246 Introduction to Electrical Power and Power Electronics
(a) Metal oxide. Functionally, the arrester works like a diode in the reverse,
which breaks down at lightning voltages. It is made from lead peroxide or
Thyrite hockey-puck-shaped pellets stacked with series gaps. It consists of
a column of diode-type lead peroxide pellets with small series gaps assem-
bled in a porcelain tube placed before the equipment, as shown in Figure
9.21a. The semiconducting pellet material has highly nonliner resistance
that behaves like a diode in the reverse bias. The series gap isolates the diode
elements from the line voltage until sparked over by a lightning impulse
that breaks down the reverse biased diodes. Arresters use zinc oxide and
petticoat insulator ...