Protecting water and wastewater treatment facilities
Transient voltage happens… downtime and power quality disruptions don’t have to
Transient voltage events are brief spikes in electrical power caused by either the natural electrical noise within your own systems or external factors like lightning strikes and power grid surges. People, businesses, and industries across the country rely on your water and wastewater facilities so you don’t have time for disruptions caused by transient voltage. Our solutions are tailored to the water and wastewater industry and backed by more than a century of experience.
This critical infrastructure and the systems that make them tick rely on safe electrical distribution and consistent power quality to clean and process the water supply. Without proper protection, water treatment plants and wastewater treatment plants could drown in damage and disruptions caused by transient voltage events.
Not only could a lightning strike or transient surge dismantle your company or utility’s operational reliability and processing duties, but these electrical threats also pose a risk to your energy efficiency. Every aspect of your water production and wastewater processing sites is vulnerable to these internal and external power quality disruptions, including wellheads and central processing plants.
You have invested ample time and money into making sure your water and wastewater treatment systems run efficiently and your organization consistently meets the population’s freshwater demands. Don’t let your hard work get undone in the blink of an eye – work with DEHN.
As an international leader in transient voltage solutions, we understand the intricacies of your facilities and offer grounding systems and lightning and surge protection systems that address every threat to your sensitive electric water processing and water production components.
Lightning and water: A costly and dangerous combination
Everyone knows that electricity and water don’t mix. It’s why you’re not supposed to swim during thunderstorms or bathe near plugged-in electronics.
When it comes to your water/wastewater treatment site, grounding systems and transient voltage protection are critical to ensure the disruption-free function of your processing systems and corresponding electrical equipment.
About 80% of transient voltage stems from the daily electrical noise of your own internal systems. That includes harmonics, voltage sags or swells, and small surges from your equipment, such as a compressor with variable frequency drives or a high-power nonlinear electronic switching load from a computer or power controller. The other 20% of threats are more unpredictable as they occur from external sources, such as lightning strikes or other severe weather, power line accidents, or network issues like grid switching.
Any type of transient voltage can destroy your power resilience, leading to power loss or extensive system damage that impacts your ability to provide fresh, safe drinking water to the public, as well as maintain safety within your own facilities.
Damaged pumps at your drinking water utility can inhibit local firefighting efforts and shut down nearby health facilities and restaurants. Also, pressure loss caused by system damage or a power outage can lead to harmful contaminants entering the drinking water distribution system.
With the risks of expensive or irreparable damage and outage-related downtime around every corner, it’s important to take a multi-tiered approach to maintaining power quality. Lightning protection systems for water production and wastewater treatment industry entities should be incorporated into a site’s construction and include an intermeshed grounding system.
At DEHN, we have the experience and knowledge necessary to protect your water production and wastewater facilities. Our process includes education on transient voltage threats as well as tailored protective system development and implementation that ensures comprehensive coverage of some of the country’s most important infrastructure.
Get in touch with us today!Holistic protection for electric aspects of water treatment plants
A water treatment plant is not a stagnant site - it's a living, breathing system made up of complex equipment that works together to complete a singular process. If even one tiny component is thrown out of whack or taken out of the equation by a transient voltage event, the whole system could crumble.
With more than 100 years of experience, DEHN has proven solutions to help you protect the sensitive electronic equipment within your water/wastewater treatment site. Our transient voltage solutions extend to the following aspects within the water treatment plant industry:
- Central Processing Plants
- Wellheads
Contact us today for a risk assessment that helps you make informed decisions about your water and wastewater company.
Request an assessment with DEHN todayCentral processing plant protection from DEHN
The components that make up your central processing plants found within the water treatment and wastewater industry are at risk, and without implementing proper preventive measures, threats are out of your control.
Take back the reigns and remain an informed decision-maker within your operation - request an assessment from DEHN today.
We can help identify the specific threats facing your entire central processing facilities (CPFs). Our solutions address all manner of grounding and transient voltage threats. We can minimize the risk of overvoltage of your external supply lines from direct or indirect lightning strikes.
Additionally, we can help you reduce the risk of surge-related damage to bar screens or grit chambers to ensure unwanted debris doesn't flow through your plant's systems and cause even more damage to your expensive equipment.
Contact DEHN today to learn moreI/O cards: A critical but vulnerable component
In SCADA and PLC systems, I/O cards are vital for interfacing field devices with control logic in wastewater treatment operations. These components are highly susceptible to transient overvoltages due to:
- Sensitive semiconductors that can be damaged by low-energy surges.
- Long cable runs acting as antennas, especially in exposed environments like pump stations.
While some I/O cards include basic surge protection, it’s often insufficient against the full spectrum of transient threats. A single failure can disrupt pump stations, dosing systems, filtration, and monitoring—leading to costly downtime and extended recovery periods.
To mitigate these risks, implementing Surge Protective Devices (SPDs) is essential for comprehensive, proactive protection.
Request an assessment today to start your partnership with our teamProducts for water/wastewater treatment
Just as bar screens protect your plant and your customers at the inlet from debris in the water supply, DEHN's solutions prevent damage from common and imminent electrical events.
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908314
DEHNguard MU 3PY 480 3W+G
DIN rail mount, pluggable surge arrester consisting of a base part and plug-in protection modules for application in 3 Phase Wye electrical systems.
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929161
DEHNpatch class EA
Universal, space-saving combined arrester of 19 mm in width and RJ45 connection system with status indication for simple maintenance.
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927244
BLITZDUCTORconnect ML2 BD24
Lightning current and surge arrester for universal use.
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