type of varistor required. Starting from researches and 3D sketches, it arrives to a fully functional product, applied on a large scale since 2015.