090109-0916 EST
shaw0486:
From
www.dictionary.com
tran?si?ent (trān'zē-ənt, -zhənt, -shənt) Pronunciation Key
adj.
Passing with time; transitory: "the transient beauty of youth" (Lydia M. Child).
Remaining in a place only a brief time: transient laborers.
Physics Decaying with time, especially as a simple exponential function of time.
n.
One that is transient, especially a hotel guest or boarder who stays for only a brief time.
Physics A transient phenomenon or property, especially a transient electric current.
A transient voltage as related to transient limiters usually means a large undesired voltage spike superimposed on your normal voltage. For example: A 120 V 60 Hz power line has a 8' Slimline connected to it. Upon opening the light switch a large inductive kick voltage is created that adds to the line voltage. This large voltage may destroy some electronic components.
If a non-linear device is placed across the 120 V line that draws no current below 200 V, but becomes a short circuit between the supply line and an internal 200 V level, then the supply line is clamped at 200 V, and you have a transient voltage limiter. This is an ideal device, none exists, but some come close under certain conditions.
The source of the transient voltage will have some internal impedance and available energy.
The transient limiter also has some internal impedance and capability to dissipate energy.
To provide reasonable clamping the transient source must have an impedance of moderate level relative to the limiter's impedance. Also the limiter must have an energy dissipation capability greater than the energy from the transient.
Most power line transient limiters have a very soft clamping characteristic and therefore do not sharply limit voltage. A 5000 V transient might be limited to only 1000 V with a 200 V limiter.
I do not know that a surge suppressor is any different than a transient voltage limiter. But the words surge suppressor could be applied to current if you wanted to. So could transient suppressor. Some ocean waves are transient and you might want to suppress these with some device. A 16" gun when fired produces a large mechanical transient in the ship and its position, and also a large transient sound boom and wind gust.
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